An exterior cleaning technician washes house siding, soft washes roofs, and pressure washes driveways, decks and fences, with gutter cleaning on many tickets. Each stop starts with a walk around the outside of the property and ends with a walkthrough beside the customer.
By the HireBus team · Updated · Pay data: BLS, May 2025
Median pay, building services companies · BLS, May 2025
Responsible for delivering exceptional exterior cleaning services, including power-washing, gutter cleaning, and additional exterior maintenance tasks that ensure customer satisfaction and uphold company quality standards.
2. Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Perform power-washing on various exterior surfaces to remove dirt, grime, and buildup.
Clean gutters and downspouts to prevent blockages and potential water damage.
Conduct inspections of exterior areas to identify maintenance needs and potential hazards.
Maintain and care for cleaning equipment, ensuring operational safety and efficiency.
3. Key Tasks / Daily Activities
Arrive at assigned job sites punctually and conduct a pre-service inspection.
Engage with customers to understand their specific service needs.
Set up and safely operate power-washing and cleaning equipment throughout the day.
Provide post-service walkthroughs with clients to ensure satisfaction and gather feedback.
4. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Revenue per hour: $150.
On-time completion rate: 95% or higher.
Callback rate due to service issues: less than 5%.
Customer satisfaction rating: greater than 4.8 stars.
5. Required Qualifications and Skills
High School diploma or equivalent.
Minimum of 2 years experience in exterior cleaning, maintenance, or a related field.
Proficiency in operating power-washing and other cleaning equipment.
Strong communication and customer service skills.
6. Preferred Experience
Prior experience in the home services or maintenance industry.
Familiarity with safety standards and best practices in exterior cleaning.
Experience working in outdoor environments under varying weather conditions.
7. Physical Requirements
Ability to lift up to 50 lbs.
Stamina to work extended hours in outdoor and sometimes challenging weather conditions.
Comfortable working at heights during gutter cleaning and maintenance tasks.
Use of personal protective equipment (PPE) as required.
8. Work Environment and Schedule
Typical work hours are Monday-Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM.
Occasional weekend work may be required during peak service periods.
Regular travel to local job sites within the designated service area.
On-call availability for emergency service requests as needed.
9. Compensation and Benefits
Hourly rate range: $18 - $25 per hour based on experience.
Performance-based bonuses available according to established KPIs.
Comprehensive benefits package including Health, Dental, and Vision insurance.
Company-sponsored 401(k) plan with matching contributions and paid time off.
10. Company Culture and Overview
At [INSERT COMPANY NAME HERE], we foster a culture of growth, innovation, and teamwork. We are committed to helping our employees succeed while delivering top-notch services to our customers. Join us to be part of a supportive environment where your skills are valued and your contributions make a difference.
11. How to Apply
If you meet the above criteria and want to be part of a growth-oriented company focused on customer satisfaction, please send your resume to [INSERT EMAIL HERE] or apply online at [INSERT WEBSITE LINK HERE].
Need help filling this role? HireBus posts the ad, Iris interviews every applicant by phone before you do, and you decide who to hire. Start hiring now
Most cleaning jobs run on a mop or a cloth. This one runs on a pump, a hose reel and a tank of mixed chemicals, outdoors, on somebody else's house.
Roofs get a cleaning mix, not pressure
Shingle roofs are soft washed. The Asphalt Roofing Manufacturers Association says never to use a power washer, brush or broom on roof algae. It describes lightening the stains with household bleach and water, then a gentle rinse, and other chemicals only with the shingle maker's approval. It also warns that the wet roof turns slippery and suggests working from a ladder or walkboards. A tech has to know which surfaces can take pressure and which can't. Source: Asphalt Roofing Manufacturers Association: Algae discoloration.
