House Washing Explained: Everything You Need to Know
16th September, 2025
Your pressure cleaning specialists.
Think of your home’s exterior like a favourite white shirt. No matter how much you love it, time, weather, and the occasional accidental spill will leave their mark. The same goes for your house—dust, mould, mildew, and general grime all slowly build up, making your place look tired. That’s where house washing comes in.
This guide will walk you through what house washing is, why it matters, how it’s done, what it costs, and when it’s worth skipping the DIY and letting the pros (hi, that’s us 👋) handle the hard stuff.
In simple terms, house washing is the ultimate deep clean for your home’s exterior. We’re talking walls, gutters, fascias, eaves—all the spots you probably don’t think about until they’re looking a bit shabby. The goal? Wash away the dirt, stains, and algae so your place looks fresh, feels healthier, and stays protected from long-term damage.
Depending on the surface, pros use different approaches. High-pressure house cleaning brings the muscle for tough areas like driveways and bricks, while soft wash house cleaning is the gentle giant for painted or delicate surfaces. It’s like choosing between a heavy-duty scrub and a gentle face wash; the trick is knowing which your home needs.
So why bother with it? Here’s the lowdown:
Long-term savings: Regular cleaning helps you dodge costly repairs and keeps your paint job lasting longer.
Brisbane’s subtropical climate is perfect for mould and mildew—not so perfect for your walls. Skip regular washing and you risk surface damage, discolouration, and even rot. The longer grime stays put, the harder (and more expensive) it is to fix.
Consider house washing as preventative care; kinda like a dental check-up for your home. A little attention now saves big headaches later. Plus, it keeps your place looking sharp all year round.
Alright, so you’re ready to tackle the outside of your place. Where do you even start? If you’re keen for a DIY approach, here are the basics:
DIY can handle the little stuff, but let’s be real, spending your Saturday balancing on a ladder with a pressure washer isn’t everyone’s idea of fun. That’s why most homeowners let the experts swoop in to get it done properly. It’s faster, safer and way less stressful.
The big question: how much is house washing going to set you back? The honest answer is it depends. A tidy single-storey brick home in Brisbane isn’t going to cost the same as a double-storey weatherboard on a steep block. Here’s what usually affects the price:
Most homeowners can expect to pay a few hundred dollars for a professional wash. The best way to know for sure? Skip the guessing and get a clear, upfront quote tailored to your home.
Not all dirt is created equal, and not all homes need the same muscle. That’s why there are two main ways to tackle house washing:
High-pressure house cleaning: Think of this as the heavy lifter. It blasts away stubborn dirt, grease, and stains with serious water pressure. Perfect for driveways, brick walls, concrete paths, and pavers, anywhere tough surfaces can handle a bit of force.
Soft wash house cleaning: The gentler sibling. Instead of brute force, it uses low pressure combined with eco-friendly detergents to carefully wash delicate surfaces like painted walls, render, or timber. It gets the grime gone without stripping your paint or damaging finishes.
Here’s the kicker: using the wrong method can do more harm than good. Blast painted weatherboards with high pressure, and you could be waving goodbye to half your paint job.
That’s why MKL doesn’t take chances. We check out your home, pick the right approach, and deliver the kind of cleaning that makes your place sparkle without the stress. Learn more about our pressure cleaning services.
For most Brisbane homes, once a year is the sweet spot for house washing. Our climate is a mix of humid summers and stormy seasons, so grime builds up faster than you think.
That said, some homes need more frequent TLC. If you’ve got lots of shade, live near busy roads, or spot green patches creeping up sooner than expected, a clean every six months is a smart move.
The best times? Spring and autumn. You’ll wash away seasonal build-up and enjoy a home that looks fresh just in time for entertaining. Not sure what’s right for your place? Request a free quote and we’ll help you lock in the perfect schedule.
There’s a big difference between a quick DIY rinse and a pro job. With professionals, you get:
When you hire MKL, you’re not just paying for a wash, you’re investing in peace of mind. See our 5 questions to ask before hiring a pressure cleaning company.
Keeping your home clean shouldn’t be a chore that eats up your weekends. Regular house washing protects your investment, boosts street appeal, and keeps your place looking sharp year-round.
