The 2025 Pressure Washing and Soft Washing Industry Report

DAB Marketing
2 days ago
10 min read

Worker pressure washing roof, text "The 2025 Pressure Washing & Soft Washing Industry Report." Chart shows growth from 2024 to 2025. Dab Marketing Annual Report on Pressure Washing and Soft Washing.

Why 2025 Was a Turning Point for the Exterior Cleaning Industry

The pressure washing and soft washing industry did not slow down in 2025. It matured.

Demand remained strong, but the way business was won and lost changed noticeably across the Nation. Competition increased across nearly every local market, and the gap between those operating with real systems and those relying purely on hustle widened. Customers became more informed, more selective, and far less patient with unclear pricing, slow response times, or unprofessional communication.

This annual report breaks down what actually happened in 2025 using market data, equipment sales trends, business formation indicators, and real world industry signals. The goal is not hype. It is clarity. Contractors, suppliers, and manufacturers need an accurate picture of where the market stands so they can plan forward with confidence.

Industry Snapshot

In the 2024 Industry Report, several core benchmarks framed expectations going into 2025.

The US soft wash equipment market was estimated at approximately $350 million in 2024.
The North American soft wash house cleaning services market was estimated at roughly $3.5 billion.
The US pressure washing services market was estimated at approximately $1.2 billion annually.

Those numbers did not reverse in 2025. Instead, the market became more competitive and more system driven.

Equipment Market Growth Year Over Year

The clearest measurable growth from 2024 to 2025 came from equipment sales.

Published market research estimates place the US pressure washer equipment market at approximately $584 million in 2024, growing to $606.5 million in 2025. That represents roughly 3.8% year over year growth in a mature equipment category.

This type of growth matters. It signals continued reinvestment by contractors who are upgrading rigs, expanding into larger work, adding soft wash capability, and preparing to handle higher job volume. Mature markets do not grow this way without confidence from the businesses operating inside them. This growth is also shown in more suppliers and manufacturers entering the scene. The attention is on the industry and the growth is still full speed ahead.

Chart Explained

US Pressure Washer Equipment Market

2024: $584M

2025: $606.5M

This comparison reinforces that equipment demand is still trending upward rather than stagnating.

What Equipment Growth Means for Soft Washing

While soft wash specific equipment data is harder to isolate publicly, soft washing benefits directly from overall equipment market growth. As contractors reinvest in rigs and systems, they are not simply replacing pressure washers. They are expanding capabilities. As new informed contractors enter the industry they are getting soft wash specific equipment early on in the business rather than a later option. It's become a foundational part of the rigs out in the field.

Soft washing has moved from a niche add on to a core service line. Contractors continue adding roof cleaning, siding washing, HOA maintenance, multi property accounts, and long term service agreements. These services rely on low pressure chemical application systems that prioritize surface safety, consistency, and efficiency rather than raw PSI.

This shift reflects how customers are buying. Property owners are more educated about surface damage, roof warranties, plant protection, and long term maintenance. As a result, they are actively seeking solutions that clean effectively without risk. Soft washing aligns directly with those expectations and allows contractors to sell outcomes rather than techniques.

Equipment growth in this category also signals longer job lifecycles and higher average ticket values. Soft wash services are often recurring, bundled, or tied to maintenance plans, which creates more predictable revenue than one off high pressure cleaning. Contractors investing in soft wash systems are building service models designed for retention, not just volume.

Manufacturers who focused on safety, chemical control, metering accuracy, and workflow efficiency consistently outperformed brands centered purely on power. In 2025, reliability and repeatable results mattered more than maximum PSI. Contractors prioritized systems that reduced callbacks, minimized training time, and protected both surfaces and crews.

The continued growth of equipment sales suggests that soft washing will remain one of the most defensible service offerings in the exterior cleaning industry. Contractors who treat soft washing as foundational rather than optional are positioning themselves for more stable, higher quality work as competition tightens and customer expectations rise.

Services Market Stability and Demand

The exterior cleaning services market remained extremely stable and resilient throughout 2025. Industry research continues to estimate the US pressure washing services market at approximately $1.2 billion annually, with additional billions represented across soft washing, roof cleaning, paver sealing, gutter cleaning, solar panel cleaning, and commercial exterior maintenance.

What mattered most in 2025 was not explosive demand growth. It was how demand was monetized.

