Keeping your driveway clean is an essential part of home maintenance, with the best method being the use of pressure washers from Britclean.

For our latest blog, we are going to share three reasons why pressure washing your driveway is the best cleaning method.

3 Reasons to Use Pressure Washers on Your Drive

Driveway Damage Prevention – Every time dust, dirt, oil residue, bird droppings and other substances find their way into the cracks of your driveway, the expansion joints will start to expand, little by little.

A bit of dirt and a bit of seed is all your driveway needs to become your next weed garden!
This will look awful plus weeds setting up roots in the soil underneath your concrete or asphalt, the more they will damage your driveway until pores become cracks and cracks become gaps.

Driveway Safety – When moss, algae, mould and other natural debris collects on your driveway, it will rapidly fill in the cracks to make the surface smoother. Your driveway was built porous, with friction to help it be good for tyre traction.

The more natural debris that builds up, the slicker your driveway gets, which is bad for your tyres plus it can become a fall hazard too. Pressure washing the natural debris regularly will keep your driveway rough, the way it was initially designed.

Driveway Cleanliness – Driveways are dirty by nature as they are constantly used by cars. There is a difference between dirty driveways and a neglected driveway. Dirty ones are likely to have bird faeces, mould and other disgusting residues on the surface.

Dirty driveways can also lead to mould and fungus, which can find its way into your house via open doors and cracked windows. This can cause negative health effects such as allergic reactions, sneezing, coughing, shortness of breath, sinus infection, bronchitis, fever, headache and other issues.

Contact Us For More Information

If you are looking for high-quality pressure washers to clean your driveway, please get in touch with Britclean today.

As the leading provider of pressure washers for customers across Staffordshire and Cheshire, Britclean knows all the different scenarios where they can be used.

For this post, we are going to share seven different ways you can use a power washer.

7 Ways to Use Pressure Washers

1. Washing Commercial Properties – Power washers are an excellent method for cleaning commercial buildings. The exterior of your building has a big impact on how customers view your business. Making a great first impression and having your building look impeccable will help to do this.

2. Cleaning Fences – Pressure washing a vinyl fence is quite simple when using a safe pressure rate. Wooden fences require more expertise, as they can be damaged if you get the pressure rate wrong. A power washer will help to speed up the process as long as you use the right cleansers.

3. Wash Patios and Walkways – A pressure washer is also the best way to clean patios and walkways as grime and other contaminants can amass over time and put a heavy toll on the surfaces. By using a pressure washer you will be able to thoroughly clean these surfaces in a more efficient way than hand scrubbing them.

4. Washing Decking – If you are considering repainting or staining your decking, power washing will remove general dirt, grime, algae, sunspots and any other contaminants. Once you have cleaned your decking it could require sanding or replacing boards.

A routine maintenance wash will help to keep your decking protected from the elements and looking great. Having your deck washed annually will also lengthen the time between repainting and staining.

5. Treating Roofs – While you may think using a pressure washer on a roof could be risky, if you use a soft wash technique it will rinse dirt away. This helps to treat for algae and other harmful living organisms.

As algae colonies accumulate on and inhabit the surface of your roof, they can dine on the limestone filler and cause deterioration of shingles. Roof treatments help to remove algae, moss and lichens from your roof which allows it to achieve its full lifespan.

6. Clean Concrete – Concrete is porous like a sponge. Dirt, grime and a number of other contaminants permeate the surface which causes unattractive stains. While power washing is ineffective for oil and rust stains, it will work well for the contaminants we have already mentioned.

Britclean would advise sealing your driveway and other concrete surfaces after the wash. Moisture can be problematic for concrete during the winter as the water expands when it freezes. This causes strain underneath a concrete surface and will lead to cracking, chipping and pitting. A penetrating sealer soaks into the concrete, strengthening it from within and creates an invisible layer of defence against excess moisture.

7. Wash House Siding – Washing your house is one of the best uses of a pressure washer, as with commercial properties this is the most cost-effective way to clean the exterior surface.

Airborne algae can find its way to the sun-deprived north side of a property. Algae feed on organic material, leaving behind an unpleasant green-brown residue. If this is left untreated, algae can become embedded within the siding which causes permanent stains. Algae will migrate underneath the siding if it is allowed to colonize long enough and it will eventually soil and damage the underlying plywood.

Britclean would recommend using a pressure washer on your home once per year.

Get in Touch for More Information

If you have any questions about pressure washers, please feel free to contact Britclean today.

One of the common myths surrounding pressure washers is that the more pressure they have, the better they will wash.

The fact is, according to technical washer experts at Britclean, the pressure will only get you so far and that water flow rate plays a larger role in determining how your washer performs.

How Pressure Washers Remove Dirt and Debris

Every combination of material and contaminants has a particular pressure which is required to seperate the two. For example, grease on stainless steels requires a different pressure than grease on aluminium, cast iron or Teflon. Similarly, paint will require a different pressure to remove it from stainless steel than say ink, chewing gum or tar.

Once your pressure washer has reached the pressure needed for a given combination of material and contaminant, adding more pressure will not make the job go faster. What could help complete the task quicker is the use of a pressure washer that is capable of a higher flow rate.

Measured in Gallons Per Minute, the flow rate is the key to determining how long a task will take. Use this bit of advice to determine that the best pressure washer would be for your application – multiply the pressure at which a system operates by the flow rate in gallons. The resulting number will help you to understand how one system will work compared to others.

When you are thinking about what size pressure washer to purchase or hire, keep in mind that the name ‘pressure washer’ might actually be a misnomer since both flow rate and pressure need considering. Look at the sort of work you need to do and how much pressure is needed to remove the stains you want to address.

Get in Touch With Any Questions

If you have any more questions about the flow rate of pressure washers, please feel free to contact Britclean today.

We are Staffordshire, Cheshire and Derbyshire’s leading providers of Ehrle, Nilfisk and Karcher pressure washers, available now for hire or purchase.