What is the best way to clean a block paved driveway?

There are many different professional techniques you can use to clean a driveway including high-pressure and superheated steam cleaning with temperatures up-to 150 degrees, depending on the type of surface the driveway is made of will depend on the cleaning surface method most suitable to use.

The majority of driveways in England are usually made from block paving, so in this blog post, we will tell you the best way to clean block paving, driveways, specifically.

The best way to clean block paving driveway

I have been in the professional pressure washing industry for over 15 years working on driveway maintanance cleaning. We would definitely recommend using high-pressure jet washing techniques to clean block paving driveways for the best possible results. As block paving driveways have deep gaps around the individual bricks and high-pressure cleaning needs to be applied to make sure all sand and buildup of soil is removed. If you use a low-pressure cleaning system, you will struggle to remove all of the sand and soil making the job a nightmare for homeowners or even some professionals. The higher the pressure of your pressure washing machine makes it more easier to remove the sand and soil . Low pressure Steam cleaning is not recommended by us for cleaning driveways other than for the use of oil removal and even though low-pressure steam cleaning is very effective for cleaning brick and stone cleaning driveway surfaces makes it a lot harder as the amount of pressure is not enough to remove the heavy build up between pavers/Bricks. Alongside high-pressure jet washing, we use a hard surface cleaning solution which contains a mixture of sodium hypochlorite. This is great for cleaning a lot of hard surfaces as it attacks and removes organic spores/ biofilm , including algae and patch of black spots. follow our steps below in order to clean your driveway to get the best possible results.

Block paving driveway cleaning process step one

The first step in cleaning block paving driveways is to sweep off or blow using a hand held blower to remove any leaves or general rubbish in preparation for pressure washing. when pressure washing block paving driveways, you should always check you have good drainage. I’m a good water flow as the demand from pressure washers normally is more than the supply hence why we have an onboard tank to compensate for the this so our machines are efficient Always start your cleaning from the top of the driveway so the water can run down and work your way down towards the nearest drainage point or is some cases lifting the man hole cover to take away excess water. It is always good to sweep and bag up any wet soil that accumulates as you are cleaning, so it doesn’t start to block drainage and this will just make your job easier to tidy up in the long run. Once the driveway has been fully pressure washed, then move on to step two, which is the application of a driveway cleaning solution.

Block paving cleaning driveway step 2 chemical applications

The second process in a professional block paving driveway cleaning service after pressure washing will be to apply a chemical application as we are only using cold water. It is always good to apply a chemical that is going to kill and sterilize all of the organic spores on the surface is my include algae mold and the dreaded patio blackspot and sodium hypochlorite is a great substance for cleaning any type of hard masonry surface as it cleans and sterilizes.

Sodium hypochlorite suppliers

sodium hypochlorite can be bought from most types of pressure, washing stores and swimming pool supply stores. pure sodium hypochlorite comes in a solution of 14%- 15%.

Diluting sodium Hypochlorite

When using sodium hypochlorite for driveways cleaning applications needs to be mixed one part chemical and two parts water bring it down to around 4/5% or a stronger mix depending on the soiling of the surface. When mixing sodium hypochlorite, it is always good to use a large bucket. You should always put the water in the bucket first, and then add the chemical to the water in the bucket, this will reduce the risk of splashback . Once you have your chemicals and water mixed up in a bucket, you will need to apply it to the block paving driveway.

Application of sodium hypochlorite

The best way to apply any type of liquid to block paving will be using a spray bottle or if you are a professional we use other types of machinery to apply Chemicals, one of which is a chemical injector which draws the chemical up to the right proportion required, but if you are cleaning block paving yourself at home, a spray bottle is always good. Spray the driveway surface evenly with chemical not missing any. Once the driveway has been fully sprayed. It should be left for around 10 minutes being mindful not to let the solution dry out. Once the chemical has been applied and left for the correct will time it will need to be rinsed off by further pressure washing. We always pressure wash one last time just to make sure nothing has been over looked and to make sure the best results are obtained.

Finishing the block paving driveway with Kiln dried Sand.

Once the block paved driveway has been thoroughly cleaned and it is imperative that the driveway is dry before applying kiln dried sand and can take a few days to dry out after pressure washing and the kiln dried sand can be obtained from reputable building supply centers. the block pave driveway must be swept or as most professionals do is to use a hand held blower and when the sand is applied and swept into the joints which in turn not only adds to the finished solid look of the block paved driveway but also serves the purpose of filling the the gaps between each block which also makes a tight fit between the blocks which stops any movement between the blocks and once all the sand is brushed in to block paved driveway then the block paved driveway can the be blown gently with a hand held blower which gently removes any excess sand leaving the Block pave driveway looking like it has just been installed as new.

PPE Safety

Be mindful that when blowing the excess sand off of the block paved driveway to wear PPE as safety glasses and a mask.