pressure-washing

How to Choose a Pressure Washing Company in Georgia

How to choose a pressure washing company in Georgia: soft wash vs pressure, insurance to verify, fair quotes for Atlanta and beyond, and the questions to ask.

How to Choose a Pressure Washing Company in Georgia

Georgia's humidity does something to a house that homeowners in drier states never deal with. By the second summer, north-facing vinyl siding in Marietta turns green, the driveway in Macon gets a black film of algae, and the pollen coat that hits Atlanta every April bonds to everything it touches. Pressure washing here is annual maintenance, not an optional extra.

That demand has created a crowded market. Georgia has no state license for pressure washing, so anyone with a truck, a pump, and a Facebook page can call themselves a company.

Some of those operators do excellent work. Others will blast the paint off your trim, etch your concrete, or kill the azaleas along the foundation, and you will have no recourse because they carry no insurance.

The Difference Between Pressure Washing and Soft Washing

The single most useful question you can ask a Georgia pressure washing company is which method they plan to use on your house, and why. High-pressure washing pushes water at 2,500 to 4,000 PSI and belongs on concrete, brick pavers, and some stone. Soft washing uses low pressure, around 100 to 300 PSI, with a sodium hypochlorite solution that kills the algae and mold rather than blasting it.

Vinyl siding, painted wood, stucco, roofs, and screened porches should be soft washed. A company that quotes "pressure washing" for your entire house in Alpharetta and shows up with one machine and one setting is a company that does not understand the difference, and the damage shows up as water behind the siding, lifted paint, and stripped roof granules.

Good companies will explain the mix ratio they use, how they protect landscaping, and how they rinse. If the answer to "what do you use on the roof" is "just high pressure," end the conversation there.

Why Georgia Homes Need the Gentle Method More Often

Most houses built in metro Atlanta suburbs since the 1980s have vinyl or fiber cement siding, both of which trap water if hit at high pressure from below. The algae growth in Georgia is also so consistent that the chemical kill matters more than the physical scrubbing. Blasting green film off the siding without killing the spores means it comes back in three months.

Roofs are the bigger risk. Architectural shingles across Gwinnett, Cobb, and Henry County develop dark streaks from Gloeocapsa magma, a bacteria that feeds on the limestone in the shingle. Pressure washing a roof voids most manufacturer warranties, and a soft wash is the only method the Asphalt Roofing Manufacturers Association endorses.

Insurance Is the First Thing to Verify

Because Georgia does not license pressure washers, general liability insurance is your only real protection. Ask for a certificate of insurance with your name listed as the certificate holder, and call the agent on the certificate to confirm the policy is active. A photo of an insurance card on a phone screen means nothing.

A reasonable minimum is $1 million in general liability. Pressure washing accidents include water forced behind siding into the wall cavity, broken windows, damaged electrical outlets, and chemical burns on plants, and a $500,000 policy can be gone after one bad day at a large home in Buckhead or Peachtree City.

Workers' compensation matters if the company has employees. Georgia requires it for businesses with three or more workers, and if an uninsured employee falls off a ladder on your property, you can end up in the claim.

What a Georgia Quote Should Look Like

Pressure washing prices in Georgia are lower than the Northeast but not as low as the ads suggest. A house wash on a 2,000 to 2,500 square foot two-story home runs $250 to $450 in most of the state, with Atlanta, Athens, and Savannah addresses toward the top and Columbus, Albany, and Valdosta toward the bottom.

Driveways run $0.15 to $0.30 per square foot, so a typical 600 square foot driveway costs $100 to $180 as an add-on and $150 to $250 as a standalone. Roof soft washing is the most expensive line item at $350 to $800 for a standard home because of the chemical cost and the care involved.

A written quote should list each surface separately, name the method for each, and state whether landscaping protection and gutter cleaning are included. A single number scrawled on a business card is not a quote.

