Pressure washing a driveway, patio or walkway: cost, oil stains and sealing offers

Updated November 10, 2026 · KeystoneProGuide editorial team

What does it cost to pressure wash a driveway or patio?

Angi says flat, easily reached surfaces such as driveways and patios sit at the lower end of its per-square-foot range. Angi and HomeAdvisor both give $100 to $250 for a driveway, or $0.20 to $0.40 a square foot, and Angi says a larger or dirtier driveway can reach $500. HomeAdvisor says washing the sidewalks at the same time could add $50 to $100, and gives $0.20 to $0.40 a square foot for most outdoor concrete, including patios and walkways.

HomeGuide adds detail. Greasy pavement that needs hot water and a concrete detergent runs $0.25 to $0.35 a square foot, cleaning concrete curbs $0.25 to $0.60 a linear foot, and a driveway that must first be scrubbed by hand with a bleach solution $0.40 to $1.25 a square foot. These are national figures; the cost guide sets them beside the rest.

How much pressure does concrete need?

No government body or trade association read for this guide sets a pressure for driveways, patios or walkways. The surveys price the job as routine, but they are not a source for how it should be done. What the official sources do say is about the edges of the job: what the spray can do to people and nearby surfaces, and where the dirty water goes.

The one exception is old concrete. The National Park Service says care must be taken with pressure washers on historic stone, brick, or concrete, and that excessive pressure can remove surface material and scar the surface. If your walk or steps are old, ask for a test patch first.

What about oil stains?

They raise a water question as well as a cleaning one. The Park Service, writing about oil on historic structures, says power washing may drive the chemicals farther into the surface, and that cleaning waste should be collected so the ground or water is not re-contaminated.

Oily runoff from a driveway is the kind of discharge storm sewer rules address. Penn State Extension lists automobile oil among its examples of illicit substances that municipalities must keep out of storm sewers, and the Philadelphia Water Department lists vehicle oil among things that should never go in storm drains, which lead to streams and rivers. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency adds that water flowing over hard surfaces into a storm drain gets no filtering by soil, plants or a treatment plant. Where pressure washing water goes explains the rules in full.

Should you seal the driveway afterward?

That is a separate job with a separate price: HomeGuide gives $400 to $800 for sealing 400 square feet. It is also where consumer agencies have documented trouble.

• Pennsylvania. In August 2026 the Attorney General filed a complaint against a paving contractor that, it alleges, sold paving and sealing door to door and on social media, raised prices without consumers' knowledge and did substandard work. In one case a senior was told the crew had materials left over from another job; a $16,000 job ended with him paying $32,000.
• Connecticut. The state's consumer protection department described unregistered crews who sold driveway resealing door to door and used hot motor oil instead of the proper sealant, which washed away after a couple of rainstorms and polluted water systems.

Pressure washing and driveway sealing scams gives the warning signs. One point of law also helps here: Pennsylvania's home improvement act names the construction, replacement, installation or improvement of driveways and patios, and the Attorney General says such contracts over $500 must be in writing.

If you do have the driveway sealed, the vinyl siding industry's association, PEPA, says to cover nearby siding so the sealer does not stain it.

Is washing paving dangerous?

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says the spray can cause serious wounds that might first appear minor and can throw objects that strike people nearby, and it says never to use the spray to push or move objects. The CDC also says to keep children at a safe distance while a pressure washer is in use.

What should you ask a company?

• How will you price it: by the square foot, or flat?
• What will you do about oil stains, and where will the oily water go?
• What pressure will you use near the house, the siding and any old steps or walls?
• If you also offer sealing, what product is it, and will the whole job be in a written contract?

Businesses offering the service are listed on the pressure washing directory page.

Sources

1. How Much Does It Cost to Pressure Wash a House? [2026 Data], Angi
2. How Much Does Pressure Washing Cost? [2025 Data], HomeAdvisor
3. Pressure Washing Prices, HomeGuide
4. Sources and Solutions: Stormwater, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
5. Taking Care of Storm Drains, Philadelphia Water Department
6. What is an MS4?, Penn State Extension
7. Protecting Historic Structures from Oil Contamination, National Park Service
8. Officials Remind Consumers to be Cautious Before Beginning Home Improvement, Driveway Resealing Projects, Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection
9. Bureau of Consumer Protection Files Complaint Against NE Pa. Contractor Who Failed to Complete Work or Issue Refunds, Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General
10. How to Clean Vinyl Siding, Polymeric Exterior Products Association (PEPA)
11. Pressure Washer Safety, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
12. Frequently Asked Questions: Home Improvement Contractor Registration, Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General