Bleach is the working chemical
Soft wash mixes are built on sodium hypochlorite, the chemical in household bleach. The CDC warns that bleach can release chlorine gas when it's mixed with certain other cleaning products, so techs mix only what your written recipe calls for. Where a corrosive mix could get into a tech's eyes or onto the body, OSHA's first aid rule calls for eyewash or drenching gear where the crew is working, for emergency use. On a route, that usually means a unit on the truck. Source: OSHA: Medical services and first aid (29 CFR 1910.151).
Wash water can't just run to the street
Rinse water carries dirt, oil, soap and bleach. Under EPA's stormwater rules, regulated cities and counties must prohibit most flows other than stormwater into their storm drains, by ordinance or another legal tool, as far as state and local law allows. So a driveway rinse flowing into a street drain can break a local rule. What's allowed, and how to block or collect the water, differs by city. Learn yours before the first flatwork job. Source: 40 CFR 122.34: Permit requirements for small storm sewer systems (Cornell LII).
A tiny wound can be an emergency
A pressure washer's stream can force water under the skin. The CDC warns that the spray can cause serious wounds that might first look minor, and that putting off treatment raises the risk of infection, disability or amputation. Train techs to never point a wand at a person and to lock the trigger whenever they set it down. Anyone hit by the spray gets medical care as soon as possible, even when the wound looks small. Source: CDC: Pressure washer safety.
The walk-around comes before the wand
The template gives this tech the gutters and an inspection of the outside of the house. Before washing, the tech notes cracked siding, loose trim, peeling paint and windows that don't seal well, because water under pressure finds those spots fast. Photos before and after settle questions about damage, and the same walk turns up gutter and repair work the office can quote.
How much exterior cleaning technicians make
The closest BLS group for exterior cleaning technicians is janitors and cleaners. Janitors and cleaners who work for building and home services companies earned a median of $17.21 an hour ($35,790 a year) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That’s about the same as the $36,840 median for janitors and cleaners in all industries. About 829,300 of the 2,209,760 janitors and cleaners in that survey work for building services companies.
BLS has no separate count of house washers or pressure washing techs, so these figures come from janitors and cleaners, the group that holds window washers. The template's hourly range begins above this median, with bonuses tied to its KPIs. Revenue per hour is one of them, so tell candidates how jobs are timed before a bonus rides on it.
Building services companies
$35,790$35,790 median Middle half $30,590–$38,520 10th–90th $28,130–$46,250
All industries
$36,840$36,840 median Middle half $32,240–$44,060 10th–90th $28,640–$50,270
$20k$30k$40k$50k$60k
10th–90th percentileMiddle halfMedianAnnual pay, May 2025. Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics.
Annual pay by percentile
Group
10th
25th
Median
75th
90th
Building services companies
$28,130
$30,590
$35,790
$38,520
$46,250
All industries
$28,640
$32,240
$36,840
$44,060
$50,270
BLS doesn’t publish pay for exterior cleaning companies on their own. These figures cover services to buildings and dwellings, which include them. Post a real range for your market in the ad.
The pay line in the template above is an example from our Role Blueprint. Set yours from these figures and what local companies pay.
Skills to hire for, and what you can teach
Hire for these
Runs a pressure washer and surface cleaner without leaving stripes or marks in concrete
Knows when to drop to low pressure on siding, roofs and wood
Mixes every tank exactly to the written recipe
Moves and climbs a ladder safely for gutter work
Talks with homeowners clearly before and after the wash
Starts the route on time all season
Teach these on the job
Your soft wash mixes and how long each one stays on
Prepping plants, outlets and lights before a wash
Blocking or collecting wash water where your city requires it
Pump, unloader and nozzle upkeep
Before and after photos in your job app
Techs run gas or electric pressure washers, surface cleaners for flatwork, soft wash pumps with chemical tanks and hose reels, extension wands, ladders and gutter tools. In the ad, say whether your rigs are trailers or truck skids, whether they have hot water, whether crews ever wash roofs, and whether gutter cleaning fills a big part of the week.
