Render shows dirt, algae and black streaking more visibly than brick, which is why render cleaning cost is a common question for anyone with a rendered or pebbledash house looking tired. The good news is that render usually cleans up dramatically well with the right method.
This guide covers what render cleaning typically costs, why soft washing is almost always the right method, and how access and render condition change the final price.
Typical render cleaning costs
For a full house render clean, expect roughly £300-£700 for a semi-detached property, and £500-£1,000+ for a larger detached house or one with multiple elevations and dormers. Pricing is often per elevation (front, rear, gable ends) rather than a single flat figure, which lets you clean just the worst-affected wall if budget is tight.
A single rear elevation with heavy green algae, common on shaded, damp-facing walls, might run £150-£300 on its own. Full four-side cleans on larger homes with scaffold or cherry picker access for upper storeys sit toward the top of the range.
Why soft washing is the right method for render
Render, whether traditional sand-and-cement, pebbledash or modern thin-coat systems like K-rend, is porous and can be damaged by high-pressure jet washing, which drives water into the surface and can crack or blow the render in patches. Soft washing uses a low-pressure application of a cleaning solution that kills algae, moss and lichen at the surface, then lets it be rinsed away gently.
It's not just safer for the render, it's also more effective long-term, because the biocide component in a soft wash treats the organic growth rather than just blasting the visible layer off, which tends to leave roots behind and lets it regrow within months.
Access and render condition as price factors
A single-storey extension or bungalow render clean is straightforward and priced at the lower end. A two-storey house needs proper access equipment for upper sections, which adds to labour time and sometimes equipment hire cost. Render with deep-set pebbledash, extensive black streaking, or heavy moss in mortar joints and cracks takes longer to treat thoroughly than a lightly soiled smooth render finish.
Existing render condition matters too: cracked or blown render, or render with mould so ingrained it's staining rather than sitting on the surface, may need more than one treatment, or a conversation about whether cleaning alone will get the result you're hoping for. A good operator will point this out honestly rather than quote a standard clean and let you find out afterwards it hasn't fully worked.
Getting a fair render cleaning quote
Ask any firm quoting for render whether they soft wash as standard, since this is the single biggest factor in both the quality of the result and the safety of the surface. A quote that doesn't mention biocide or low-pressure application is worth questioning before you book.
It's also reasonable to ask for a rough timescale on how long the result should last, and whether a follow-up visit within a short window is offered if algae reappears unusually quickly, since that can be a sign the treatment wasn't applied thoroughly the first time.
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