Pressure Washing · Service

House washing, and exactly what is in the price

The whole-exterior wash that takes the green off the shaded walls and the webs out of the soffits. Get matched with local crews who quote the whole envelope, not a mystery number per side.

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In short

What is house washing?

A house wash is a single scheduled visit that cleans the vertical exterior of your home — siding, trim, soffits, fascia, gutter faces and usually the exterior of ground-floor windows. On almost all cladding it is done at low pressure with a dilute cleaning solution that is applied, left to work, and rinsed off, rather than blasted. It typically takes a few hours on an average house and is the single highest-visual-impact exterior job you can buy.

Triggers

Signs you need house washing

The shaded side of the house has gone visibly green, grey or black while the sunny elevations still look acceptable
Cobwebs, mud-dauber nests and insect casings have built up in the soffits, around exterior lights and in the corners of window frames
Dark streaks are running down the gutter faces and, in places, down the wall beneath them
The house looks fine from the street and noticeably dirty from three feet away — which is what an appraiser and a buyer both see
Painted trim is visibly mildewed rather than faded, and washing would tell you whether you actually need to repaint
A photographer, an agent or an HOA has flagged the exterior before a listing or an inspection

Seeing something not on this list? Browse pressure washing problems by symptom →

The job

How house washing actually works

Water, access and the pre-walk

The crew confirms which outdoor spigot they are using and that it has usable flow, then walks the full perimeter — including behind gates and through side returns — noting cladding type, damaged boards, open weep holes, exterior outlets and anything that needs covering.

Watch for: A well supply or a low-flow spigot discovered on the day. Water volume, not pressure, is what a house wash runs on, and a crew that cannot get enough of it will either bring a tank or leave.
Protect the planting and the fittings

Beds and shrubs against the wall get thoroughly soaked before anything is applied, so foliage cannot draw concentrated solution up. Exterior outlets, doorbells, cameras, window air conditioners and light fittings get covered or taped.

Watch for: Dry planting. If nobody has watered the beds before the first application goes on, expect scorched foliage later in the week, long after the invoice is paid.
Apply low and let it work

The cleaning solution is applied from the bottom of the wall upward so that runs do not streak dry cladding, then left to dwell for a few minutes while it kills the algae and mildew rather than merely moving it.

Watch for: Solution drying on the wall in direct sun. Dried solution leaves a pale ghosting that is difficult to correct, which is why competent crews work shaded elevations differently from sunlit ones.
Rinse top-down at low pressure

The rinse comes from the top down so nothing dries in place, and it is kept deliberately gentle. Consumer Reports advises against spraying directly into gaps around doors and windows or under siding lap joints, which is exactly where a rushed rinse drives water into the wall.

Watch for: An operator angling the wand upward under the laps of horizontal siding. Water goes behind the cladding, and you find out months later as a stain on an interior wall.
Walk it wet, then walk it dry

Wet, check for missed patches, spotted glass and screens that did not go back. Dry, check for streaks and any pale banding. Confirm the planting has been rinsed a second time.

Watch for: Stubborn areas being written off as "that will fade". Deep-set staining on chalking or oxidised paint sometimes genuinely will not come out — but you should be told that at the walk-round, not left to notice it yourself.

Money

What does house washing cost?

House washing is normally quoted as a flat price for the whole envelope after the property is walked, driven by footprint, number of storeys, access and how established the growth is. Per-side pricing is a warning sign. See the Cost Guide for how quotes are structured.

See the full house washing cost guide — by material, size and region →

Exterior cleaning tools → Size up the envelope before you take quotes.

Straight answer

When house washing is the wrong call

Everyone else ranking for this is paid when you say yes. Here's when you shouldn't.

The paint is already failing. If the coating is peeling, blistering or heavily chalked, washing will lift more of it and leave you with a patchy house. Get a painter to look first — the wash is then part of the prep, priced with the paint job.
You want the roof done. House washing is the vertical envelope. Roofs are a separate specialism with their own access, chemistry and insurance implications, and a crew that offers to "do the roof while we are here" for a small extra is a crew to be wary of.
The cladding is damaged or missing. Cracked boards, gaps at the corners, failed caulking and open penetrations mean the wash puts water into the wall cavity. Fix the envelope first; it is cheaper than drying it out.
You expect chalky or oxidised siding to look new. Old vinyl and aluminium that has oxidised will come up clean but stay dull, and on badly oxidised aluminium the wash can leave the surface looking blotchy. That is a painting or replacement conversation, not a cleaning one.
It is going to freeze. Washing a wall assembly and then dropping below freezing traps water in a bad place. Wait for the weather.
It is a listed, historic or soft-masonry building. Those buildings are cleaned under conservation guidance at pressures far below anything a house-wash crew uses as standard. That is a specialist masonry job.