The Lowball Problem

A $99 house wash is real, in the sense that someone will show up and spray your house. What it usually means is a one-person operation with a consumer-grade machine and no chemical, which removes the surface dirt and leaves the algae to regrow within weeks. It can also mean a bait price that jumps once the crew is on-site and "discovers" your siding needs a special treatment.

The middle of the price range is where the reliable companies tend to sit. The most expensive quote is not automatically the best either, since some franchises in the northern suburbs price for their marketing spend rather than their crew's skill.

Reviews, References, and the Portfolio Test

Look for reviews that mention specifics: the type of surface, how the crew handled plants, whether the price matched the quote. Twenty reviews that say "great job, fast, nice guy" tell you less than three that describe how the company handled a stained concrete pool deck in Cumming.

Ask for before-and-after photos of a house with your siding type and your problem. A company that does a lot of work in Roswell and Johns Creek will have dozens of vinyl soft wash examples. If they only have driveway photos, they may not have much house wash experience.

References are still worth calling for larger jobs. If you are paying $1,200 for a full house, roof, driveway, and deck package, two phone calls to past customers is a small investment.

Questions to Ask Before You Book

Ask what they do about windows. Many companies rinse windows as part of a house wash, and the result is spotted glass if they use untreated water. Some include a spot-free rinse or a separate window cleaning at $4 to $8 per pane.

Ask how they handle water runoff. Georgia's Environmental Protection Division and many cities, including Atlanta and Savannah, prohibit discharging wash water with detergents into storm drains. Professional companies use neutralizing agents, block the drains, or direct runoff onto grass.

Ask about scheduling and weather. A soft wash needs dry conditions for the solution to dwell, and Georgia's summer afternoon thunderstorms wreck a lot of appointments. A good company will reschedule rather than rush.

Ask what happens if something breaks. The answer should involve their insurance and a clear process, not "we've never had a problem."

Timing and Frequency for Georgia Homes

Late March to early May, right after the peak pollen drop, is the most popular window and the hardest time to get on a schedule. Booking in February for an April slot gets you the best crews at normal prices.

Fall is underrated. A wash in October or November removes the summer algae before it overwinters, and most companies have open calendars and sometimes run off-season discounts.

Most Georgia homes need a full house wash every 12 to 18 months and a driveway cleaning every year or two. Homes under heavy tree cover in Decatur or on the shaded side of a lot in Peachtree Corners may need it more often.

If you are ready to compare companies, you can browse pressure washing contractors near you and use the insurance and method questions above to narrow the list. For more on hiring exterior trades, our home services blog has vetting guides for roofers, painters, and gutter crews across the state.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does a pressure washing company in Georgia need a license?

No state license exists for pressure washing in Georgia. Most cities and counties require a business license or occupational tax certificate, so you can ask to see that, but insurance is the document that protects you.

How much does it cost to pressure wash a house in Atlanta?

A standard two-story house wash in the Atlanta metro runs $275 to $475, with roof cleaning adding $400 to $800. Prices in Sandy Springs, Dunwoody, and Brookhaven trend toward the top of that range because of larger homes and higher labor costs.

Can pressure washing damage my brick?

Yes, if the pressure is too high or the mortar is old. Brick homes common in older Atlanta neighborhoods like Virginia-Highland and Druid Hills should be washed at under 1,500 PSI with a wide fan tip, and soft brick or crumbling mortar should be soft washed only.

Will the chemicals kill my plants?

Sodium hypochlorite will burn foliage if it is not managed. Reputable companies pre-wet the landscaping, cover sensitive plants, and rinse thoroughly afterward, and some use a neutralizer on the beds. Ask specifically how they protect boxwoods and hydrangeas, which are the most common casualties.

How often should I have my roof soft washed in Georgia?

Every three to five years is typical for asphalt shingles in the Georgia climate. Homes with heavy shade or a north-facing slope may see streaks return sooner, and many companies offer a treatment that slows regrowth.