Driveway Cleaning

What driveway cleaning actually involves

Driveway cleaning is the removal of moss, weeds, algae, tyre rubber and ground in traffic dirt from the drive surface, followed by whatever that surface needs to stay stable afterwards. On block paving that means re-sanding every joint with kiln-dried sand. On tarmac and resin bound it means keeping the pressure low, so the binder holding the surface together is left intact rather than washed out.

A driveway takes more punishment than any other surface on the property. Tyres grind grit into the top of the blocks, engine drips leave dark patches near the gate, and the shaded strip along the house wall carries a permanent film of green. Cleaning is only half of the job. What happens to the joints afterwards is what decides whether the drive stays sound or starts to move under the wheels within a season or two.

Every driveway surface wants its own approach. Block paving takes a proper pressure clean and must then be re-sanded. Tarmac must not be blasted, because high pressure water strips the bitumen binder off the top and loosens the chippings, so it gets a low pressure clean and a biocide instead. Resin bound is porous and does not tolerate a lance held close in, since the resin skin can break and stones pull out. Imprinted concrete usually needs its old sealer stripping and replacing rather than just washing.

We also deal with the things that make a drive look tired rather than simply dirty. Oil and diesel need a degreaser worked in and lifted, not a stronger nozzle. Weeds have to come out at the root before cleaning starts, otherwise they push straight back up through the fresh sand. Moss in a north facing joint is a symptom of damp sitting there, which usually points at drainage or aspect rather than at the paving being at fault.