Ready to see the difference? Book your professional house washing in Brisbane today and enjoy that fresh, just-cleaned feeling without lifting a finger.
So you’re a big company and you want external pressure cleaning done.
Your first response is to call a cleaning company. You search for cleaning companies online with the best reviews in your area.
You get a few quotes then approve the work to be done.
What you don’t realise is you’ve really just hired a chain of companies to fulfill one simple task.
The fact is, it’s likely that you contacted a commercial cleaning or maintenance company to quote and do the work and these companies either specialise in internal cleaning or maintenance NOT external pressure cleaning, so they then go on and find an external pressure cleaning company to do the actual work.
In some instances we have been the THIRD down the line with two companies ahead of us putting their percentage on top of our quoted price.
So the $5 000.00 we’ve quoted for the external clean becomes a $15 000.00 clean after each company adds their cut on and you’re left scratching your head because they were only onsite for a couple of days then this is exactly what happened.
And it happens constantly.
It’s time to wise up to the over inflated pricing and start dealing directly with external pressure cleaners, because let’s face it you don’t call a plasterer to do your painting.
Have a think about the huge difference in equipment the two cleaning industries use and the type of cleaning involved, it’s plain old common sense.
Any reputable external pressure cleaning company will have all the right equipment, experience, knowledge, insurances, certfications, inductions and WH&S in order and should be able to provide scope of works and SWMS once a job has been approved.
Sometimes, nothing can be as frustrating as a vigorous and rigorous yet fruitless attempt to clean up grease, oil, chewing gums, mould, grime and other stubborn stains and dirt accumulated over time from your car park. Some of this nasty grime will both make an eyesore of your car park and may cause serious damage or create hazards to anyone using the car park.
The good news is you can get that neat and clean car park you’ve always desired at very reasonable rates. You can always count on MLK Pressure Cleaning for an effective way to clean up your car park in Brisbane. All our excellent and uniquely designed cleaning programs are well tailored to offer you the best car parks in Brisbane regarding cleanliness and neatness, all under environmentally friendly conditions.
Our powerful pressure cleaning services are second to none in Brisbane. High-pressure water cleaning (hot or cold) are used to get rid of mold, mud, chewing gums and all other dirts and stains from any surface effectively without causing the surface any harm or damage.
With knowledge obtained from years of experience, we understand just when and how to perfectly use the hot or cold high pressure cleaning.
Cleaning up concrete may prove to be a tough one, especially if it is covered with grease, oil, chewing gums, mould, grime and other stubborn stains and dirt, then allowed to build-up over time. While paying immersed attention to every mute detail, MLK Pressure Cleaning offers profitability and efficiency in cleaning your concrete surfaces with a professional touch that will ensure the longevity and maintains the cleanliness, neatness and beautiful appearance. We got the best team of technicians at your service to design and provide the best quality services whenever you need us.
You can trust us because:
1. We’ve got the experience. We have cleaned car parks up to 30000sq metres.
2. We’ve got certified specialist operators and contractors.
3. We pay immersed attention to every minute detail.
4. Fully insured 20 mil public liability
5. Follow all safety requirements on our SWMS
With over 19 years of experience, we can make of having one of the best Pressure Cleaning companies in Brisbane.
One of our recent contracts was hot water pressure cleaning a car park at a major shopping centre in Logan City. We were contracted by FKG Group to help refurb a 30000sq metre car park. It included cleaning of all walls, soffits, columns, overhead pipes and floors. All oil spots were degreased and hot water pressure cleaned as well as thousands of spots of chewing gum were removed. The job was done at night in order to not to inconvenience the shoppers and insure their safety.
So phone/email on any day or at any time and let our certified specialists, who are eager to serve, attend to your car park with a professional touch that will leave your car park a wonder to behold.
No matter the strength of your products and elbow grease, you will rarely come close to seeing the results that a pressure wash will yield. Over time dirty, gunk and oil build up every surface, from concrete driveways and footpaths, to the exterior of your home and roof. To effectively and safely remove grime and set in stains you really need to hire a professional contractor.
Pressure cleaning can work magic on dirty surfaces. However, in the wrong hands mild to sever damage can be caused.
