How to pressure wash your own driveway…
Over time your driveway accumulates dirt, grime, moss and can make it look old, tired and worn. Not the best first impression you want to give guests when visiting your home.
If you’d prefer to clean your driveway yourself it is possible to restore your driveway back to its former glory with a bit of hard work and a domestic pressure washer.
However it will take much longer than hiring a professional pressure washing and driveway cleaning company.
We’ve included 2 videos at the end of this blog so you can see the difference between using a domestic pressure washer such as a Karcher machine compared with the high pressured equipment used for commercial use.
Step 1
The first thing you need to when cleaning your driveway or patio is to remove all surface debris using a stiff brush. Any build of leaves or moss should come straight off with a wire brush. If you have a build up of weeds then pull them out manually or use a wire weed remover.
Step 2
Protect exterior windows, doors and walls. Use a plastic sheeting and decorators tape to cover up your doors, walls and windows. This protects them from any debris from the driveway or patio during cleaning and any chemicals your using while pressure washing.
Step 3
Set up your domestic pressure washing machine. Please read the instructions carefully and adhere to any safety measures recommended. We advice using safety goggles to avoid any debris or chemicals to get into your eyes. Ensure you’re using the correct cleaning chemical, usually a patio and decking cleaner will come with your product. Begin at one end of your driveway or patio and holding the tip of the lance 3-4 inches away from
Step 4
Begin at one end of your driveway or patio and holding the tip of the lance 3-4 inches from the surface and working your way back and forth across your driveway or patio. It’s best to concentrate on small sections of your driveway to ensure that you don’t leave sections uncleaned which causes a streaky driveway.
Leave driveway to dry for a few days depending on the weather.
Step 5
Re-sanding and sealing your driveway can only be done on a completely dry day. This will prolong the life of your driveway and keep it looking cleaner for longer.
Take the sand and using a stiff brush, sweep it into the gaps between each paving block. Go up and down the driveway several times to make sure you’ve got all gaps filled.
When you’ve completed this use a leaf blower to remove any excess sand – You won’t be able to apply sealant if their is excess and.
Step 6
Put your sealant into a paint pan and user a roller brush to apply the waterproof sealant to your driveway. Apply to the driveway all the same direction. Leave to dry for 2 hours and then apply a second coat at right angles to the first coat. Leave to dry for another 2 hours.
Step 7
Pour yourself a nice cold drink and enjoy your clean driveway, you’ve earned it!
Please see below video’s showing difference between a domestic pressure washer such as a Karcher and commercial pressure washing machine.
Domestic Pressure Washer
You can see that their is a small amount of power in domestic pressure washers which means that the surface has to covered several times to remove the dirt, however they are not always powerful enough to bring the driveway / patio or pavement back to its original colour.
Commercial Pressure Washer
With the commercial pressure washer you’ll notice how easily it removes the dirt on the surface and that the original colour of the driveway blocks are showing through a lot quicker and with much ease.
If you would like us to provide you with a free no obligation quotation for your driveway cleaning then get in touch on 0800 920 2027 or email info@ccpw.co.uk