Customer need did not disappear or slow. Homes, roofs, concrete, and commercial properties continued to require maintenance regardless of economic pressure. Exterior cleaning proved once again to be a durable service category tied to asset protection rather than discretionary spending. However, contractors who treated each service as a standalone transaction left significant revenue on the table.

Growth increasingly came from bundling services instead of selling isolated jobs. Contractors who packaged complementary services increased average ticket size without increasing lead volume. Bundles also reduced customer friction by simplifying decision making and positioning services as maintenance solutions rather than one time cleanings.

This shift changed how revenue flowed through businesses. Fewer jobs were required to reach the same revenue targets. Advertising became more efficient because each lead carried higher potential value. Seasonality softened as maintenance plans and bundled follow ups filled gaps between peak months. Maintenance plans continue to dominate the market as customers are become more used to pressure washing and soft washing services as a routine service.

Stability in demand also exposed operational gaps. Contractors without clear pricing, structured quotes, or bundled offerings worked harder to achieve the same results. Those with defined service stacks and repeatable processes absorbed demand more efficiently and scaled without adding complexity.

The services market did not reward speed alone in 2025. It rewarded clarity. Contractors who clearly communicated value, scope, and outcomes captured a greater share of stable demand while spending less time chasing individual jobs. Many contractors handled less customers in 2025 but made more money per average ticket.

Market Saturation and New Contractors?

There is no single dataset that captures exactly how many pressure washing or soft washing contractors entered the market in 2025. Many businesses operate as sole proprietors, file under general service classifications, or remain unregistered at the federal level. That limitation often gets mistaken for uncertainty about market growth. The expansion itself is not uncertain.

US Census Bureau Business Formation Statistics show sustained strength in new business applications throughout 2025, with service related categories maintaining consistent month over month growth. While these filings are not industry specific, the trend aligns closely with what suppliers, distributors, and manufacturers experienced on the ground.

Equipment sales volume, dealer onboarding, and first time buyer activity all increased. Distributors reported more entry level and startup purchases. Training events, online groups, and educational programs saw higher participation from first time operators. Local markets across the country experienced visible increases in new rigs, new branding, and new service providers entering the same neighborhoods.

The exterior cleaning industry continues to attract new entrants because the path to starting is clear and the demand is visible. Startup costs remain relatively accessible compared to other trades, and early revenue is achievable for motivated operators. That reality continues to fuel growth at the local level even as competition tightens.

This expansion does not mean the market is collapsing under saturation. It means the bar is rising. As more contractors enter, customers become better at comparing professionalism, communication, and trust signals. Poor service is filtered out faster. Well run businesses stand out sooner.

The barrier to entry remains low, but the barrier to staying competitive is rising quickly. Contractors who treat this as a side hustle or rely on informal processes feel pressure earlier. Those who invest in systems, pricing clarity, and consistent operations are better positioned to absorb competition and continue growing.

Market expansion in 2025 was not subtle. It was visible in equipment movement, business formation behavior, and customer expectations. The industry is growing, but it is also sorting itself in real time.

Workforce and Business Counts

In the 2024 Industry Report, the US pressure washing market was estimated to include over 32,000 active businesses supported by approximately 42,000 technicians. Those figures aligned with service trade benchmarks and equipment sales volumes.

In 2025, the overall workforce structure did not contract, but it did expand at the edges. Business formation data across service based sectors shows low single digit growth year over year. That suggests the total number of exterior cleaning businesses likely increased into the 33,000 to 35,000 range nationally, driven primarily by sole proprietors and small crews entering local markets.

Labor dynamics also shifted. Most pressure washing and soft washing companies continue to operate with one to three technicians. Payroll expansion remained conservative as rising labor costs, insurance requirements, and scheduling complexity pushed owners to focus on productivity per technician rather than headcount growth.

What changed most in 2025 was not how many people were hired. It was how work was handled.

More contractors adopted structured quoting systems, clearer pricing communication, and automated follow up processes. These systems allowed operators to handle more leads per week, close jobs faster, and reduce time spent on manual estimating and administrative tasks. Contractors who did not make these shifts increasingly relied on longer hours and owner involvement to maintain the same revenue levels.

The market did not reward size alone in 2025. It rewarded operational efficiency.

Consumer Behavior Shifted Further in 2025

Customer expectations continued to rise across the board. In all service industries we are seeing massive moves towards online quoting, booking, and online service long before ever talking to someone face to face.