Choosing the right pressure cleaning company is essential. Here are five simple question to ask every contractor before you make your decision.
Pressure cleaning can be dangerous, for both the operator and the area being cleaned. The equipment can be very powerful which is risky for the operator. While the wrong chemical concentration or pressure level can damage the surface.
All professional pressure cleaners should have liability insurance at the very least. Insurance is assurance that should something go wrong on the account of poor operation, you wont be the one to foot the bill.
Naturally, however, you don’t want something to go wrong in the first place. So while insurance offers a peace of mind, you want to know that it is unlikely to happen in the first place. That’s why the following questions are important.
As with everything, the more experience the better. But just how much experience is reliable? Ideally, you will hire the operator with upwards of 10years experience. However, around 5years is okay too.
Pressure cleaning isn’t always an exact science. Operators need to know how their equipment works, how their chemicals work, and how they work together on the differing surfaces they face.
Should a pressure cleaner use the wrong level of pressure, too much, or the wrong chemical on your home or commercial building then damage to the surface can occur. For external surface, the outer layer of paint is specially formulated to protect the material underneath. Should a pressure cleaner use too much stripping chemicals or too high pressure they will damage this layer. Ultimately, exposing the outer structure to weather and damage.
There are some standards to pressure cleaning, some best practices which achieve the best results. However, that doesn’t mean every operator uses the same practice rules.
There is nothing inherently wrong with using an alternative method. Perhaps for the chemicals they use this process achieves the best results.
Taking a moment to ask exactly how they do what they do will give you an understanding of what to expect.
You can also use this information to compare the different companies you speak to.
Some pressure cleaners say their magic is in the chemicals they use. This may very well be true.
Knowing what chemicals they will use, is much like knowing their process. It is simply a means to arm you with the most information to make an informed decision.
Should you have any aversions to certain chemicals this is the time to ask about them, or find out why they choose to use the. Or to see if they offer any alternatives.
Last but not least, do they guarantee their work? This is the final seal of assurance, a token offering for your peace of mind. Knowing that they believe in their work, and you should too.
A guarantee is a sign of confidence, and ultimately that is what you need. A company is sure they have the experience and knowledge to tackle any job you give them.
Professional pressure cleaners can bring almost any surface back to life. From domestic house exteriors, roofs and driveways, to commercial properties, and tennis courts. Finding the right one, however, can take diligence.
Nexus@Banyo. Over 5000 square metres was cleaned over 2 weekends. All car parks, driveways, paths and common areas were pressure cleaned using our water efficient machine. Because the job was done on the weekend there were no disruptions to the businesses on site. For all your concrete cleaning needs in Brisbane or Gold Coast no matter what size contact us for a free quote.
Most average sized driveways 60-80 square metres cost $99 for a basic pressure clean which removes dirt and grime build up on your driveway. Additional costs of $55 may be charged if you need oil and grease stains removed as well as mould and rust. Give your home great street appeal with a clean driveway which may add value to your home. Check out our before and after gallery to see the differences we’ve made to people’s driveways throughout brisbane.
Most people don’t realize this but proper maintenance of tennis court is just as important to a quality game as having the right person to play against or the right racquet. The right net and play surface makes for an ideal ensemble to play tennis. But like everything else in the world, it requires some work to keep it looking great and to ensure that it provides you with a great area to play the game.
There comes a point in every home owner’s life when they will take a look at their drive and realise that it needs a thorough clean. With stains, marks, and other blemishes, as well as a general level of dirt and grime that begins to bother you.
Many people are disgusted with the state of their driveways and concrete surfaces. Many would like them to look cleaner though finding time to do so on a tight schedule can be hard. If this sounds like you, then a concrete cleaning service may be what you need. Using a pressure cleaning service can make your driveways look like they have just been freshly laid. But before you start cleaning, you need to know a little bit about it.
If you’re struggling to get rid of the soot, grime and dirt that have accumulated on your walls or windows but you aren’t getting anywhere, then consider hiring a professional pressure cleaning service to do the job for you. An expert can take special care of providing you with domestic or commercial pressure cleaning services while ensuring the safety of the people around them and their personal belongings and/or equipment.