Driveway Transformation: The Power of Pressure Washing

This article is about driveway cleaning.  Did you know the average concrete driveway can last anywhere from 25 to 50 years? The more you maintain it, the better chance it has of surviving, and thriving, for decades to come.

It’s a well-known fact that driveway cleaning is an important part of the home maintenance process, not only because it keeps your investment from degrading, but because the driveway welcomes all your visitors. A home that is overgrown with weeds and a driveway that is dirty and stained just doesn’t send the right message.

But at this point, you’ve tried everything, right? You’ve tried soap and harsh, noxious substances to remove the grime on the driveway, but they just never seem to work as advertised, and they’ve already cost you a lot of money.

That’s where pressure washing comes in for driveway cleaning. We’re here to give you a comprehensive guide to understanding what pressure washing is, and the surprising benefits it can have for you and your home. Stick around till the end to see if it’s actually worth hiring a professional driveway pressure washing service. Spoiler alert – it is!

What Does Pressure Washing Mean?

There is some science behind why water works so well as a cleaning agent. Its molecules have a small electrical polarity, thus they attach to objects on their own. Detergents (soap and chemicals) help water manage its task by dissolving grime and grease and making it easier for the water to flush them away.

However, no matter how hard you try, some types of dirt and stains just won’t budge. Here’s where a pressure washer comes in handy.

It blasts dirt away with a narrow, high-pressure stream of hot or cold water. Because the water is moving so quickly, it collides with the dirty surface with a lot of kinetic force, pushing dirt and dust away like a steady rain of tiny hammer strikes.

The pressure of the stream alone will not harm most hard surfaces. However, it’s still always a good idea to test a pressure washer on an inconspicuous spot before using it to make sure it’s not going to damage the surface you’re cleaning.

The Difference Between Pressure Washing and Power Washing

Let’s start with the short answer. Yes, they’re similar, but they’re certainly not identical. The aim of both is to remove dirt from hard surfaces, and they both use a highly pressurized water stream to achieve this.

While the methods are relatively similar, there are a few major distinctions that affect how you use each machine and what surface they’re best applied to.

Pressure Washer

You’ve probably tried pressure washing for your home before, or, at the very least, seen one in action. For everyday household use, pressure washing is the way to go. It’s the ideal solution for surfaces that require a gentler touch, making it great for areas of masonry, concrete, and brick.

A pressure washer comprises of a water pump, a high-pressure hose, an electric or gas motor, a water inlet, and a cleaning attachment. These cleaning attachments can be changed as needed to serve whatever purpose is required.

Because water and electricity don’t mix.  Many power washers contain built-in ground-fault circuit breakers, also known as residual current devices (RCDs), to protect you in the event of an electrical breakdown.

The water that comes out of a pressure washer is usually at room temperature but is still very good at blasting dirt away. However, it isn’t as effective against really persistent stuff. Though it still works wonders, it may not be able to remove every stubborn stain from your drive.

Power Washer

A power washer blasts dirt and materials from outdoor surfaces with a high-pressure stream of near boiling water. Because the temperature of the water is so high, and the pressure so strong, a power washer is especially effective at removing truly stuck-on materials from a variety of surfaces.

The extra heat makes it very effective for removing chewing gum off sidewalks, as well as blasting away salt, mildew, and mold. Power cleaning can also remove grease stains on driveways or garage floors.

Power washing is especially useful for larger tasks, such as cleaning up a large business space or a huge driveway and patio area. Because the heat helps to loosen the dirt, the entire process becomes significantly faster.

However, you must still be careful about which surfaces you apply a power wash to for the same reasons as before. When power cleaning, stick to concrete and other hard surfaces because the force and heat of the hot water might damage softer surfaces.

The Benefits of Pressure Washing for Driveway Cleaning

We know just how much of a beating your driveway can take throughout the year. Bad weather, high traffic, and even rampant weeds can all play their part in the degradation of your drive. The best way to maintain your property, including your driveway, is by pressure washing.

The benefits associated with pressure washing are countless and serve more than just these seven. Here are our top benefits… By that, we mean the ones that are going to be the most beneficial in the long run.

1. Boost Your Curb Appeal

Curb appeal is the unit by which your home is subjectively measured. Essentially, it’s how your house looks from the curb. While it is not an objective assessment of your physical assets in their most basic form, curb appeal is a valuable part of your home’s value.

Homes with outstanding curb appeal, for example, are appealing to people who pass by on the street. The house looks wonderful and has all the expected features. The yard is tidy; the paint is brilliant; the siding looks good; the roof is in good shape, and everything is in order.

When you drive up to your house every day, you may lose sight of how crucial this initial impression is. If visitors arrive and discover a grimy, gloomy driveway, they will probably have an unfavorable impression of your home. If you have a clean, attractive driveway, on the other hand, you’re shining a more positive light onto your property.

