Driveway

When Should I Have My Driveway Cleaned?
Over time, your driveway can build up a large amount of oil, dirt and other debris. As anyone who has tried to just rinse this residue off with their garden hose knows, however, this mixture can be next to impossible to remove without a little extra power.
Every day, your driveway collects all kinds of dirt, debris, oil, and other grime from your yard, cars, and normal use. Although sweeping and hosing off larger items, such as sand and leaves, can help keep it clean, a lot of this dirt collects in small amounts and mixes with water and oil to create a sticky film that adheres to the concrete. Over time, this accumulates and collects into large puddles and stains on your driveway, decreasing your home’s curb appeal.
So, what’s a homeowner to do? Many choose to power wash their driveways, which is an effective way to get rid of all that grime.
Why Use a Professional Washer?
Speaking of all that grime on your driveway, did you know it’s slightly acidic? That means that it will eat away at the concrete and/or pavement of your driveway, creating cracks and holes that can cost thousands of dollars to repair.
In other cases, small puddles of standing water can accumulate on a driveway. These warm, wet areas are perfect breeding grounds for algae. This slime will grow into microscopic cracks on the surface of a driveway, making it next to impossible to remove with commercial cleaners. While it may be possible to kill these growths, the chemicals that need to be used can often discolor and damage a driveway.
Rather than relying on chemical cleaners that can cause permanent damage to your driveway, a much better option is to pressure wash the entire surface. Pressure washing can remove years of stains, baked-on dirt and algae in a matter of minutes. Rather than spending hours scrubbing at your concrete or asphalt with harsh chemicals, power washing can clean your driveway without damaging the surface. In most cases, a professional can completely clean a driveway in less than an hour.
Pressure washing can be done in virtually any season, but many people choose to clean their driveways in the spring and summer months when algae growth is most visible.
While a technician is power-washing the driveway, it may make sense to have him or her also pressure wash the front of your home and any other walkways or sidewalks. It’s possible to remove years’ worth of dirt in a single afternoon.
When the power washing technician is finished, your home will have almost instantly improved its curb appeal. Most importantly, however, you will have prevented damaged from dirt and algae that would have cost thousands of dollars to repair.