How to Start a Pressure Washing Business: Price It Before You Buy
Driveway Desk team 12 October 2026 7 min read
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To start a pressure washing business, pick the surfaces you will clean, set up the legal basics for your state, buy equipment sized to that work, and write a price sheet before you knock on a single door. The price sheet matters more than the machine: most of your first jobs will be small, and small jobs are won or lost on your minimum charge, not your rate per square foot.
Short answer
Set a minimum job charge first, then a starting rate per square foot for each surface. Quote driveways, siding, decks and fences from the same sheet, and bundle small surfaces into one visit.
Decide what you will wash first
Flatwork (driveways, walks, patios) and house washing are different businesses on the same truck. Flatwork is high pressure with a surface cleaner. Siding and roofs are usually soft washing: low pressure and a cleaning solution. Start with the one you can do well with the equipment you can afford, and say no to the rest until you have done a few.
Set up the business basics
Rules vary by state and by city, so check rather than assume:
- Structure and tax ID. Pick a structure and get an EIN from the IRS if you will hire or open a business bank account.
- Licenses and permits. The SBA's licensing guide explains the federal, state and local layers. Many cities want a general business license.
- Wash water. Runoff into storm drains is regulated under the EPA stormwater program and often by your city too. Ask your city what it expects before you use detergents near a drain.
- Insurance. Get general liability quoted before your first paid job. You are working next to cars, windows and plants that are not yours.
The SBA's 10 steps cover the rest of the paperwork in order.
Buy equipment for the jobs you priced
Write the price sheet before you shop. If most of your work is driveways and walks, a surface cleaner pays for itself in saved time on every job. If you plan to wash houses, you need a way to apply solution at low pressure. Get three local quotes for each item, add insurance and fuel for the first three months, and that number is your startup budget. Then divide it by your average job to see how many jobs pay it back.
Write your price sheet
Price by measured square feet, with a starting rate per surface and a minimum job charge. These are the starting rates from our pressure washing price calculator, with a $150 minimum. They are editable inputs, not market averages: set your own after a few jobs.
| Surface | Example size | Starting rate | Area price | You quote |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Driveway | 800 sq ft | $0.20 / sq ft | $160.00 | $160.00 |
| House siding | 2,000 sq ft of wall | $0.30 / sq ft | $600.00 | $600.00 |
| Deck | 12 x 12 ft (144 sq ft) | $0.40 / sq ft | $57.60 | $150.00 (minimum) |
| Fence | 300 sq ft | $0.25 / sq ft | $75.00 | $150.00 (minimum) |
| Driveway + deck, one visit | 944 sq ft | mixed | $217.60 | $217.60 |
Look at the last two rows. A small deck on its own is a minimum-charge job. Added to a driveway on the same visit, it is $57.60 of extra work with no extra drive and no extra setup. That is the counterintuitive part of this business: your rate per square foot matters less than how many surfaces you sell per stop. Offer the add-on on every quote.
Check the rate against your time. If that 800 sq ft driveway takes you an hour and a half with setup, $160 is about $107 an hour before fuel and chemicals. Run your real hourly cost through the labor cost calculator and make sure the price sheet clears it. If you add chemicals or a helper, the markup and margin calculator shows what a 30% markup really leaves you.
Price it once, then start your first quote from the driveway next time.
Quote, schedule and get paid
How to run your first pressure washing job
- Measure and quote on site
Measure each surface, apply your rates, add any extra preparation and check the minimum. Write it on an estimate if the condition is unclear, or a fixed quote if it is not.
- Get the approval in writing
A text or email reply that says yes to the quoted scope is enough to start. Note what is not included, such as oil stains or rust.
- Put the job on a work order
List the surfaces, the address, water access and anything the customer asked for on a work order, so nothing depends on memory.
- Invoice the same day
Send the invoice before you leave the street. Same-day invoices get paid faster than ones written at the kitchen table that night.
The paper version works for the first ten jobs. The wall comes when you are re-typing the same rates into every quote at night and chasing invoices from last week. Driveway Desk keeps your price sheet, so a quote is a few taps in the driveway, and the invoice goes out when the job is done. See plans and pricing.
Mistakes that cost new washers money
- No minimum charge. A $57 deck job costs you the same drive and setup as a $600 house wash.
- Pricing floor area for a house wash. You wash walls, so measure the wall area, not the floor plan.
- Free estimates that are really free work. Quote from photos and measurements where you can, and visit only when the job is big enough.
- No written scope. "Clean the driveway" turns into "and the oil stain, and the walkway" if the quote does not say what is included.
Start with a price sheet, not a bigger machine
Get the legal basics done for your state, buy for the work you priced, and quote every job from the same sheet with a minimum charge. Then sell the second surface on every visit. Use the pressure washing price calculator to set your starting rates tonight.
Put the method to work
Pressure washing price calculatorMultiply measured surface area by its selected rate and apply a minimum job charge before quoting.
Frequently asked questions
It depends mostly on the machine, the surface cleaner and whether you need a trailer. List every item, get three local quotes, add insurance, licensing and three months of fuel and chemicals. Then divide that total by your average job price to see how many jobs pay it back.
Measure each surface in square feet, multiply by your starting rate for that surface, adjust for condition, and add any preparation. If the total is under your minimum job charge, quote the minimum. Put it in writing with what is and is not included.
Measure the siding, not the floor area, because walls are what you wash. If the wall area is 2,000 sq ft, a starting rate of $0.30 per sq ft gives $600 before extras. Set your own rate once you know how long a house takes you.
A 12x12 deck is 144 sq ft. At $0.40 per sq ft that is $57.60, which is below a $150 minimum, so on its own it is a minimum-charge job. Sold with a driveway on the same visit, it adds $57.60 without another trip.
Enough to clear your true hourly cost on the time the job takes, including setup and drive. Start from a per-surface rate and a minimum charge, then check a few finished jobs against your hourly cost and adjust.
Put the method to work
Labor cost calculatorDivide paid-hour costs by the billable-hours ratio, then allow for your target margin to find a selling rate.
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About the author
Field notes team
We write practical guides for home service crews of one to five. Our editorial standard is to show the calculation, state its assumptions, cite primary sources for factual claims and date competitor comparisons. We distinguish worked examples from market prices and correct errors when they are found. We do not claim trade licenses or credentials on behalf of the team.