How To Clean Your Driveway

 

Tools you will need:

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• Jet Wash

• Leaf Blower or Brush

• Shovel

• Woven Rubble Sacks

• Window Squeegee

• Cloths

• Weed Killer

• PPE – Goggles, Waterproofs, Gloves & Ear Defenders

 

 

If your driveway is heavily covered in weed growth it will be worth applying a weed killer to your drive a few weeks before attempting to clean the paving as it will make the job a lot easier for you. Simply visit your local DIY store and buy a quality weed killer and follow the instructions.

 

Once all of the weeds have died or if you do not have that many weeds on your driveway in the first place then let’s get started on the cleaning process

 

Step 1:

 

Well, Health and Safety is the most important thing to think about, so we advise putting on suitable waterproof clothing, goggles, ear defenders and gloves to keep yourself as safe as possible.

Once you have the correct PPE on it's a great idea to clear your driveway of any vehicles along with clearing away any loose materials prior to the clean.

The easiest way to do this is with a leaf blower but if you do not own a leaf blower then a simple brush will do.

Once all the loose materials are cleared from the drive you can start to get on with the cleaning. The reason for removing the loose debris is there is nothing worse than finishing cleaning your drive and then having to clean all the spray and muck from your car.

I know the above is obvious but thought it should be mentioned just in case anyone writes to me to tell me that their car is now covered in overspray and grime. 

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Step 2:

 

So now your driveway is fully clear it’s time to get to work on the cleaning process.

 

If your driveway slopes towards the road then start cleaning the paving by your house, as the water from the pressure washer will then naturally flow away down the drive meaning you’re not constantly standing in muddy water.

If your drains slope towards the house it’s a good idea to check that the drains are all clear of leaves and general muck so the water from your jet wash is able to flow easily down the drains.

 

Now the ideal nozzle to clean block paving is a dirt blaster nozzle or otherwise known as a turbo nozzle. These nozzles are great for removing stubborn dirt and weeds as these nozzles produce a rotating water jet at high pressure which can provide up to 50% more cleaning power than a standard jet and can really cut down the time spent cleaning.

 

Step 3:

 

The cleaning – we advise to clean the drive in sections, as this makes the final clean up a lot easier.

If you start by cleaning approximately 5-10 square meters and then stop, brush all of the muck that has accumulated and shovel it up into a woven rubble sack.

Woven rubble sacks are great to use as they let the excess water from the dirt drain from the sack while keeping the muck bagged up which is a lot less heavy to carry to where you dispose of the debris.

 

Step 4:

 

Once you have pressure washed the whole driveway with the dirt blaster / turbo nozzle it is now worth putting a standard nozzle back on your jet wash or if your water pressure is good enough you can simply use your hose pipe to rinse down the whole area – walls, fences and then rinse all of the loose bits of muck from the drive.

 

Step 5:

 

After you have fully rinsed down your home and driveway, the area should now be all nice and clean. We always recommend going over your windows with a squeegee after you have rinsed off otherwise when the windows dry you will end up with water stains all over the glass due to the ppm of the water.

For the finishing touch of the clean if you notice bits of sand on your windows, sills, front door and plant pots etc these are always worth just wiping away with a microfibre cloth as the sand does seem to get everywhere.

 

Step 6:

 

The last step to your block paving drive clean is to re-sand the block paving, this must be carried out once the paving has fully dried. It’s a simple job to do it's just a case of buying a few bags of kiln dried sand and tipping out one at a time onto the block paving. Once you have a pile of sand it’s a case of spreading the sand so it completely covers all of the block paving to ensure all the gaps between the blocks are full of sand. Once all the gaps are full brush the excess sand into a pile and shovel it back into the bag. If you have a leaf blower to hand you can now use this to blow the last few bits of sand that are left on your driveway away.

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HEY PRESTO A NICE CLEAN DRIVE.

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If you found the cleaning process easy enough and feel applying a driveway sealer could benefit your drive, why not take a look at our driveway sealing page for more information.