pressure-washing

How Much Does Pressure Washing Cost in Detroit, MI? Brick, Concrete, and Salt Grime Priced for 2026

Pressure washing cost in Detroit, MI for 2026: brick and siding house washes, driveway and deck prices, salt residue, and why old brick needs a soft wash.

How Much Does Pressure Washing Cost in Detroit, MI? Brick, Concrete, and Salt Grime Priced for 2026

Pressure washing a typical Detroit, MI brick bungalow costs $250 to $500 in 2026, and a larger two-story colonial in Rosedale Park, Grosse Pointe, or Royal Oak runs $400 to $750. A concrete driveway adds $125 to $300, a backyard patio or walkway $75 to $200, and a wood deck $150 to $400. Most companies price by the job rather than the hour, and bundling two or three surfaces into one visit saves 10 to 20 percent.

Detroit houses get dirty in ways that are specific to the city. Six months of road salt leave a white haze on brick, concrete, and the bottom two feet of every garage door.

Spring pollen and summer humidity grow green algae on north-facing walls and shaded porches. And the city's older brick, much of it laid between 1915 and 1950, has soft mortar joints that a careless operator with a high-pressure wand can blow out in seconds.

That last point matters more here than almost anywhere. A pressure washer who knows Detroit brick uses low pressure and a cleaning solution, and one who does not can cause $2,000 in tuckpointing damage while cleaning a $300 wall.

Prices by Surface in the Detroit Area

Brick and masonry house washing costs $250 to $600 depending on size and stories. The right method is a soft wash at low pressure with a detergent that lifts grime and kills algae, followed by a gentle rinse. High-pressure cleaning of old brick erodes mortar and can drive water into the wall, so any quote that describes a brick house as a pressure wash should prompt a question about PSI.

Vinyl and aluminum siding, common in Warren, Dearborn Heights, Livonia, and the newer parts of Macomb County, cost $200 to $450 for a single-story ranch and $350 to $650 for a two-story. Aluminum siding, which is everywhere on postwar homes in the suburbs, chalks with age and can streak if washed too aggressively, so it should be soft washed as well.

Concrete driveways run $125 to $300 for a standard two-car drive, and long driveways or three-car pads run more. Detroit area concrete takes a beating from salt and freeze-thaw cycles, and a surface cleaner attachment at 3,000 PSI is the right tool. Sealing afterward adds $100 to $250 and slows the next round of salt damage.

Decks, Fences, and Porches

A 300 square foot wood deck costs $150 to $300 to clean, and a larger deck with stairs and railings $250 to $450. Cedar and pressure-treated decks in the suburbs from Canton to Sterling Heights usually need a brightener after cleaning, which adds $50 to $125 and gets the wood ready for stain.

Detroit's covered front porches, standard on bungalows and colonials across the city, cost $75 to $200 to clean including the ceiling, columns, and floor. Painted porch floors need low pressure, and a company that blasts a painted floor at driveway pressure will send you a bill and leave you with a repainting project.

Wood privacy fences cost $1 to $2 per linear foot to clean, so a typical 150-foot backyard fence runs $150 to $300.

Grosse Pointe and Birmingham homes with limestone or cast stone trim need extra care, since limestone is soft and stains easily from the wrong cleaner. A company that works on those homes regularly will use a neutral cleaner and low pressure on the stone.

Roofs and Gutters

Roof cleaning is soft wash only and costs $350 to $750 for an average Detroit roof. The black streaks on north-facing slopes from Ferndale to Farmington Hills are algae, and a low-pressure sodium hypochlorite treatment kills it without stripping shingle granules. Moss, more common on shaded roofs in Grosse Pointe and Huntington Woods, adds $100 to $300 for hand removal.

Gutter cleaning is often bundled with a house wash for $100 to $200 on a typical home, and exterior gutter face brightening, which removes the black tiger striping, adds $75 to $150. Gutter guards add $25 to $75 to a cleaning because the guards have to be lifted and reset.

