How to Price Commercial Pressure Washing Jobs

Measure the cleaning area and find out when the client can give you access to it. A loading bay that keeps filling with trucks can consume a shift without much concrete getting cleaned.

Build the customer total in the Quote Calculator, then enter the full crew allowance in the Job Profitability Calculator. Include paid waiting time and every planned visit.

Measure and separate the work zones

Record large flatwork in sections: open pavement, entrances, loading areas, dumpster pads and narrow routes between buildings. Deduct areas outside the scope. Keep gum removal, grease, oil and other stain treatment separate from routine surface cleaning so you can assign different time and material allowances.

Square-foot pricing can speed up a repeat estimate once your records show what the crew can clean under similar conditions. For a first visit, estimate production by zone. A clear open pad and a busy storefront walkway rarely deserve the same production assumption. The Surface Cleaner Sizing Calculator helps assess equipment fit, but its sizing heuristic cannot predict production speed.

Price the shift, including site control

Confirm water access, usable supply, hose routes and where wastewater must be managed. Include the labour, equipment and disposal arrangements required for the actual site. Ask the client about site-specific restrictions and applicable runoff requirements before committing to a method.

For off-hours or nighttime work, allow for lighting, access coordination and the labour cost you will incur. Cones, barriers and a person controlling pedestrian or vehicle access can consume both equipment and crew time. Check client requirements for insurance, training, documentation and permits where applicable. Resolve those requirements before accepting the price.

Mobilization includes loading, travel, setup and teardown. Apply a minimum mobilization charge to cover the smallest viable visit. If the client divides three buildings across separate nights, price three setups and trips. Confirm whether vehicles, bins and furniture will be moved by the client, and what happens if the area is unavailable at the agreed time.

Separate restoration from recurring maintenance

A first restorative clean may require more chemical use, dwell time, rinsing and detail work than later visits. Inspect the gum and grease load instead of assuming the maintenance price will cover it. Use the SH Dilution Calculator only to check nominal batch quantities after selecting a suitable label-compliant treatment.

A recurring contract can reduce quoting and travel effort when you can plan a route. State the frequency, included areas and expected condition. Price unusually heavy contamination, added areas and extra mobilizations separately. Record actual crew hours after the first clean before agreeing that a lower recurring price is sustainable.

Worked estimate: two commercial work zones

Illustrative USD budget only. These rates, costs and margins are assumptions for this example, not market recommendations. Tax is shown separately from job revenue; confirm the treatment that applies to your work.

The scope covers 10,000 sq ft of flatwork in two zones during one permitted evening visit. At an assumed $0.18 per sq ft, the base is $1,800, above an illustrative $500 mobilization minimum. Defined gum and dumpster-area treatment adds $300. No discount applies. The subtotal is $2,100; illustrative 5% tax adds $105, making the customer total $2,205.

Two crew members each have eight paid hours: one for loading and travel, one for setup and site control, five for cleaning and treatment, and one for rinsing, teardown and return logistics. These overlapping tasks must fit the safe work plan. Sixteen person-hours at $35 cost $560. Materials cost $140, vehicle fuel/travel $60, equipment allowance $100 and other direct site-control/disposal costs $140. Direct cost totals $1,000.

On $2,100 pre-tax revenue, gross profit is $1,100 and gross margin is 52.38%. A separate $250 overhead allocation leaves $850 before other obligations. If access delays require another four hours per person plus $100 in extra costs, direct cost rises by $380 and gross profit falls to $720, or 34.29%. A large invoice can still leave a poor return when the crew spends longer than planned.

Check the quote with area 10,000, rate 0.18, minimum 500, add-ons 300, discount 0 and tax 5. Check profitability with revenue 2,100, hours 16, labour 35, materials 140, fuel 60, equipment 100 and other expenses 140.

Follow product labels, SDS and equipment instructions, including required PPE. A nominal SH calculation is not an application recommendation. Never mix SH with acids, ammonia or incompatible chemicals. Work only within safe equipment and access limits.

Use the master pricing guide to check your overhead and margin assumptions before sending the commercial proposal.