Deep cleaning a driveway with a power washer can help a driveway look brand new. If your driveway is looking grimy and dirty, don’t assume that it needs to be replaced. That is going to cost a lot more than pressure washing.

2. Driveway Cleaning Prevents Further Damage

Bird droppings, mold, algae, and dirt buildup are not only unsightly, but they may also wear down a structure, causing rot or further damage. If left unmanaged and unclean, some building materials, like brick, can degrade over time.

Bird droppings, for example, are extremely acidic and can undermine a commercial property’s roof or gutter systems. It can result in a roof collapse or break. Pressure washing the walls, windows, roof, and gutters regularly can help reduce these dangers. It can also save you money in maintenance costs in the long run.

After you clean and clear your surface, you can even apply a coat of sealant to prevent damage from spreading. Some sealants offer combative properties against the growth of mold and other harmful effects.

3. Impede the Growth of Weeds and Other Unwanted Plants

If spending less time maintaining, trimming, and weeding seems enticing, pressure washing may be for you. Keep in mind that pressure washing can actually slow the growth of weeds, requiring less overall effort for you. No more picking out tiny roots from impossible crevices.

Let’s also consider what those crevices actually harbor. Water can seep into the cracks on your sidewalks, driveways, or tiled surfaces, making them difficult to clean and maintain, and allowing molds and algae to accumulate. Furthermore, weed control can extend the life of your driveway and tiled features by years, as weeds can make existing cracks and damage even worse.

4. Enhanced Safety and Security

Slips and falls are two of the most common workplace and home accidents, and professional cleaning can help prevent them. Pressure washing sidewalks, walkways, parking garages, and other surfaces can help remove the build-up of grease, mold, and other contaminants, all of which could cause someone to slip and fall.

Need an extra benefit? Think about how pressure washing will affect your family’s health.

Contaminants like pollen, dust, algae, and even bird droppings, which are bad for buildings anyway, can all cause health problems such as breathing difficulties, allergies, and illnesses. Pressure washing removes these contaminants and, when done regularly, can even help prevent them from reforming.

5. Ultra-Efficient

Power washing or pressure washing is more efficient than traditional manual scouring and surface washing. The high-pressure water being blasted onto the driveway is more than enough. It can not only clean debris and dirt, but can also remove weeds, clear out loose grout, and expose areas that need extra care.

Pressure washing to clean you driveway is the best way to get a deep clean in a short amount of time. Not to mention the fact that the process is easy, painless, and quick. You should power wash your driveway if you want it to be as clean as it can be.

Cleans Associated Spaces Too

Professional pressure washing benefits more than just the walls, windows, and roof; additional structures associated with your property can also be pressure washed.

The sidewalks and pathways in front of a building are among the most frequently pressure-washed areas, next to driveways. Pressure washing can be used to remove unattractive gum residue and rubbish stains that occur because of frequent public use.

We can also use pressure washing for other house cleaning and business-related needs. We can clean parking garages, loading docks, dumpster areas, parking lots, facades, and awnings. You can always guarantee with the correct care and attention to boost a building’s overall appeal, be it a home or business.

6. Driveway Cleaning is Cost-Effective

Regular pressure washing treatments will help to extend the life of your driveway and property. Driveway cleaning for these surfaces thoroughly removes grime and dirt that can degrade and threaten the integrity of your surfaces over time.

Pressure washing is also not an expensive task by any means, whether you’re choosing to do it yourself or hire a professional to work with you. When done correctly, pressure washing isn’t a service you’ll need on a frequent basis. You’ll likely be looking at having someone come in twice a year to work on any external surfaces, using equipment that they already own, so you don’t need to buy (or store) any hefty machinery.

7. Environmentally Friendly

Pressure washing or driveway cleaning is so powerful that you won’t need anything else to clean your driveway or home. If you’d like, you can use bio-friendly cleaners. Even though they’re not strictly necessary, they can be helpful in breaking down grease and oils.

Pressure washing your driveway, walkway, or patios is a softer alternative to the harsh, hazardous chemical treatments commonly used by homeowners. These solvents and cleansers are not only difficult to use, but they can also be harmful to your surfaces, plants, and health.

At the end of the day, whatever you use to clear your driveway should be safe for everything around you, including plants, animals, and of course, the environment. Pressure washing exclusively uses water, and it doesn’t get more environmentally friendly than that. Anything you add to that is by your choice alone.

To DIY or not to DIY

We live in a world where everything is done by hand. Many projects are undertaken by homeowners with tremendous success. Most people trust no one but themselves when it comes to the care and maintenance of their home, their most valuable possession, and rightly so – if you have the experience to back it up.

