Guide · House Washing
House washing is one of the best-value things you can do for the outside of your home — but the price swings a lot depending on the home, and it is easy to compare two quotes that aren't measuring the same thing. Here is what drives the cost, what the market actually charges, how often your home needs it in our corner of Ontario, and how to make sure the wash you pay for is a real one.
Every honest house-wash quote comes back to the same handful of things. Understanding them is the difference between comparing prices and comparing apples to oranges.
Prices vary by region, home, and season, but the published ranges cluster in a predictable band. Across Canada, a professional exterior house wash typically runs $250 to $500, with larger and two-storey homes reaching $550 or more. Ontario-specific guides put single-storey homes around $250 to $350 and two-storey homes around $350 to $550. U.S. data lands in a similar place, with an average near $300 and most homes falling between roughly $100 and $700 depending on size and condition. Per-square-foot, soft washing generally works out to about $0.15 to $0.75.
Those are useful goalposts. But a range that wide isn't much help when you're trying to budget for your home — which is the whole reason we price the way we do.
We don't do the mystery-quote dance. Nord publishes flat-rate house-wash prices by home size — pick your home size, and the price is the price. The same size of home always pays the same amount, whether you're in Victoria Harbour or the next town over. No walk-around required to get a number, no pressure, no "it depends."
You can see the price bands on our pricing page, or get your exact number in about a minute with the instant quote — it asks your home size, shows the price, and lets you add gutters or a driveway if you want them in the same visit.
Around here the honest answer is every one to two years for most homes — and annually for the ones that grow green fast. In Simcoe County that mostly comes down to shade and water.
A home tucked under mature trees, or sitting on the shore of Georgian Bay or one of the inland lakes, stays damp longer after every rain. Damp plus shade is exactly what algae and mildew want, so waterfront and heavily-treed homes build growth faster and benefit from a yearly wash. A sunnier, more exposed home dries out quickly and can comfortably go a year or two between washes. The tell is simple: when the north and shaded walls start showing a green film or black streaking, it's time.
For most homes, easily. Three reasons it earns its keep:
This is the part that protects your home, so it's worth being clear: siding should only ever be soft washed, never pressure blasted. Soft washing cleans with detergent at low pressure — roughly garden-hose strength — that kills algae and mildew at the root and rinses away. It's the high-pressure approach that does the damage, forcing water up behind vinyl panels, stripping and etching paint, and chewing at soft wood and mortar. High pressure also only removes the surface layer of growth, so it comes back fast.
Nord soft washes every home, every time — it's gentler on the house and the results last longer. If you want the full picture of why, we wrote a whole guide on soft washing versus pressure washing.
The only discount we offer is NordCare — our exterior window-cleaning subscription (spring and fall, 20% off, cancel anytime). Members also get 10% off other services, house washing included. So if you're already having your windows done on a plan, the wash comes in a little lower. There's no separate bundle discount and nothing to game; one plan, one member rate. You can read how it works on the NordCare page.
Across Canada a professional exterior wash usually runs $250 to $500, with larger and two-storey homes reaching $550 or more; U.S. data averages near $300. The drivers are home size, height, siding type, how much growth has built up, and any add-ons. Nord prices it flat-rate by home size, so the same size of home is always the same price — your exact number is in the instant quote.
Every one to two years for most Simcoe County homes, and annually for heavily shaded or waterfront homes where algae and mildew build fast in the damp. When the shaded walls start showing green or black, it's time.
Yes — it restores curb appeal, prevents the slow damage that algae and mildew do by holding moisture against siding and paint, and it's one of the best-return jobs you can do before selling a home.
No. Soft washing uses low pressure and detergent to clean gently and kill growth at the root. It's high pressure that damages siding — forcing water behind panels, stripping paint, and etching wood. See our soft washing guide for the full explanation.
Home size and height first, then siding type, how much growth has to be cleared, and add-ons like gutters or the driveway. The quiet factor is method — a real soft wash that kills growth costs more than a quick pressure rinse that lets it grow back within a season.
Sources: HomeStars — Exterior House Washing Cost (Canada), DD Home Services — Pressure Washing Cost Guide for Ontario, Angi — How Much Does It Cost to Pressure Wash a House? (2026)