Illustration for What Restaurants and Storefronts Pay for Pressure Washing

Here’s how to read the number you get back. This is the owner’s and manager’s side. If you’re the washer, see bidding your first commercial job.

What washers publish

Area Published price Who publishes it (area)
Restaurant dumpster pad, single dumpster $130 per cleaning Outdoor ProWash (Nashville area)
Restaurant pad with grease-can area $130 to $200 single; $180 to $275 double Outdoor ProWash (Nashville area)
Dumpster pad “As low as $300” Hotshots Pressure Washing (Baltimore County)
Dumpster pads $0.75 to $1.00 per sq ft My Guy Services (Indianapolis)
Sidewalks and walkways $0.20 to $0.30 per sq ft My Guy Services (Indianapolis)
Small retail storefront $200 to $350 Kleanway Cleaning Services (Miami area)
Medium storefront with glass and sidewalk $350 to $600 Kleanway Cleaning Services (Miami area)

Three things stand out:

  • Grease costs more per foot. On one company’s list, dumpster pads cost 2.5 to 5 times as much per square foot as sidewalks.
  • Small, repeat areas are often priced per visit. A dumpster pad is a fixed spot that gets cleaned again and again, so a flat price makes sense.
  • A storefront price is usually a bundle. Walls, glass and the sidewalk out front may all be in it, so ask what’s included.

For a sense of scale, take a 1,500 sq ft entry walk and patio. At $0.20 to $0.30 a foot, it comes to $300 to $450 for one visit. Measure your areas first so quotes are easy to compare.

Per visit, monthly or quarterly?

Most restaurants end up on a plan. The Nashville-area washer in the table takes 10% off for monthly service, 15% for every two weeks and 20% for weekly. A Florida company says quarterly or scheduled contracts often cut rates by 10 to 20%. An Indiana company says one-time cleanings cost more per visit and recommends quarterly service.

A pad that’s cleaned often has less buildup, so each visit goes faster. One washer’s restaurant page notes that fast-food drive-thrus need frequent cleaning because of their traffic. Let the dirtiest area set the schedule. That’s usually the dumpster and grease-bin corner, then the drive-thru lane, then the entry. Walls and signs can wait longer.

Low prices do circulate. On a trade forum, one operator said he washes about 20 fast-food restaurants quarterly. He put his price at $425 a building for walks, dumpster pads and drive-thrus. Another washer passed on a fast-food job. The last company had cleaned roughly 8,000 sq ft of drive, walks and pad for $600 on a recurring plan. Those are what posters said, not market rates. If a quote lands far below the published prices above, ask what’s being left out.

Why grease costs more

Food grease doesn’t rinse off like dust and pollen. One Nashville-area washer says hot water is preferred for restaurants because of the grease. A Baltimore-area company says it uses hot water and sodium hydroxide-based degreasers on dumpster pads. That means a heated machine, more chemical and more time on site. The quote reflects it.

Some marks only lighten. Old oil in a drive-thru lane is covered in oil stains on concrete. Gum by the front door is a separate line. It can leave gray rings even after it’s removed. See gum removal on commercial sidewalks. Larger decks are priced differently. See parking garage cleaning cost for property managers.

The wash water rule

Here’s what surprises many owners: where the dirty water goes. The EPA says polluted runoff in city storm systems is often discharged untreated into local water bodies. Grease is a sewer problem too. An EPA fact sheet cites a report on reported sewer blockages. It names grease from restaurants, homes and industry as the most common cause (47%).

Tulsa spells out what that means for outdoor washing:

  • Its rules cover the cosmetic cleaning of parking lots, sidewalks, building walls and roofs.
  • If chemicals or heated water are used at any point, all wash water must be captured. None of it can go into the storm sewer. Heated means more than 10°F above the air temperature.
  • Captured water can go to the sanitary sewer on site or be disposed of elsewhere in an acceptable way. Grit and sludge go in the trash.
  • Letting wash water sit and evaporate is listed as a common violation, and violators may be fined.

So in Tulsa, a hot-water, degreaser pad job is a capture job. It needs drain covers, a vacuum or pump, and more time. That’s not padding. Your city’s rules will differ, and this isn’t legal advice, so call your local stormwater office. Cleaning the grease trap is a separate service. Tulsa keeps its own list of companies authorized to clean grease traps and haul the waste.

What to ask before you sign

  • Insurance: a certificate of insurance before the first visit.
  • Wash water plan: which drains get covered, how water is captured, and where it goes.
  • Method: hot water or cold, and which degreaser.
  • Hours: before opening or after close, and whether nights cost extra.
  • Line items: each area priced on its own, with the first deep clean separate from the recurring price.
  • Limits: which stains will only lighten.

Take before photos of anything already cracked or stained. Our guide to wash damage vs damage that was already there explains why. For more general vetting, see questions to ask a washing company. Our methodology page explains how we check these numbers.

Sources

Based on 12 sources · How we price