How Much to Charge for Pressure Washing in the UK (2026 Pricing Guide)

Pricing is the part of the job most exterior cleaners get wrong — and it quietly costs them thousands a year. Charge too little and you're working full days for pocket money. Charge too much without explaining the value and you lose the job to the cheapest quote. This guide gives you real UK numbers to anchor to, three ways to price a job, and a simple method for working out your own rate.

Quick answer: Most UK exterior cleaners charge £2–£4 per m² for driveway and patio jet washing (with a minimum charge of £100–£150), £5–£12 per m² for softwashing render, and £400–£1,200 to clean a typical house roof. Gutter clearing runs from around £50 for a bungalow to £200 for a detached or three-storey house.

Typical UK prices by service

Use this as a starting point, not gospel. Your rates should reflect your area, your costs, and the results you deliver — a fully re-sanded block driveway is worth more than a quick surface rinse.

Service	Typical UK price	Notes
Driveway / patio jet wash	£2–£4 per m²	Block paving with re-sanding sits at the top end
Softwashing (render, walls, cladding)	£5–£12 per m²	Priced by the elevation area you're treating
Roof cleaning (moss removal + softwash)	£400–£1,200 per house	Driven by size, pitch and access
Gutter clearing (vacuum from ground)	£50–£200 per house	Bungalow cheapest, detached / 3-storey dearest
Fascias, soffits & gutter exteriors	£2–£5 per linear metre	Usually added to a gutter or render job
Conservatory roof clean	£60–£150	Depends on size and how dirty
Decking / fencing wash	£3–£6 per m²	Softwash treatment often extra

Three ways to price a job

There's no single "right" method. Most established cleaners use a blend of these three.

1. Per square metre

The fairest and most defensible way to price hard surfaces like driveways and patios. Measure the area, multiply by your rate. It scales cleanly from a small path to a huge forecourt, and customers understand it. The catch: you have to measure accurately, which is where a lot of quoting time disappears.

2. Per job (a fixed price)

You look at the work, factor in your costs and target earnings, and give one number. Faster to quote and easy for the customer to say yes to. The risk is under-quoting jobs that turn out bigger or dirtier than they looked. Fixed pricing works best once you've done enough jobs to eyeball them accurately.

3. Day rate

Work out what you need to earn per day, then price the job to hit it. Most solo operators in the UK aim for £300–£500 a day in turnover; a two-person team or a specialist roof job can be well above that. Day rate is really a sanity check: whatever method you quote with, always ask "does this job pay my day rate?"

How to work out your own rate

Copied rates are a trap — your costs aren't the same as the cleaner two towns over. Here's the simple version:

1. Add up your daily costs. Van, fuel, insurance, chemicals, equipment wear, phone, software, and something toward tax. Be honest.
2. Set your target earnings. What do you actually want to take home per day?
3. Add the two together. That's your target day-rate turnover.
4. Divide by the area you can realistically clean in a day. That gives you a per-m² floor. Anything below it loses you money.

If your target day is £400 and you can comfortably clean 150m² of driveway in a day, your floor is roughly £2.70/m² — before you've added anything for a difficult or heavily soiled job.

Always set a minimum charge

A small front path might only be 15m². At £3/m² that's £45 — which doesn't cover your travel, setup, and pack-down. A minimum charge of £100–£150 protects your day from tiny jobs that eat time without paying. Say it plainly on your quote: "Minimum call-out £120." Customers respect a clear minimum far more than a vague "it depends."

Common pricing mistakes to avoid

• Racing to the bottom. There's always someone cheaper. Compete on trust, results, and a professional quote — not price.
• Quoting off a photo alone. Dirt hides area and damage. Measure properly or build a margin in for the unknowns.
• Forgetting the extras. Re-sanding block paving, moss treatment, sealing, waste — price them as separate lines so the customer sees the value.
• Slow quotes. The first professional quote in a customer's inbox usually wins. A quote that lands two days later has already lost.
• Round-number guessing. "Call it £200" feels easy but leaves money on the table on big jobs and loses you small ones. Anchor to your m² rate.

Frequently asked questions

How much should I charge to pressure wash a driveway in the UK?

For a standard driveway, expect £2–£4 per m², with most jobs landing between £120 and £300. Block paving that needs re-sanding, or a driveway that hasn't been touched in years, sits at the higher end.

What's a fair price for gutter cleaning?

Ground-based vacuum gutter clearing typically runs £50 for a bungalow, £75–£90 for a terraced or semi-detached house, and £150–£200 for a detached or three-storey property. Add a full fascia-and-soffit clean and the price rises accordingly.

Should I charge per m² or a fixed price?

Per m² is the fairest for hard surfaces and easiest to justify to a customer. Fixed pricing is quicker and works well once you can accurately judge a job on sight. Whichever you use, check the total covers your day rate.

How do I win jobs without being the cheapest?

Respond fast, send a professional-looking quote that breaks down exactly what's included, and show proof — before-and-after photos and reviews. Customers pay more for someone who looks organised and trustworthy than for the lowest number.

The bottom line

Good pricing isn't about a magic per-metre figure — it's about knowing your costs, protecting your day with a minimum charge, and getting a clear, professional quote in front of the customer before anyone else does. Nail those three and you'll win better jobs at better margins.

That last part — the fast, professional quote — is exactly what MossyKit was built for. Enter the address, pick the service, and it works out the price and writes the quote in under two minutes, so you can send it before the competition has even replied.