To price a pressure washing job, work out what the job costs you (labor, chemicals, fuel, travel, equipment wear and a share of overhead), choose a pricing method that suits the surface, add the profit margin you want, and set a minimum charge for small jobs. Then check that the result still pays you properly for your hours. That’s the method. The steps below show how to do each part.
Add up what the job costs you
Before you choose a price per square foot, know what one job costs you to do. Include:
- •Labor: the hours the job takes, including setup, rinsing and cleanup, at what you pay yourself or a helper per hour.
- •Chemicals and supplies: soaps, surfactants, bleach-based mixes and anything else you use up.
- •Fuel and water: for the machine, the truck and any trailer.
- •Travel: driving time to and from the job, which is labor even if no one pays you for it.
- •Equipment wear: nozzles, hoses, pump servicing and replacement over time.
- •A share of overhead: insurance, phone, software, marketing and so on, spread across your jobs.
Choose a pricing method that fits the surface
Per square foot works best for flat, uniform surfaces — driveways, patios, walkways, fences — because the area is easy to measure and easy for the customer to understand. Measure length times width, or use a measuring wheel or satellite map for larger areas.
Flat price per job is common for house washing and roofs, where wall and roof area are harder for a customer to check. Estimate the time and materials, add your margin, and quote one number.
Hourly is safest when you haven’t seen the work, when the scope may change, or on small miscellaneous jobs. The downside is that customers can’t predict the bill.
Adjust for surface and condition
Two driveways of the same size can take very different amounts of time. Heavy staining, mildew, rust, oil, steep or hard-to-reach areas, ladder work and long hose runs all add time. So does a site with no outdoor water source. Don’t guess an adjustment: time a few of your own jobs on different surfaces and conditions, and use those times. After ten or so jobs, you’ll know your real numbers.
Set a minimum charge
A small job costs you the same loading, driving and setup as a big one. A minimum service charge covers those fixed costs, so a small patio doesn’t lose you money. Set it from your own costs for a short job, tell customers about it when you quote, and use a single “Minimum service charge” line on the invoice when a job comes in under it.
Turn cost into a price, then check it
Profit margin is the share of the price you keep, so the price is your total cost divided by one minus your margin. For example, if a job costs you [your cost] and you want a 30% margin, the price is [your cost] ÷ 0.70. Adding 30% to your cost instead would only leave you about a 23% margin.
Then run a quick check: divide the price by the total hours the job takes, including driving. If what’s left per hour, after chemicals and fuel, is less than you’d accept as a wage, the price is too low.
Put the price on a quote and an invoice
Customers trust a price they can see broken down. List each surface on its own line with the area and the rate, and add the minimum charge and any travel fee as separate lines:
The free pressure washing invoice template is set up exactly this way: enter the square footage as the quantity and your rate as the price, and it adds up the total and gives you a PDF to send today.
Common pricing mistakes
- •Pricing from competitors alone, with no idea of your own costs.
- •Forgetting driving time and setup, which are real labor.
- •No minimum charge, so small jobs quietly lose money.
- •Quoting without measuring or seeing photos first.
- •Never revisiting your prices — costs change, and your rates should too.
And once the work is done, send the invoice the same day. If it still goes unpaid, these friendly payment reminder templates help you follow up without sounding pushy.
Quote on site, invoice from the driveway
Send this from your phone with a pay-now link and automatic reminders
Key Takeaways
Both are common. Per square foot suits flat, uniform surfaces like driveways, patios and fences, where the area is easy to measure. A flat price per job suits houses and roofs, where the customer can’t easily check the area. Hourly pricing is safest for small or unpredictable jobs.
Yes, if small jobs cost you the same loading, driving and setup as big ones. Set a minimum that covers those fixed costs plus a margin, and tell customers about it when you quote.
Add up your costs for the job — labor, chemicals, fuel, travel, equipment wear and a share of overhead — then divide by one minus your target margin. If your price is below that number, the job loses money or earns less than you intended.
Use them as a check, not a starting point. Competitor prices don’t include your costs, your equipment or your time. Price from your own numbers first, then compare with local prices to see whether you have room to charge more.
Use an invoice template that already bills by square foot: surface as the description, area as the quantity, your rate as the price. The free LaborMate pressure washing invoice template is set up this way.