Jump to: Pricing mobile detailing · Pricing pressure washing · Quoting and invoicing · Job costing and profit · Starting out and software · Our templates, downloads and refunds
Pricing mobile detailing
How much should I charge for a car detail?
Start from your own costs, not a competitor's menu: labor time x your hourly rate, plus products, drive time and a share of overhead, plus your margin. Then sanity-check against your local market. As a reference range only, national cost guides list a full interior and exterior detail at roughly $150-$500 (HomeGuide, 2026), and one survey of 2,154 US detailers' published prices puts the middle of the market for a full detail at $175-$350 (TopDetailers, Sept 2026). How to price mobile detailing jobs →
How much should I charge for interior detailing?
Price interior work by the time it really takes on that vehicle size and condition, then add surcharges for pet hair, heavy stains or odor. For reference, HomeGuide lists interior detailing at $150-$350 depending on how deep the service goes (2026). Quote "starting at" and confirm after you see the car. Build your price list and packages →
Should I charge by the hour or by the package?
Most customers want a fixed package price, so publish packages and keep an hourly rate behind the scenes to build them. As you get faster, a package price keeps the time savings for you. Use size and condition add-ons so dirty or oversized vehicles still pay for the extra time. Mobile detailing price list guide →
How do I price for SUVs, trucks and vans?
Use a vehicle-size multiplier on each package (for example sedan 1.0, SUV around 1.2, large truck or van higher). These multipliers are example settings, not industry rules; time a few jobs of each size and set your own. Worked pricing example →
How do I charge for drive time as a mobile detailer?
Drive time is unpaid labor plus fuel, so either build an average trip into every price or add a travel fee beyond a set radius. Grouping jobs by area cuts it the most. Plan a route to cut drive time →
Pricing pressure washing
How much should I charge per square foot for pressure washing?
Calculate it from your production rate (square feet you clean per hour), your hourly target and chemical cost, then compare with your market. Published consumer ranges are wide: Angi lists $0.10-$0.50 per sq ft for house washing and HomeGuide lists $0.35-$0.77 per sq ft (2026). Commercial flatwork usually runs lower per foot because of volume. How to quote per square foot →
How much should I charge to pressure wash a driveway?
Measure it (length x width), multiply by your flatwork rate, and add for oil stains or heavy growth. Angi lists $0.30-$0.55 per sq ft for driveways, or about $175-$320 for a 576 sq ft driveway (2026). Small driveways often hit your minimum charge instead. Driveway quoting math →
How much should I charge to wash a house?
Price house washing by siding square footage or by house size and stories, with a higher rate for second and third stories. As a reference only, Angi reports most homeowners pay $213-$449 for a house wash (2026); two-story homes land higher. House wash pricing method →
Do I need a minimum charge?
Yes. Every trip costs you drive time, fuel, setup and cleanup no matter how small the job. Set a minimum that covers a trip plus your target hourly rate for the shortest job you'd accept, and quote the higher of the per-foot price or the minimum. Minimum charge explained →
How do I price roof cleaning or soft washing?
Price it separately from flatwork: soft washing uses more chemical per square foot and is slower on steep or high roofs. Build the rate from chemical cost per 1,000 sq ft plus labor time, and add access surcharges. HomeGuide lists roof cleaning at $0.40-$1.00 per sq ft (2026) as a market check. Pressure washing startup checklist →
How do I price window cleaning?
Choose per pane for residential and per hour or per window for commercial, then add for second stories, screens and tracks. How to price window cleaning →
Quoting and invoicing
How do I write a pressure washing estimate?
List each surface with its square feet and rate, add any surcharges, show the total, what's included, your terms and how long the quote is valid. Measuring on site (or from satellite images) and showing the math builds trust. Quoting guide →
What should a detailing invoice include?
Your business name and contact, the customer and vehicle, the date, each service and add-on with its price, tax if it applies, the total, payment method and status, and a short note on your terms. Auto detailing invoice layout →
What should a pressure washing invoice include?
The job address, surfaces cleaned with square feet or line items, any chemical or access surcharges, the total, deposit or payment received, and your payment terms. Pressure washing invoice guide →
Should I take a deposit?
For large jobs, ceramic coatings or first-time commercial work, many owners take a deposit to cut no-shows. Put the deposit amount and your cancellation terms on the quote so there's no surprise. Invoice and payment terms →
Job costing and profit
How do I know if a job actually made money?
Subtract every direct cost (labor hours x pay rate, products and chemicals used, fuel) from the price, then subtract a per-job share of overhead like insurance, phone and software. Tracking this on every job shows which services and areas are worth keeping. Job costing guide →
How do I calculate chemical cost per car?
Take the jug price, divide by the ounces in the jug, multiply by the ounces of concentrate a car uses at your dilution ratio, and add up each product. It's usually small per car, but it adds up over a month. Chemical cost per car math →
Is mobile detailing profitable?
It can be, but profit depends on your price per hour after drive time, products and overhead, not on revenue. Run your numbers per job before you scale; we don't publish income figures because they vary too much by market. Track cost per car and monthly profit →
How do I price an unlimited car wash membership?
Start from your cost per wash and how often members actually wash, then find the break-even visits per month for each plan price. Membership break-even method →
Starting out and software
What equipment do I need to start mobile detailing?
A water and power plan, a pressure washer or foam setup, vacuum and extractor, microfiber, chemicals and protection, and the business basics like insurance and invoicing. Full equipment checklist →
What do I need to start a pressure washing business?
A machine and surface cleaner sized for the work you want, chemicals and PPE, liability insurance, a pricing method and a way to quote and invoice. Startup checklist →
What is the best software for a detailing business?
It depends on whether you need booking, routing and payments in one app. We compare Urable, Jobber and Housecall Pro for mobile detailers (some links are affiliate links). Auto detailing software compared →
What is the best software for pressure washing?
We compare Jobber, Housecall Pro and GorillaDesk for quoting, scheduling and invoicing (some links are affiliate links). Pressure washing software compared →
Should I use a spreadsheet or field service software?
A spreadsheet is enough while you're solo and booking a handful of jobs a week; software starts paying off when you need online booking, reminders and a team schedule. Spreadsheet vs software →
Our templates, downloads and refunds
What do I get when I buy a RinseRate template?
A downloadable Excel workbook (.xlsx) that also opens in Google Sheets, with a Start Here tab and example numbers clearly labeled so you can replace them with your own. Some products include a printable PDF. See all templates →
Do the templates work in Google Sheets and on a phone?
Yes, they open in Excel and Google Sheets. Upload the .xlsx to Google Drive and open it with Sheets to use it on your phone. Browse templates →
How do I get my download?
Payhip and Gumroad email you a download link right after checkout, and you can also download from the confirmation page. Visit the store →
Can I get a refund?
Because these are instant digital downloads, all sales are generally final. If a file won't open or doesn't match the description, email hello@rinseratetools.com and we'll fix it or make it right. Contact us →
Is anything free?
Yes. The Service Price Sheet Starter is pay-what-you-want with a $0 minimum: it turns your labor, overhead, travel and product costs into a suggested price for each service. Get the free price sheet →
Still have a question?
Email hello@rinseratetools.com. Some links on this site are affiliate links; see our disclosure.