How much does pressure washing cost in Canberra?
Driveway cleaning is the job Canberra people ask about most, and pressure cleaning an ordinary driveway comes to $150–$400, with $250 typical. A full exterior house wash runs $250–$700 for one storey and $450–$1,100 for two, while decks and patios come in at $150–$450. Hourly work is charged at $40–$100. In the ACT the method matters as much as the price, because the Permanent Water Conservation Measures set out how paving and the walls of a building may be washed with water, as the cards below explain.
Comparing cities, or after the Australia-wide picture? See the national guide: Pressure washing cost in Australia.
Detailed Pricing — Pressure Washing Cost in Canberra 2026
| Service | Low | Typical | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pressure washing (hourly rate) | $40/hr | $65 | $100 |
| Driveway cleaning (standard) | $150total | $250 | $400 |
| Full house exterior wash (single storey) | $250total | $420 | $700 |
| Full house exterior wash (double storey) | $450total | $750 | $1,100 |
| Deck / patio cleaning | $150total | $280 | $450 |
| Fence cleaning (per lm, one side, up to 1.8 m) | $5/lm | $10 | $18 |
| Roof cleaning (standard home) | $300total | $700 | $1,300 |
| Pool surrounds / paving | $150total | $280 | $380 |
| Concrete path / footpath | $100total | $140 | $220 |
| Brick, block or rendered wall clean (single wall, up to ~30 m²) | $120total | $160 | $300 |
| Soft wash, house exterior (single storey, walls + eaves) | $300total | $480 | $650 |
| Commercial building wash (low-rise, up to 3 storeys) | $400total | $800 | $2,000 |
| Mould treatment & wash (full exterior) | $300total | $550 | $900 |
| Mould-inhibitor treatment (add-on) | $50per job | $70 | $150 |
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Get Canberra quotes →Prices include GST. Based on Canberra metro area, October 2026. Outer suburbs may vary.
What Affects Pressure Washing Costs in Canberra
What the water rules allow on paving
Under the ACT Permanent Water Conservation Measures, paved areas can be cleaned at any time with a bucket and mop or a high-pressure low-volume cleaner. Hosing paving down any other way is allowed only after an accident, fire, health hazard or other emergency. The measures are mandatory and enforceable, and fines may apply. A driveway is $150–$400 and a path on its own $100–$220.
Walls, windows and gutters
The measures also allow windows and building exteriors to be washed at any time with a bucket and mop or brush, a squeegee or a high-pressure low-volume cleaner, but never with an ordinary garden hose, trigger nozzle or not. Gutters can be cleared any time by any means. One brick, block or rendered wall costs $120–$300, or $300–$650 to soft wash the walls and eaves of a painted single-storey house.
Two storeys and townhouses
The cost to pressure wash a two-storey house is a common Canberra question: $450–$1,100, above $250–$700 for a single storey at both ends and in the middle of the band, because upper walls and eaves need extension poles or a platform. Semi-detached homes make up 17.2% of ACT dwellings, a larger share than the 12.6% for Australia (ABS 2021 Census), and shared walls and narrow side paths slow the set-up.
Frost, shade and slow drying
Canberra's NCC climate zone 7 brings cold winters. July averages a minimum of -0.1 °C, with June and August at 1.0 °C (BOM averages), so shaded south-side paving and walls stay damp for weeks and grow moss, lichen and black mould. Treating mould across the whole exterior and washing it off costs $300–$900, and an inhibitor afterwards, $50–$150, slows the regrowth.
Roofs are height work
Cleaning the roof of a typical home is $300–$1,300. The operator works on a pitched surface, often wet, and too much pressure cracks terracotta and strips the coating from concrete tiles. WorkSafe ACT is the safety regulator for work at height, so check what anchor points and harness the crew will use, and whether the price includes clearing the gutters of what washes off the roof.
Fences, decks and pool paving
Fencing is charged per lineal metre of one face, $5–$18, which means a corner block with a long boundary adds up. Timber decks and pergolas take a gentle setting or a soft wash so the grain doesn't lift; a deck or patio is cleaned for $150–$450. Paving around a pool is $150–$380, with care taken to keep run-off out of the water.
How to Save Money on Pressure Washing Cost in Canberra
Pressure Washing Cost in Canberra by Job Size
Say a corner block has a driveway, a front path and 35 metres of boundary fence on one face. The driveway at $150–$400, the path at $100–$220 and 35 metres at $5–$18 a metre come to $425–$1,250.
In Canberra the cold changes what a job of that size involves. Walls and paving on the shaded south side hold damp, so moss, lichen and black mould may call for a treatment at $300–$900 before the wash. A townhouse with shared walls and narrow side paths slows the set-up, and a second storey moves the house wash from $250–$700 to $450–$1,100.
Pressure Washing Cost in Canberra: What the Quote Should Include
Canberra pressure washing quotes sit between frost and shade: the south side of a house or a shaded path can hold moss, lichen and black mould through the cold months, and townhouses add shared walls and narrow side paths. Spell each of these out as a line.
- Moss, lichen and black mould on shaded south-side paving and walls shown as a treatment line at $300–$900, with an inhibitor at $50–$150 if wanted.
- The month booked for the wash written down, since the cold months leave shaded paving damp.
- Townhouse or semi-detached walls counted by what is exposed, with the narrow side paths and shared walls noted as access.
- Two storeys priced at $450–$1,100 against $250–$700 for one, with the poles or platform for upper walls and eaves named.
- Gutters cleared before the walls are washed, with that step shown as in or out of the price.
- The roof clean at $300–$1,300, with the harness and anchor points the crew will use stated.
- A corner block's long boundary measured in lineal metres, one face, against $5–$18 a metre.
- Timber decks and pergolas washed at a gentle setting or with a soft wash, listed with the deck line at $150–$450.
- For a sale, the driveway at $150–$400 and front path at $100–$220 as the two lines that show from the street.
Frequently Asked Questions — Pressure Washing Cost in Canberra
Our Methodology
These are independent estimates from public cost guides, marketplaces and industry rate data, and no tradesperson can influence them, so always get a few quotes. Last reviewed October 2026. Read our full methodology →