Illustration for renting, buying or hiring a house soft wash

What each option costs for a 2,000 sq ft house

If… Choose Because
You wash a one-story house once every year or two Rent A day rental plus a gallon of house wash concentrate came to about $146 at one rental store, well under a pro wash.
You’ll also wash the deck, driveway or fence every year Buy A $109.99 electric washer plus concentrate costs about $166 for the first wash, and about $22 of concentrate after that.
The house is two stories or the growth is on the roof Hire That’s ladder and roof work you skip. A Kansas City washer charges about $400 for a 2,000 sq ft house.
Your siding is young cedar or redwood, or you’d rather not handle the cleaner Hire One ready-to-use house wash label says not to use it on cedar or redwood under 2 years old.

Renting. A New Hampshire rental store lists a 2,000 psi pressure washer at $53.33 for a half day and $80 for a day. Every rental there carries a mandatory 13% damage waiver (unless you show an insurance binder), so a day costs $90.40. One house and siding concentrate costs $55.90 a gallon from its maker, which says a gallon makes up to 20 gallons of solution, enough for 5,000 square feet. Rent for a day and buy one gallon, and the wash comes to about $146.

Buying. One maker lists a small 1,800 psi electric washer, with an onboard soap tank, at $109.99. With the same gallon of concentrate, the first wash costs about $166. A 2,000 sq ft house uses about two-fifths of that gallon at the maker’s coverage figure, so later washes cost about $22 in concentrate. Our electric or gas pressure washer guide covers which machine suits your siding and water supply.

Hiring. A Kansas City company charges $0.20 a square foot for a house soft wash, or about $400 for 2,000 square feet. A Charlotte company puts a typical full-house soft wash at $300 to $600. See our house washing cost guide and the price index for other markets.

The break-even, worked out

Over two washes Rent twice Buy once Hire twice (Kansas City rate)
Equipment $180.80 $109.99 $0
Concentrate $55.90 $55.90 included
Total $236.70 $165.89 $800

The gallon of concentrate covers both washes in the rent and buy columns. Buying wins as soon as you’d rent twice, and either DIY path costs a fraction of hiring. What you’re paying a company for is the reach, the time and the risk, which is why tall houses and roofs land in the “hire” row.

If you do it yourself, start with the label

The product label is the legal set of directions. EPA sums it up as “the label is the law.” One ready-to-use house wash label, and the concentrate maker’s directions, set out the steps:

  1. Read the label and the dilution chart. The concentrate maker says to apply its diluted solution with a low-pressure spray nozzle and rinse thoroughly.
  2. Wear what the label calls for. The house wash label says goggles or safety glasses and rubber gloves.
  3. Test a hidden spot first, and skip cedar or redwood under 2 years old.
  4. Wet the plants before and after, and don’t work on a windy day.
  5. Never mix it with other chemicals.
  6. Don’t let it dry. Work from the ground up, let it work, then rinse well.

Check your water supply before you rent; see how much water a house wash uses. If you hire instead, our questions to ask a house washing company help you compare quotes. Here’s how we check our prices.

Sources

Based on 7 sources · How we price