How to Price a Mobile Power Washing Service

by Tim Plaehn
Almost every type of business and homeowner is a prospect for power washing services.


Chris Hondros/Getty Images News/Getty Images

Power washing services are abundant in many markets, so you will probably find that pricing in your area will be competitive, if not downright cutthroat. In such a business environment, your pricing strategy must balance high enough rates so that you can make a profit and stay in business with rates that are low enough to attract new customers.

Calculating Your Overhead

To stay in business, your power washing company must generate at least enough revenue to cover your expenses. To start, total all of the monthly expenses of your business, such as payments on your equipment, wages for any employees, and the costs of supplies and fuel. Then determine the number of hours you expect to put your power washers to work for the month. For example, with one washer you may have it working six hours a day, six days a week for a total of 155 hours in a 4.3-week month. Divide your expenses by the number of hours you expect to have your equipment producing revenue to produce a minimum hourly rate. Then add a cushion to account for any variables. For example, you calculate that if you can bill $50 per hour, you cover your expenses. After adding a cushion, $60 per hour may be a reasonable estimate of the revenue need to cover your total monthly expenses.

Shop the Competition

Research what other power washing companies are charging in your area. There are several sources for competitive price information. Ask businesses what they are paying for power wash services. You can also call power washing companies that are near, but also out of the area where you plan to offer your services. Hopefully, you will end up with a range of competitive pricing, covering the low-cost companies up through the most expensive. With this data, you can set your prices to be competitive in your area.

Develop Your Price List

In most cases, power washing work is not quoted on an hourly basis. Break down your hourly goal into a cost per square foot. You need to have an idea of how many square feet of parking lot or building wall you can clean in an hour. You should calculate several different per-square-foot prices, depending on the type of surface to be cleaned. Also include some piece-work prices on your list. These are items of a relatively standard size, such as a typical home, a residential sidewalk, or a parking space. Using your price list to calculate your quotes shows prospective customers that you have a professional method to determine what to charge. You do not need to show or share your price list with customers, but let them know the basis for your quote, such as the size of the area you will clean.

Build Profits Through Skill and Efficiency

Your pricing should be set to produce an hourly revenue that covers your costs plus a profit margin. Your initial pricing should put your rates somewhere close to the average charges for your area. As your business gets more efficient and you are able to work faster, your per-hour revenue will increase because you will be able to complete more jobs per day, week and month. So if you initially price your services to generate $75 per hour, and you can reduce your time to complete a job by one-third, your rate has increased to $100 per hour. Most of the extra $25 will be bottom-line profit.

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