We can comfortably say that there are certain tasks that are better with the hands of the professionals. One of them is pressure washing, not only because it can be a hassle to do on your own, but because there are inherent risks that can arise during the process.

Let’s look first at what it means to do the work yourself.

DIY Master or DIY Disaster?

Of course, renting a pressure washer costs less than hiring a professional. That being said, when you’re hiring a driveway cleaning service, you’re not just paying for the machine. You’re paying for their time and expertise.

You could rent or buy a machine as a pressure washer is, for the most part, relatively easy to use. You could learn to operate a pressure or power washer based on the manual and its instructions alone. It’s also pretty fun and satisfying to see the grime literally melting away beneath the stream of water.

However, there are some dangers associated with DIY pressure washing, and it’s important to understand the consequences of mishandling such a powerful machine.

Some of the hazards you could be exposing yourself to include:

• Skin injuries, lacerations, or bruising
• Hand and foot injuries
• Eye injuries

These would be a result of your body either coming into contact with the powerful stream of water.  Or having a spray ricochet back into your face. You could dislodge debris that can be dangerous if falling from a great height.  To be honest, most of the costs we see in DIY pressure washing disasters are irreversible.  Leading to even larger bills to fix the problem.

One of the most common things we see is damage to paintwork and delicate patio surfaces.  Which either need to be patched up or completely redone.

And, speaking of paint, another consideration to make, especially if you live in an older home.  The risk of removing lead paint from the surface you’re trying to clean, whether intentionally or not. Lead paint is extremely toxic and can have lifelong effects on one’s health.  Especially in children. If you’re not sure what you should be looking out for, it’s best to leave it to the professionals.

Working With a Professional for Driveway Cleaning

Professional pressure cleaners devote a significant amount of time and effort to mastering the most effective strategies for each given condition. They’ve learned how to remove difficult stains and make a home or company sparkle thanks to their years of experience.

Second, the process of cleaning a house or a commercial building takes a lot of time and work. Doing the job yourself on weekends or holidays takes away time you could be spending with your family and friends.

If you’re concerned about trusting someone else with your property, you could even consider investing in an insurance plan. This means you are covered if you are unhappy with their job or if damage occurs, whereas if you do it yourself, you are responsible for any damages that occur.

Finally, while you could buy a consumer-grade pressure washer at your neighborhood store, these machines typically lack the power and capability of their commercial-grade equivalents.

Why is that important?

When you pressure wash a surface without applying enough pressure to penetrate it and remove the dirt, you only wind up compacting the dirt further into the surface, which goes against the whole point of the exercise, doesn’t it?

Attention to Detail

If you’re going to take the time to sort out the outside of your home, you’d want to be sure you were cleaning every inch of it, right? Despite your best efforts, you’re still liable to miss a patch here and there. A professional, on the other hand, knows exactly how to clean every inch of your home, and this only comes from experience.

Filth and toxins can accumulate over time. Things that the general public may not be aware of. A professional pressure washer will know exactly what to look for and will ensure that they remove all impurities from your home’s surface.

Time is Money

Let’s be honest for a moment: cleaning the outside of your house for hours on end isn’t exactly the most enjoyable way to spend your time. The amount of time you’ll save by hiring a professional will make you wonder why you didn’t do it sooner. Instead of spending your entire weekend busting your back cleaning your house, you could go golfing or see a movie with your family.

Questions You May Want to Ask

If you’ve decided to outsource driveway cleaning.  First make sure you’re working with the best driveway cleaning service you can find. Second, don’t be afraid to ask them some questions about the work they’re going to be doing.

This will not only help you gain a better understanding of what they’re doing.  Also what you can expect from the final result. Use the following as examples to guide you:

• Have you worked on projects like mine?
• How much pressure will you use for this, and why?
• Are your cleaning solutions environmentally friendly?
• Are you licensed and insured?
• Can you give me a free estimate?
• Will you use a pressure or power washer?

Whether you’re looking at getting your exterior walls cleaned or your driveway cleaned.  Make sure you’re asking the right questions and working with professionals you know and trust.

Hire a Professional Today for Driveway Cleaning

Sunset Pressure Washing can help you with all your exterior cleaning needs.  Whether you need driveway cleaning done or your walls and deck brought back up to tip-top shape. Pressure washing your home is the easiest and quickest way to get your house looking good again. It gets bonus points from us for increasing the value of your home if you’re looking to sell.

We were born to provide quality service at competitive prices. We want to redefine the pressure washing industry using top-of-the-line equipment and working with people who genuinely are.

Our professionals know their stuff, and they want to help you. Plus, our prices make it well worth your while. We’ve got you covered on every side. Book online with us today to get your home looking amazing again.