House Washing Cost: What Sets the Price of an Exterior Clean
An exterior clean is priced on time. A cleaner works out how long your walls, roof, paths and gutters will take, adds any mould treatment, and prices the hours. That is why two houses of the same size can be priced very differently, and why a typical figure for a whole house means little. This page explains what sets the price, how long each part takes, and what to ask before you say yes.
What you are paying for
Most of an exterior clean is labour: setting up, washing every surface, rinsing, and packing down. The cleaning chemicals are a small part of the price. So the size of each surface, and how quickly it can be worked, decides most of the quote.
How long each part takes
Typical speeds for an ordinary single-storey job:
- Walls, cladding, brick and render: around 800 ft² (75 m²) an hour, with a soft wash.
- Driveways, paths and paving: around 650 ft² (60 m²) an hour, with a surface cleaner.
- Roofs: around 430 ft² (40 m²) an hour, slower because the work is at height and the slope adds area.
- Fences and retaining walls: around 430 ft² (40 m²) an hour.
- Timber decks: around 320 ft² (30 m²) an hour, because timber needs low pressure and care.
- Clearing gutters: around 100 ft (30 m) of gutter an hour on a single storey.
A mould and moss treatment is a second pass over the same area, at a similar speed to the wash, plus the chemical.
What moves the price
- How much there is to clean. The biggest factor. Measure each part before you ring round.
- The roof. A steep roof, a second storey or a tricky roofline needs more time and more equipment.
- Access. Narrow side paths, garden beds against the walls and no outside tap all slow the job down.
- Build-up. Years of mould, moss, oil stains or rust marks can take longer than a regular clean.
- Mould treatment. Asking for one adds a second pass and the chemical.
- The gutters. Clearing them is priced by their length. Gutter guard is priced on site.
- What it is made of. Some surfaces need a soft wash or low pressure, and some older roofs and sheeting cannot be pressure washed at all.
What to ask before you say yes
- What areas have you measured, and how long have you allowed for each?
- Is it a pressure wash or a soft wash, and on which surfaces?
- Is a mould and moss treatment included, and what does it add?
- Are the gutters cleared out, or only the outside washed?
- How will you protect my garden, windows and outside power points?
- Where will the runoff go?
Measure it yourself first
You can measure the outside of your place on your phone in a few minutes — the walls, roof, paths and gutters — and say what you want done. You get an honest starting range straight away, and you can send the job to a cleaner so they can prepare before they visit.
Related guides
FAQ
How much does it cost to wash a house?
It depends mostly on how much there is to wash, what it is made of, and how high it goes. Cleaners work out how long each part takes — walls, roof, paths, gutters — and price the hours, so a quote built from your own measurements is far more useful than a typical figure for a whole house.
Is a roof clean priced differently from the walls?
Yes. A roof is slower: it is worked at height, usually with a soft wash rather than high pressure, and the slope adds area. A cleaner might cover around 430 ft² (40 m²) of roof an hour against around 800 ft² (75 m²) of wall.
Do I need a mould and moss treatment?
If the mould, moss or lichen keeps coming back, a treatment after the wash slows it down. It is a second pass with its own time and a cleaning chemical, so it is a separate line on the quote.
Is gutter cleaning included in a house wash?
Not usually. Washing a wall takes the outside of the gutters, fascia and soffit with it, but clearing leaves out of the gutters is its own job, priced by the length of the gutters.
Is gutter guard included?
No. Gutter guard comes in many types and grades, so a cleaner prices it on site once they have seen your roofline.
Can every surface be pressure washed?
No. Some older roof sheeting and cladding must never be pressure washed, timber decks need a gentle touch, and painted surfaces in poor condition can lift. A good cleaner checks what each surface is made of first.