Exterior cleaning technician interview questions
Two of the 6 questions we'd ask, and what a strong answer sounds like. Ask every candidate the same questions, and rate each answer on your own before you compare notes.
Situational · Water intrusion
Halfway through a house wash, you notice water getting behind a loose piece of siding near an outdoor outlet. What do you do?
A strong answer: Stops spraying there, keeps water away from the outlet, tells the lead and customer, notes the loose siding and adjusts the spray angle.
Behavioral · Owning damage
Tell me about a time something you did at work caused damage, even small. How did you handle it?
A strong answer: Told their boss and the customer right away and helped fix it.
These numbers move with the season and the mix of jobs, so compare a tech with your own crew's averages on similar work rather than with one fixed target.
Revenue per hour
Revenue from the jobs the tech finished, divided by clocked hours from the first stop to the last. Split house washes, flatwork and roofs, since each one bills and runs at its own pace.
On-time completion rate
Jobs finished inside their scheduled window, out of all jobs assigned that week. Leave out rain days and jobs the office moved, so the number shows the tech's own pace.
Callback rate due to service issues
Count repeat visits caused by streaked siding, missed spots, burned plants or stripes on concrete. Set that count against the tech's finished jobs each month, and look at the photos from each one.
Customer satisfaction rating
What this tech's customers said in surveys and online ratings, read beside the walkthrough notes. Comments about overspray, wet patio furniture or a messy driveway point to habits a lead can fix in a day.
No. Pressure washing uses the force of the water to strip dirt, which suits concrete driveways and some walkways. Soft washing uses low pressure and a cleaning mix that does the work, then a rinse. Siding, roofs and painted wood usually get the soft method, because high pressure can gouge wood, force water behind siding or strip paint. A good tech changes methods several times on one property.
How much does an exterior cleaning technician make?
Janitors and cleaners who work for building and home services companies earned a median of $17.21 an hour ($35,790 a year) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The middle half earned between $30,590 and $38,520 a year. Pay also depends on your local market, experience and overtime.
Should a technician run house washes solo or with an assistant?
Some jobs work fine alone, like a one-story house wash or a driveway. Roofs, two-story gutter work and big properties go faster and safer with an assistant to move hose, watch the spray zone and keep people and pets back. Decide which jobs you'll send one person to before you hire, since it changes how many assistants you need.
Does roof soft washing need fall protection?
Often, yes. OSHA's fall rule for general industry requires a guardrail, safety net or personal fall protection system for anyone working on a surface with an open side or edge at least 4 feet above the next level down, and a roof edge counts. On a home's roof, an employer that can show those systems aren't feasible may write and follow its own fall protection plan in their place. Many crews spray roofs from a ladder or the ground so nobody walks on wet shingles.
Does soft washing need a pesticide license?
It can, depending on the state and on what the treatment is for. Washington's agriculture department counts moss control products as pesticides. It says a company doing moss control on roofs, even once for a client, needs a commercial pesticide applicator license, and employees who apply the product need operator licenses. Licensing varies from state to state, so check with your state's pesticide regulator before you sell roof moss or algae treatments.
Can exterior cleaning techs work in cold weather?
Not well below freezing. Rinse water can turn a driveway or steps into a sheet of ice, and water left in a pump or hose can freeze and crack parts. Many companies slow down in winter, shift to commercial flatwork on milder days, or cut hours. Tell candidates what a winter week looks like at your company before they accept.
What should go in an ad for an exterior cleaning technician?
Name the surfaces you clean, whether techs go on roofs or wash from the ground, and the tallest homes on your routes. List the chemicals and the safety gear you provide. The template ships with a line on stamina for long days outdoors, which describes the person, not the job. Your ad can name the tasks instead, like dragging hose around a house and carrying a ladder to a gutter. Under EEOC guidance, you may list tasks like these and ask if applicants can meet them, and a hands-on tryout of the actual work is not a medical exam.
