Verified on Sep 10, 2026
You pressure wash driveways, walks, patios, decks, and siding for customers you find yourself, no platform involved. Jobs are priced by square footage, surface type, stories, and stains, plus paid extras like sealing. You need a vehicle to haul a pressure washer and hose. Call your city about wash-water rules before you buy gear.
You pressure wash driveways, walks, patios, decks, and siding. Customers hire you straight, with no app or company between you. This gig skips roofs, gutters, and cars. Those are separate jobs.
Self-employed means you work for yourself. No boss sets your price.
A pressure washer sprays water at high force, measured in PSI, short for pounds per square inch. Flow is measured in GPM, short for gallons per minute.
A surface cleaner is a round attachment. It cleans a wide strip of concrete at once, instead of one thin stream.
Some companies split this into two jobs. Power washing uses hot water. Pressure washing uses cold water. Which one a job needs can change what you charge.
You bring your own gear. Customers do not supply a pressure washer, hose, or surface cleaner.
This page has no price range. Nobody publishes what a self-employed pressure washer takes home.
We checked federal wage data, a Taskrabbit cost guide, one pressure-washing company’s price page, and an insurer’s price page. None of them print that number.
The government tracks pay for a catch-all cleaning job with no listed title for pressure washing. It pays a mean $22.32 an hour, or $46,420 a year, in 2025 data. That wage goes to an employee who cleans buildings for a company, not a self-employed worker.
Real pricing works differently. Jobs are priced by square footage, adjusted for how dirty or stained the surface is. Surface type matters too: siding, brick, stucco, and wood decks each need their own method. A taller home costs more, since two-story and three-story jobs need extra gear like a scissor lift. Sealing is a paid extra, not part of a basic wash. A travel fee can be added for distance.
One company’s own price list also sets prices by square footage, pricing decks and fences differently from flatwork.
Setting your own price does not mean you keep it all. Gross pay is what you charge. Take-home is what is left after costs. You pay self-employment tax yourself, 15.3% of your net earnings, the money left after costs. Nobody takes that out ahead of time, the way an employer would.
One pressure-washing company said it accepts cash, checks, and payment apps like Zelle, Cash App, Venmo, and PayPal.
The IRS says you must file a return once your net self-employment earnings reach $400 in a year. It is filed on Schedule C and Schedule SE, the forms for someone self-employed. A tax preparer can tell you which forms fit you.
Core tools add up to about $650. A gas pressure washer costs $529. A surface cleaner attachment costs $84.97. A garden hose costs $30.99. Safety glasses cost $4.99. That total is our own math, not a published number.
Renting instead of buying is another option, per one company’s description of typical rental costs. Electric runs about $40 to $50 a day, gas about $70 to $100 a day.
This fits you if you like working outside.
It fits people who want to price their own jobs, using square footage and surface type as a guide.
It fits people who own a car, truck, or van with room for gear. Hauling a pressure washer and hose is hard without one.
No state license was found for this trade in either state checked. Some cities still want a sign-up or permit before wash water reaches a drain. A permit is a paper from your city that allows certain work.
You also have to find your own customers. No platform does that for you.
See more local, hands-on gigs like this one, including detailing cars and cleaning houses.
Skip this if you do not have a vehicle with room for gear. You need space for a pressure washer, hose, and surface cleaner.
Skip this if you will not catch your wash water where your city asks you to. Portland says many of its storm drains flow straight to a river or stream, with no treatment in between.
Skip this if you are not willing to call city hall first.
Skip this if hauling heavy gear does not work for your body.
Skip this if you need a steady paycheck. Your income depends on how many jobs you book.
Skip this if you expect someone to pay you to start. Real work pays you, not the other way around. Read Scams That Look Like Side Gigs for more warning signs.
Day 1. Call your city. Ask about a permit like Fort Worth’s, or sign-up like Portland’s. Do this before spending money.
Day 2. Buy or rent your gear. Core tools run about $650.
Day 3. Set your prices, using square footage and surface type as your guide.
Day 4. Tell five people you know that you pressure wash driveways and patios. Ask them to spread the word.
Day 5. Book your first job. Agree on price and how you will get paid.
Day 6. Do the job. Catch your wash water if your city asks for that.
Day 7. Get paid. Set part of it aside for taxes.
A gas pressure washer is the machine that does the work. It cleans driveways and siding faster than a small electric one.
A surface cleaner attachment cleans a wide strip of concrete at once, instead of one thin stream.
A garden hose feeds water to your pressure washer. It reaches most driveways and yards.
ANSI-rated safety glasses protect your eyes. ANSI is a group that sets safety standards, and these glasses meet its impact standard. High-pressure water can throw grit or paint chips back at your face.
A wash-water containment mat is optional. Some cities do not want soapy water running into the street. A mat helps you catch it so you can clean it up.
General liability insurance is optional too. It pays for a customer’s damage or injury by accident, not on purpose. We checked two city permit pages and two state licensing lists, and none names an insurance rule. One insurer’s own price for this trade starts around $75 a month.
If you use an electric unit instead of gas, plug it into a grounded, GFCI-protected outlet. GFCI stands for ground fault circuit interrupter, and it shuts off power fast if water touches a live wire. In 1983, the government’s product safety agency warned about electric pressure washers. A wet cord connection can cause a fatal shock.
Gross is not take-home. What you charge is not what you keep. Nobody withholds tax for you. You pay self-employment tax yourself, 15.3% on top of income tax. Driving, quoting, and answering calls are all unpaid. Gear wears out and costs money to replace.
Wash water is a real legal risk. Portland and Fort Worth both regulate it, one by sign-up, one by permit.
We checked only two states and two cities, not every one. Call your own city hall to be sure.
There is no steady paycheck. You earn only when you have a job booked. A slow week means less money.
No platform steps in if a customer does not pay you.
Filing taxes takes extra steps once you are self-employed. The IRS wants a return once your net earnings reach $400 in a year.
Do I need a permit to pressure wash driveways? It depends on your city. Portland requires sign-up before wash water can reach a drain, and bans the storm drain outright. Fort Worth requires its own permit for this work. Neither Texas nor Florida licenses this trade.
How much should I charge? There is no set number. Price guides show what companies charge for a job. That is not a rate you are promised, and it is not what you keep. Jobs are commonly priced by square footage, surface type, and stories. Sealing is a paid extra, not part of a basic wash.
When do I have to file a tax return? The IRS says you must file once your net self-employment earnings reach $400 in a year. It is filed on Schedule C and Schedule SE. A tax preparer can help you sort out your forms.
Do I need insurance? We checked two city permit pages and two state licensing lists, and none names an insurance rule. One insurer’s own price for this trade starts around $75 a month. Whether to buy it is your call.
What is the difference between power washing and pressure washing? Power washing uses hot water, pressure washing uses cold water. One company says hot water works better on grease and oil stains, like on a driveway.
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