The Ultimate Guide To Pressure Washing Your Driveway (No Experience Required)

     After many requests from readers of my pressure washing article here is a more in-depth look at how to pressure wash your driveway. In this guide I'm going to be covering everything you need to know step by step, as well as sharing some helpful tips and tricks along the way.

      The first thing we need to cover is the safety considerations. I mentioned a few in my previous article, but there are a few more things to keep in mind when working with high-pressure water. The biggest risk is the chance of injury from the powerful spray itself; if you've ever gotten hit with 100 PSI (Pounds per Square Inch) of water it's no fun. That's why many jurisdictions have a maximum allowable pressure of around 3,000 PSI.

      However, this is just the bare minimum. Newer electric units can often go up to 4,500 or 5,000 PSI without any real risk of damage to your home, but you should always exercise caution when using water at this high of pressure. You also run the risk of damaging your home if you use too high of a pressure, especially around concrete or siding which can leave cracks in the surface if not properly treated.

      Again, I recommend using pressure somewhere between 1,500 to 3,000 PSI when cleaning patios and sidewalks for example, but for driveways, I would stick to around 1,500 PSI. This

will provide a nice and thorough cleaning while still leaving your driveway intact. Just be sure not to clean the surface too fast, this is where some of the tricks I mention below come into play.

      When using any type of high-pressure equipment like this it's important to pay attention to what you're doing. Don't turn on the pressure washer without making sure nobody else is around; if someone walks in front of

you while you're cleaning then they will be hit with a powerful stream of water that could knock them off their feet.

      The other safety precaution you should take is to always wear protective equipment like rubber boots and gloves, as well as eye protection (not pictured). I'm not saying to dress like a storm trooper while cleaning but the last thing you want is for this powerful spray hit your body at 100 PSI; it can cause some serious damage.

      Whenever you're working with any type of chemicals it's also a good idea to wear long sleeves and rubber gloves to prevent skin contact. While some cleaners can be rinsed off with water if they get on your skin others cannot, so take precautions when using them!

         Another important safety tip is to make sure the area you're cleaning is properly ventilated. Some cleaners can emit harmful fumes when they come in contact with strong sunlight, like acid or ammonia-based solutions, so make sure no one is around and that there's proper ventilation before spraying these types of chemicals.

      Pressure washing your driveway is a relatively safe process as long as you use the proper safety precautions and wear all the right gear. So let's get on to actually pressure washing our driveway!

      The first step of this process is to decide what type of cleaner you want to use and how much you're going to need. For cleaning concrete, sandstone, or other hard surfaces I find that using a highly concentrated (but diluted) sodium hypochlorite cleaner works best. An easy way to make your own solution is to start with an empty bucket and pool shock the concrete cleaning chemical of choice until it's at least half full; then fill the rest of the bucket up with water and mix.

Spray the chemical on the concrete and let dwell for 5-10 minutes. The amount of time you leave the chemical on will depend on the strength of the solution and how heavily soiled your concrete is. Typically, you're looking at around 5 minutes with most cleaners, but if you have an especially dirty surface it might take 8-10.

Take the surface cleaner and do long runs up and down the driveway to make sure you get the most surface coverage. T

     This will ensure that you are not missing any areas with cleaner. When doing this, it's important to keep the nozzle constantly spraying so you can judge what is clean and what isn't based on how much cleaner is being sprayed. Once you feel like there are no more spots that need to be cleaned, walk over the area again with your garden hose and turn it onto a low setting without completely turning off the stream of water coming out. This will rinse off the cleaner from the surface of your driveway

and ensure that you're not leaving any residue on the surface of your driveway.

Rinse the dirty water away from the driveway with your pressure washer. For a nice clean driveway!