Homeowners now want pricing context, service explanations, and proof of credibility before making contact. Websites that provide clarity convert higher quality leads. Websites that hide pricing lose them. Across service industries, online buying behavior is becoming standard.

Trust became the primary differentiator. In crowded markets, trust signals consistently outperformed discounts. Reviews, visible insurance coverage, safety practices, and clearly defined scopes of work influenced buying decisions more than low pricing.

Speed and systems also mattered more than ever. Contractors who responded quickly with structured quotes and clear next steps won more jobs. Customers increasingly expect professionalism from the very first interaction.

2024 vs 2025 Market Comparison

Using the most defensible public benchmarks, the market comparison remains clear.

US Soft Wash Equipment Market 2024: $350M
North American Soft Wash Services Market 2024: $3.5B
US Pressure Washer Equipment Market 2024: $584M
US Pressure Washer Equipment Market 2025: $606.5M

Chart Explained

2024 Equipment Market vs 2025 Equipment Market

This comparison reinforces steady growth rather than volatility. The industry is not shrinking. It is stabilizing and professionalizing.

What This Means for Contractors Planning for 2026

Contractors planning for 2026 are entering a more competitive and more disciplined market than at any point in the past decade. The industry is not overcrowded with amateurs. It is filling up with operators who are building real businesses.

The biggest shift is not lead generation. It is lead conversion. More contractors are learning how to capture demand efficiently through structured systems rather than brute force marketing. That means the same lead that once closed easily will now be quoted faster, followed up sooner, and presented more professionally by multiple competitors.

Retention and loyalty are becoming growth levers, not afterthoughts. Contractors who consistently follow up, communicate clearly, and maintain ongoing relationships with past customers will outperform those constantly chasing new leads. In tighter markets, your existing customer base becomes one of your most valuable assets.

Clear pricing ranges, structured quoting workflows, bundled services, visible trust signals, and consistent follow up are no longer competitive advantages. They are baseline expectations. Contractors without these systems will feel like they are working harder every year just to stay even.

The contractors who grow in 2026 will not be the ones working longer hours. They will be the ones building repeatable processes that allow them to handle more leads, close jobs faster, and reduce decision fatigue for both their customers and their teams.

You will see more businesses scaling through systems and size. More trucks will be added. More technicians will be hired. But the main focus will be on efficiency per lead, revenue per customer, and time reclaimed per week.

Operators who build systems now will spend less time reacting to the market and more time choosing the work they want to do. In 2026, growth will belong to the contractors who treat structure as strategy.

What This Means for Suppliers and Manufacturers

Suppliers and manufacturers do not win in a vacuum. Their growth is directly tied to how effectively contractors can quote, sell, schedule, and execute work in the field.

In 2025, the most successful suppliers were not the ones pushing the most inventory. They were the ones helping contractors remove friction from their operations. As competition increased and margins tightened, contractors became far more selective about where they invested their dollars. Products that clearly supported safer workflows, faster job completion, and more consistent results outperformed products positioned purely on specifications or price.

Education driven marketing continued to separate high performing brands from transactional sellers. Contractors responded to suppliers who helped them understand why a system existed, how it fit into a broader workflow, and how it supported revenue generation. Training content, real world use cases, and clear application guidance reduced buyer hesitation and increased long term loyalty.

Workflow based product bundling became a competitive advantage. Contractors increasingly looked for complete solutions rather than individual parts. Bundles that supported specific services like roof washing, commercial maintenance, HOA work, or recurring service agreements simplified purchasing decisions and increased average order value. These bundles also helped contractors sell outcomes to their customers rather than explaining individual components.

Dealer enablement emerged as a critical growth lever. Manufacturers who invested in dealer education, sales tools, and structured product positioning empowered their distribution network to sell with confidence. Dealers that understood how products tied into contractor profitability closed more deals and built stronger relationships at the local level.

The brands that struggled in 2025 were those that treated contractors as one time buyers. Price driven promotions without operational context created short term spikes but failed to build durable demand. Contractors facing labor pressure, scheduling complexity, and customer expectations no longer respond to feature lists alone. They respond to solutions that make their businesses easier to run.

The next phase of growth in the exterior cleaning industry will favor suppliers and manufacturers who think like operators. Helping contractors quote faster, work safer, deliver consistent results, and scale without burnout will matter more than launching another standalone product.

The companies that win will be the ones that help contractors operate better, not just buy more.