Ask three companies for an exterior house clean and you will get three different scopes at three different prices, none of which state what is actually included.
Here is what the term covers, what is usually extra, and what should be in a written quote.
The core scope
A standard exterior house clean generally means the walls, eaves and gutter faces, done as a soft wash.
Soft wash means the growth is killed chemically — a diluted sodium hypochlorite and surfactant mix — left to dwell, then rinsed at low pressure. Pressure does not kill mould; it removes the visible layer and the growth returns within weeks. The chemistry is in what is actually in a soft-wash mix, and the distinction in house washing vs pressure washing.
That core scope should include protecting and rinsing the garden, managing runoff, and a photo report.
What is usually extra
None of these are unreasonable to charge for. They should just be stated.
- Roof cleaning — a separate job with separate risk and method. Here.
- Gutter clearing — cleaning the gutter face is not clearing the inside. Pricing.
- Windows, and separately frames, tracks and flyscreens. Pricing.
- Driveways, paths and paving — pressure work, usually quoted on area.
- Decks — different chemistry and different pressure. Here.
- Fences and garage doors.
- Solar panels. Pricing.
- Stain removal — oil, rust, tannin and paint are each their own process.
What should be in the quote
These are the lines that make two quotes comparable:
- Which surfaces and which elevations
- Method per surface — soft wash or pressure, and at what pressure
- Garden protection, pre-wetting and rinsing
- Runoff management, and specifically not to stormwater — the rules
- Rainwater tank disconnection if applicable
- Water source and whether they supply it
- Access and height safety arrangements
- Public liability cover and the amount
- Fixed price, not an hourly estimate
- Photos before and after
The fuller version is in what a fixed written quote should itemise and how to compare exterior cleaning quotes.
What should be excluded, and why that is a good sign
A quote that declines certain surfaces is usually a better quote.
Fibro that may contain asbestos — never pressure washed — here.
Fretting brickwork or spalling concrete, where washing accelerates the damage — here and here.
Drummy render or cladding, which comes off under pressure — here.
Pre-1970 lead paint, which is a controlled job — here.
The pre-start checks
Things that should happen before anyone turns a hose on: electrical points identified and protected, weep holes and subfloor vents noted, roof vents identified, windows and doors checked as closed, and the rainwater tank disconnected.
See the electrical check and weep holes and subfloor vents.
How long it lasts
Two to four years in Sydney, less on a shaded south elevation or under canopy, less again on a front-line coastal property where salt rather than growth is the driver.
What happens on the day is in how a job runs, start to finish, and timing in the best time of year to clean a Sydney exterior.
For a fixed written quote, see house washing.