What Changes the Price Around Detroit

Water source is the first factor in the city, since Detroit water rates are high and a pressure washing rig uses 4 to 8 gallons a minute. Most companies use the customer's spigot, and a two-hour house wash draws 500 to 900 gallons, which shows up as a few dollars on the water bill. A few companies bring their own tank for a $40 to $75 fee, which is worth asking about if your exterior spigot is broken, as many are on older Detroit homes.

Access is the second. Detroit lots are narrow, and a house with a 4-foot side yard, a detached garage against the alley, and a fence on both sides takes longer than a suburban lot with room to walk the equipment around. Homes in Indian Village and Boston-Edison with three stories and complex rooflines add $150 to $300 for the reach.

Condition is the third. A house that has never been washed and has ten years of salt haze and algae takes twice as long as one washed two years ago, and companies add a heavy soil charge of 20 to 40 percent when they see it.

Location inside the metro matters too. Companies based in Oakland County charge more to come into the city than to work in Troy or Birmingham, and Detroit proper has fewer pressure washing companies than its size suggests, so quotes there often include a travel charge of $25 to $50.

The season affects availability more than price. The Detroit washing season runs from mid-April, when overnight lows stay above freezing, through late October. May is the busiest month because everyone wants the salt gone before Memorial Day, and September is the easiest time to book.

The Salt Problem and Why Timing Matters

Salt residue is the single biggest reason Detroit homeowners book a wash in spring. Road salt splashed onto brick, siding, and concrete over the winter leaves efflorescence, a white powdery deposit, and it does slow damage to mortar and concrete if left in place year after year.

An early spring wash removes it before the summer heat bakes it in, and the concrete should be sealed within a week or two of cleaning to slow the next winter's damage. A driveway that gets washed and sealed every two years lasts noticeably longer than one that is never treated.

The bottom two feet of the garage door and the foundation line are the worst spots. Ask the company to spend extra time there, since a fast pass with a wand often leaves the haze in place.

Garage floors and basement walkout patios take the same salt damage and are often forgotten. A garage floor wash and seal runs $150 to $300 and stops the pitting that turns into spalling within a few winters.

Choosing a Company in Detroit

Michigan does not license pressure washing companies, so the only real protection is insurance. Ask for a certificate of general liability, and be cautious with anyone working from an unmarked truck who cannot produce one. A company that damages mortar on a brick house and has no insurance leaves you with the tuckpointing bill.

Ask what pressure they use on brick, siding, and painted surfaces, and what solution they use for algae. A company that answers with specific numbers and product names has done this before. One that says "we just turn it down" on a 1925 brick house has not.

Ask what they do about runoff. Detroit's combined sewer system carries wash water to the treatment plant, but companies working in suburbs with separate storm drains should be keeping detergent out of the street drains that lead to the Rouge and Clinton rivers.

Get two or three quotes for anything over $400. Prices across Wayne, Oakland, and Macomb counties vary by 30 to 50 percent between companies for the same house. You can compare local companies in our Michigan pressure washing directory, and our home maintenance blog has more on brick care, concrete sealing, and getting a house ready to sell.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can pressure washing damage old Detroit brick?

Yes, and it happens every spring. Brick laid before 1950 has soft lime mortar that high pressure erodes, so brick homes should be soft washed at low pressure with a cleaning solution rather than blasted.

How often should a Detroit house be washed?

Every two to three years for siding and brick, and every one to two years for concrete driveways that get heavy salt. Houses under trees or on the north side of a lot show algae sooner.

Is it worth sealing a driveway after pressure washing?

In the Detroit area, yes. Sealing costs $100 to $250 and slows salt and freeze-thaw damage, and it is easiest to do right after a wash while the surface is clean.

What is the earliest I can book in spring?

Most Detroit companies start in mid-April once overnight temperatures stay above freezing. Booking in March for a late-April slot gets you ahead of the May rush.