Maintaining a clean and inviting patio or driveway not only helps to enhance your home’s curb appeal but also provides a pleasant outdoor space where you can relax or entertain your guests. However, over time, these surfaces can accumulate dirt, grime, moss and weeds, resulting in them losing their aesthetic appeal and potentially becoming damaged in the process.
This ultimate guide by goes over everything you need to know about the various cleaning methods and dealing with common issues such as moss and weed removal.
Clean with a Pressure Washer
Follow the steps below to clean your patio or driveway with a pressure washer.
Remove Debris
You should begin by removing all of the debris from the space. Use a stiff brush to brush away any loose dirt, leaves or twigs from the patio or driveway area.
Connect the Pressure Washer
Next, you’ll need to connect the pressure washer to your home’s water supply. A pressure washer will use a lot of water at a very high force, so you will need a constant supply of water to get the job done properly.
Add Some Detergent
If you are using detergent with the pressure washer, add it now. Most pressure washers will allow you to add detergent, which sprays out with the water. If your pressure washer doesn’t have this option, you can spray a detergent directly onto the patio and leave it to stand for around 10 minutes before proceeding.
Choose a Medium Pressure
Change the settings on your pressure washer so that it’s on the medium setting. This is the optimum setting for cleaning your patio or driveway as it’s enough pressure to remove all the dirt but not too much pressure that would cause damage.
Wash the Driveway or Patio
Sweep the patio area with your pressure washer from front to back and from left to right. This will ensure you cover every inch of the space. Make sure the pressure washer is set to the wide fan setting and keep the spraying angle at 45 degrees to achieve the most effective cleaning.
Allow Drying Time
Finally, you’ll need to give your driveway or patio time to dry. Once it’s dried completely, you will be able to see just how much difference your power wash has made.
Clean With a Soapy Water Solution
Below is a guide on cleaning your patio slabs without a pressure washer.
Remove Weeds
Start by examining the driveway or patio and removing any weeds that you see poking through cracks and gaps. The way to do this will depend on how severe the problem is. If you can pull up the weeds by hand, this is the best option. Remove as much of the root possible in the process to minimize any chances of it coming back.
If the weed problem is quite extreme, you should use a weed killer. Always ensure you follow the manufacturer’s instructions when using weed killers and keep pets and children away from the area.
Make the Soap Mix
There are no special products required to create the soapy cleaning solution. Use a mild soap with warm water. Just make sure you check the soap you use, as some could cause damage to the pavers. Mix the soapy solution together until you start to see a foam form on the top.
Pour The Mixture
Next, pour some of the mixture onto the surface of the driveway or patio. If you’re cleaning a large area, you may need to do it in stages. Before starting the cleaning, test the mixture on a small, inconspicuous area to make sure it doesn’t cause damage to the patio.
You’ll need to wear protective gloves to protect your hands and begin scrubbing the area. Scrub the entire surface of the paving. Once you’ve finished scrubbing, rinse away the remaining soapy residue with clean water. You can do this with buckets of water or a hose. Direct the water toward a drainage point.
Brush the Space
After the scrubbing stage, you’ll need to brush the area. Get a hard-bristled brush and start brushing the patio from one side to the other. It’s best if you use a brush with a long handle to avoid damaging your back in the process.
When brushing, you’ll notice the bristles loosen dirt with ease. Keep brushing your patio until all the dirt is loose. You may have to brush harder on stubborn areas. Brush your patio regularly to keep dirt and weeds away.
Rinse the Patio
After you’ve gone over the entire driveway or patio with the brush and loosened all the stubborn dirt, you’ll have to rinse the patio to reveal the final look. You can do this with a hose or buckets of water.
Allow Drying Time
After you’ve rinsed the area, leave your patio to dry completely before seeing the final results.
Clean With White Vinegar
White vinegar also works wonders for cleaning your driveway or patio. Below is a guide on how to clean your patio or driveway with white vinegar.
Create Your Mixture
Grab a bucket and mix together a solution of one part water and one part white vinegar. If your patio is particularly dirty or features some stubborn stains, you may need to use a solution with slightly more vinegar than water.
Pour the Solution
Pour the water and vinegar solution over the entire patio or driveway. You may need to use several buckets to cover the entire surface of the driveway or patio. Leave the vinegar and water solution to do its thing for around 30 minutes or more.
Clear the Solution Away
Use some buckets of clean water to rinse the vinegar solution from the surface of your driveway. Simply pour the buckets of clean water over your driveway. Make sure to direct it to a drainage point.
Allow Drying Time
Finally, leave your driveway or patio to dry naturally.
Use Block Paving Cleaner
You can purchase block paving cleaners that are specifically designed to take on this challenge. You must make sure your block paving is free from debris, weeds and moss before using a block paving cleaner.
All block paving cleaners will require a different method. You should make sure to follow the instructions that are provided on the cleaner that you choose.
Hire a Professional Cleaning Service
If you want to get the best results when cleaning your driveway or patio, you should hire professionals to complete the work for you. Professionals will have all the tools and products needed to get your driveway or patio looking as good as new.
Cleaning driveways and cleaning block paving costs can vary, mostly depending on the size of your driveway. However, it’s an investment that will really pay off as professional driveway cleaning can improve your home’s curb appeal significantly.
Part 2 of this series will cover how to get rid of moss and weeds on your patio.
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