Should you pressure wash your own house, or hire a professional?
Updated · KeystoneProGuide editorial team
Can you pressure wash your own house?
For a lot of routine cleaning you do not need a pressure washer at all. The vinyl siding industry's association, PEPA, says a simple rinse with a garden hose is often enough, and for a deeper clean it suggests a soft cloth or a long-handled soft-bristle brush. A Forest Products Laboratory chemist described cleaning a deck with a kitchen broom or sponge mop and rinsing with a garden hose for at least ten minutes. Those are jobs most homeowners can do.
A pressure washer is a different tool, with real risks, and three jobs in particular are ones the sources steer toward professionals: asphalt roofs, historic brick and stone, and painted surfaces on houses built before 1978.
How dangerous is a pressure washer?
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) lists three main dangers. The spray can cause serious wounds that might first appear minor, and a delay in treatment raises the risk of infection, disability or amputation. It can throw objects that hit people nearby. And it can give an electric shock if it is not used properly.
Gas-powered machines add a fourth. The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) names power washers among the engine-driven equipment that produces carbon monoxide, a colorless, odorless gas, and says more than 200 people in the United States die each year from carbon monoxide produced by non-automotive consumer products. It says never to run a gasoline engine-powered tool in or near an enclosed space such as a garage, because even with doors and windows open the gas can build up.
What safety rules does the CDC give?
- Test the ground fault circuit interrupter before you start, and plug a properly grounded washer into a properly grounded outlet.
- If you need an extension cord, use a heavy-duty one rated for wet locations, and keep the connections out of standing water and away from runoff.
- Wear rubber-soled shoes that give some insulation.
- Never point the spray at yourself or anyone else, and never use it to push or move objects.
- Never run a gas washer in an enclosed space or less than 20 feet from a window, door or vent.
- Never cut or splice the cord or remove its grounding prong, and have an electrician check the washer if it trips a breaker.
- Never let children use it, and keep them at a safe distance.
Anyone hurt by the spray should get medical attention as soon as possible, the CDC says, even if the wound looks small. The CPSC lists headache, fatigue, shortness of breath, nausea and dizziness as the first signs of carbon monoxide poisoning; if they appear, get to fresh air at once.
Which jobs should you leave to a professional?
- An asphalt shingle roof. The shingle makers' trade association, ARMA, says not to use a power washer on shingles at all. Even its gentle bleach method makes the roof slippery, and ARMA recommends that only trained professionals walk, climb or work on a roof.
- Old brick and stone. The National Park Service says spraying historic masonry should be done by professionals who understand pressures and standoff distances, and warns that most hardware-store power washers run at 1600-3200 psi, which it calls potentially damaging.
- Painted surfaces on a pre-1978 house. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recommends hiring a lead-safe certified contractor for work that disturbs paint in an older home.
What if you wash an older painted house yourself?
The EPA's lead rule generally does not apply to homeowners working on their own homes, though it does if you rent out any part of the house. The EPA still urges lead-safe work practices for do-it-yourselfers: find out whether lead paint is present, set up the area, protect yourself, keep dust down, clean up, control your waste and clean once more. It lists dirty water among the waste to collect and control, and it says to keep family members, especially children, away from lead dust.
What about cleaning chemicals?
Read the label and follow it; the National Park Service says not to use products off label. Two specific warnings apply to bleach. The EPA says never to mix it with cleaners that contain ammonia, since toxic fumes could be produced. The Forest Products Laboratory chemist recommended powdered laundry detergent with bleach for that reason, and warned that strong cleaners and laundry bleach can pulp a deck's surface. PEPA says undiluted chlorine bleach can damage vinyl siding.
What does doing it yourself cost?
HomeAdvisor puts pressure washer rental at $35 to $175 a day and the price of a residential machine at $100 to $1,000. Set that against a professional quote, and against the risks above.
If you would rather hire, how to choose a pressure washing company covers the checks. The warning signs guide describes the surfaces that should not be pressure washed, and local businesses are on the pressure washing directory page.
Sources
- Pressure Washer Safety, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- Carbon Monoxide Fact Sheet, U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission
- How to Clean Vinyl Siding, Polymeric Exterior Products Association (PEPA)
- Springtime Means Deck Maintenance for Many Homeowners, USDA Forest Service, Forest Products Laboratory (news release via Newswise)
- Algae Discoloration of Roofs, Asphalt Roofing Manufacturers Association (ARMA)
- Preservation Matters: Maintenance - Graffiti Removal from Historic Features, National Park Service
- Lead Renovation, Repair and Painting Program, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
- Lead-Safe Renovations for DIYers, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
- A Brief Guide to Mold, Moisture and Your Home, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
- How Much Does Pressure Washing Cost? [2025 Data], HomeAdvisor