Straight answer

Can I do this myself?

The reason to hire this out is not the machine, it is the ladder. Almost every serious injury in this trade involves someone at height holding a wand that pushes back. Do not wash a second storey yourself, from a ladder or otherwise.

Reasonable to DIY

Rinsing cobwebs and loose dirt off ground-floor siding with a garden hose and a soft brush on a pole
Cleaning a small, reachable area of vinyl with a bucket of manufacturer-approved cleaner and a soft brush
Clearing the beds and moving furniture, planters and vehicles before a crew arrives — this genuinely lowers the quote

Call a licensed pro

Anything above ground-floor reach — the whole of a two-storey house
Any elevation where the growth is established rather than superficial, which needs correct chemistry and dwell rather than scrubbing
Pre-1978 painted wood, where lead-safe practice applies
Stucco, painted wood and older oxidised cladding, where the wrong approach is visible permanently

Before you sign

What to check when hiring for house washing

Does the price include soffits, fascia, gutter faces and the exterior of the windows?

These four are the most commonly excluded items and the most commonly assumed included. Get them named in the quote.
Will the black streaking on my gutters come out with the house wash?

Usually not. Gutter face staining is a bonded film that generally needs a separate brightening treatment, and it is the single biggest source of "I thought that was included" disputes.
What is your process for protecting and rinsing the planting?

You want to hear "we soak the beds before and after" without prompting. If it comes as a surprise question, they do not do it.
What pressure do you use on siding, and what nozzle?

You are listening for low pressure and a wide fan. A crew proud of its PSI is a crew that will force water behind the laps.
Are the window screens coming off, and who puts them back?

Screens hold solution and dry with a residue. Good crews remove and rinse them; the ones that do not will leave you with visibly patchy screens.
Do you carry general liability insurance, and will you send the certificate?

The realistic claims here — water inside a wall, a broken pane, ruined planting — comfortably exceed the price of the job.
What will not come out?

Rust bleed, tannin from overhanging trees, deeply oxidised paint and artillery-fungus spotting often do not fully clear. An honest answer before the job protects both of you.

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Local pros

House Washing near you

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Related work

Often done at the same time

Soft Washing

The method behind a house wash, in detail

Pressure Washing

Which surfaces take pressure and which do not

Driveway Cleaning

The flatwork, usually booked at the same time

Gutter Cleaning

Clearing the inside is a different job from washing the face

All pressure washing services →

FAQ

House Washing — questions people ask

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How long does a house wash take?

Most single-family homes are a half day, and a large or multi-storey property can run to a full day. The variables that stretch it are access — steep ground, tight side returns, locked gates — and how much detail work the soffits and light fittings need, not the raw square footage of wall.

Do I need to move out or cover anything inside?

No. What you should do outside is close all the windows properly, move vehicles clear of overspray, take down anything hanging on the walls, and unlock the gates. If you have a window unit air conditioner or an open trickle vent, point it out — those are the two things that most often let water indoors.

Will house washing kill my plants?

It should not, and a crew that pre-soaks and post-rinses the beds rarely causes problems. Damage happens when concentrated solution lands on dry foliage and is left to sit. Delicate ornamentals directly against the wall are the ones at risk. Point them out before work starts and ask for them to be covered rather than only rinsed.

Is house washing safe for vinyl siding?

Cleaning vinyl is routine; the risk is method, not material. Low-pressure application and a gentle top-down rinse are safe. Directing a narrow high-pressure jet upward under the laps is not, because vinyl is a rain screen that relies on shedding water downward and you have just given it water travelling the other way. Check your cladding manufacturer's own care instructions if you still have them.

How is a house wash different from having the driveway done?

They are different methods on the same visit. Walls are chemical and low pressure; flatwork is mechanical and high pressure through a surface cleaner. Many crews do both and will discount the combination, but they are separate line items and should be priced separately on the quote so you can see what you are buying.

How soon can I paint after a house wash?

The substrate has to be genuinely dry, and cladding that has been rinsed holds water in laps and joints longer than the surface suggests. Ask your painter what drying time their coating specification requires and schedule the wash far enough ahead of the paint that you are not waiting on the weather with a crew booked.