When was the last time someone cleaned your driveway with more than a garden hose? If it’s been more than a year, a deep scrub could make a world of difference. A one-day service could have your driveway looking great while reducing its risk of damage.
To help you decide, Evergreen Window Cleaning & Home Maintenance shares important tips on driveway cleaning below.
Why Clean Your Driveway?
Why clean your driveway in the first place? It’s just concrete, so how much cleaning can it need? The answer depends on whether you want to prevent damage in time to reveal minor repairs before they become major expenses.
Driveway pressure cleaning prevents damage by keeping porous concrete free of oils, dirt, and grease, which erode it and expand it to cause cracks and fissures. Regular cleaning preserves your home’s curb appeal. It also prevents excess moisture from facilitating mold and algae growth on your driveway if the spores are left to thrive season after season.
Understanding Your Driveway’s Needs
The most common types of messes on driveways are oil spills and grease stains. With asphalt, oil and grease are less noticeable due to the black color, but liquids that seep into the cracks of the asphalt surface can cause a lot of damage beneath the surface.
While some stains just need power washing, you may also need to use detergent or a concrete cleaning solution to remove embedded substances. With professionals like Evergreen Window Cleaning & Home Maintenance, you can be confident that they’ll provide the correct solution for the driveway material to look its best.
Preparing Your Driveway for Cleaning
If you’ve scheduled a professional cleaning crew for the driveway, preparing the driveway could help move things along. For example, the team may recommend sweeping up any loose dirt, pebbles, or sticks, and putting away all outdoor equipment or children’s toys. You can also use a leaf blower to get rid of finer particles the broom cannot reach.
The less loose debris there is on your driveway’s surface, the easier it will be to achieve a sparkling deep clean. Be sure to ask about the biodegradable cleaning agents available for getting into the tougher stains.
Step-by-Step Driveway Cleaning Process
When professionals start exterior cleaning jobs, they’ll usually start with coating the driveway in a layer of degreaser to break up any oil and fluid deposits. The power washer will loosen dirt, always starting on the lowest setting to prevent damage. The work also starts at the highest point on the driveway.
Experts will aim the spray at about 25 degrees relative to the ground because aiming the pressure washer nozzle directly down may mean the jet damages the concrete. The team will then work their way across the driveway, working in sections about 3 feet by 4 feet to ensure they don’t miss any spots. They’ll also use the right cleaning technique: start at one side of the driveway and spray back and forth, overlapping sprays by about six inches.
For tougher oil stains and dirt, the experts recommend holding the nozzle closer to the concrete surface and moving slowly. They may also use a biodegradable cleaning agent.
To keep the driveway’s curb appeal up for as long as possible, you might also want to consider sealing the driveway. However, regular cleaning every six months should be enough to keep the area looking pristine year-round.
Safety Precautions
Proper safety standards are always a priority when handling a powerful machine like a pressure washer. A professional like Evergreen Window Cleaning & Home Maintenance will always wear hand, eye, and ear protection and put on closed-toe shoes.
The pressure washing jets are powerful enough to break the skin, so a professional will also never point the nozzle at another person (or themselves) while the power washer is on. Additionally, you should be careful around concrete cleaner detergents or chemicals, as these concentrated forms of detergent can be harmful if they splash into your mouth or eyes during cleaning.
Ready to Transform Your Driveway? Contact Our Team Today!
If you’d like your driveway to stay clean and functional for as long as possible, consider scheduling a recurring maintenance package with professionals like Evergreen Window Cleaning & Home Maintenance. The team has been cleaning driveway surfaces in Seattle for over 25 years, with a dedication to the craft and impeccable customer service to ensure top-notch results.
If you want 100% customer satisfaction on every job your professionals perform, stop the search for “driveway cleaning services near me” in the greater Seattle area! Contact Evergreen Window Cleaning today to schedule an appointment!
