Driveway & Patio Cleaning South London & Surrey

Underfoot areas outside your property (typically patio and/or decking in the back, driveway in the front) often require professional cleaning: not merely for appearance’s sake, but to keep them safe to walk on and drive onto. Given the right conditions, lichen and moss can build up surprisingly fast on tarmac, concrete and paving, resulting in a slippery and dangerous surface.

For Your Home or Business

We’re always pleased to help with smaller outdoor areas such as a residential garden or driveway, and we have the specialist equipment and expertise to service contracts for companies with large (or even multiple) properties such as hotels, offices and pubs.

Patios & Driveways: Preparation

If there are any weeds, these will be removed by hand. On badly overgrown areas with established and unwanted plants, we will have to do one of two things:

• apply a corrosive substance to break down tough stems and roots; or
• use super-heated water (typically 90 degrees Celsius).

If using chemicals, we typically rely on one of three different solutions (see our FAQ below for more information). We then allow up to 30 minutes (depending on the exact preparation used, and amount of soiling that needs to be removed) to allow the cleaning solution to penetrate and take effect.

Patios & Driveways: Scrubbing & Washing

Before jet washing, we will agitate the surface with our rotary scrubbing machine. The stiff polypropylene brush attachment and a rotation speed of 240rpm will remove the surface soiling. The brush adapts to uneven surfaces such as undulating paving slabs and even fairly deep cracks.

We will then blast away any remaining dirt and debris with a high pressure jet of clean water. All the debris (and any cleaning solution used) are rinsed away into the nearest drain if possible. If there is no drain available we have a 90 litre capacity wet vac to suck up the dirty liquid.

Decking Cleaning

Wooden decking is treated very much the same way as a patio or driveway, although we will have an eye to the age and condition of the wood when considering the use of a cleaning solution (and we do prefer to avoid these if at all possible), as well as the amount of scrubbing and/or water pressure to use.

Walls & Fences

We’re pleased include walls, fences, trellises etc in an outside cleaning job and offer a complete ‘garden refresh’ service. Vertical surfaces are normally agitated/scrubbed by hand with a stiff broom, before jet washing to remove the soiling and rinse off the cleaning chemicals. If we have to apply cleaning solution, this will be applied with a telescopic soft brush applicator and left for a short time to take effect.

High rise cleaning (i.e. above ground floor level) can be arranged, but will involve hiring a scaffolding rig or cherry picker. If you need this service please call to discuss your specific requirements.

Patios & Driveways: Sealing

The liquid sealant we use works on brick, concrete, grout, limestone, sandstone, terracotta and tiles. Once fully dry, it provides an invisible protective coating on porous flooring to protect against oil, water and dirt build-up.

The sealant is applied with a brush or roller. The surface will be dry to the touch after about four hours, but the seal will not be completely effective for 72 hours. The floor should see minimal (and preferably no) foot or other traffic for at least 24 hours and extra care should be taken to keep it dry for the full 72 hours.

Decking: Staining & Sealing

Once decking has been cleaned, we would recommend a sealant is applied to protect the wood (from moisture, and the UV in sunlight).

Wood with no seal, or a seal that is no longer effective, will absorb water – even from damp air. It will swell as it gets wet, and then shrink as it dries. Over time this can cause buckling, warping and cracking.

There are a number of good products on the market (including Ronseal) that are suitable for use on both soft and hard woods.

We recommend two coats of sealant, with two hours’ drying time between coats.

If you’d like to have a colour stain applied then this will take longer, as the drying time for most of the stains we work with is four hours. Two coats of stain are required, plus the normal sealant. The best solution here is to apply the stain and then the seal over a two day period. Please do call us to discuss your specific requirements.

Driveways, Patios & Decking: Frequently Asked Questions

What’s the difference between power washing, pressure washing, and jet washing?

Jet washing covers both the other two, and means cleaning a hard surface with a powerful jet of water. The difference is that pressure washing uses cold water, whereas power washing uses very hot water (typically 90 degrees Celsius).

Pressure washing is perfectly sufficient for removing dirt, mould and mildew, moss and lichen (algae) and can be used to clean building frontage, walls, patios, concrete, stonework, stone garden ornaments, wooden or plastic garden furniture, pathways and driveways, fencing and decking.

For some particularly tough stains – large greasy or oily deposits, spilled paint, areas with lots of chewing gum – there are two options:

• apply a cleaning solution to break down the material; or
• use the much higher temperatures available with a power washer.

Substances such as oil, paint and gum are softened by high temperature water / steam, and this can also be used to kill persistent unwanted plants / weeds at the root.

How long will it take to have my outside flooring cleaned?

The exact time will depend on how dirty and/or overgrown it is, but it can take as little as half an hour to clean a 5m x 5m area.

What can I do to maintain my patio/deck and drive?

Simple but regular DIY cleaning of your outside areas goes a long way. Mildew, fungus and algae (lichen) can take hold underneath debris such as fallen leaves and litter, causing stains and discolouration. Weekly sweeping with a stiff-bristled broom will remove the loose organic debris that provides a ‘nursery’ for longer-term problems, and will also prevent weeds taking root.

What cleaning chemicals do you use?

Preferably none at all! We find that most overgrowth can be removed with a bit of elbow grease, machine scrubbing and a strong jet of water. But some plants (especially when mature) are just too tough and need to be killed down to the root. Power washing (steam) is one option; the other is using chemicals.

UBIK 2000

A powerful alkaline degreaser by Christeyns / Clover, this will deal with food oils, fats, and industrial oil and grease – including a vehicle oil leak on a driveway or car park – but is also used widely within the food industry because it rinses away to leave a completely safe surface. It can be used on many hard surfaces including wood decking (so long as it has been properly sealed), and can either be diluted or used neat for very bad soiling. It is approved to the TRECOS standard.

Sodium Hypochlorite

We use this bleach-based chemical (usually diluted in water at a 1:5 ratio) to remove moss, lichen and weeds and to brighten surfaces that have become dull over time. Even diluted, it kills even the toughest plants, so we will not use this if there is a risk of it ending up on a lawn or flower bed, unless we can use our wet vac to remove it (plus the organic matter it has loosened / killed) before jet washing. It is not suitable for use on wood.

Acid Wash 80

A hydrochloric acid based cleaner (usually diluted in water at a 1:100 ratio), this will brighten brick and stone, and remove rust and even concrete spills or stains. However it will tarnish stainless steel and damage wood. As with sodium hypochlorite, run-off is likely to severely damage or kill grass, plants and even trees, so we would use our wet vac to clear the area before jet washing.

If you are concerned about garden plants and wildlife then talk to us about power washing. This will produce similar results to cleaning with chemicals, but without any concerns about the effects of cleaning solution residue that might be left behind.

Our Prices

WE COVER CENTRAL & SOUTH LONDON WITHIN THE M25 AREA, INCLUDING:

Addington	Addiscombe	Anerley
Balham	Banstead	Beckenham
Biggin Hill	Blackheath	Brentford
Brixton	Brockwell	Bromley
Camberwell	Caterham	Catford
Cheam	Chelsea	Chislehurst
Clapham	Coulsdon	Croydon
Crystal Palace	Dulwich	Epsom
Ewell	Forest Hill	Fulham
Godstone	Greenwich	Hammersmith
Hayes	Herne Hill	Hither Green
Kensington	Kingston	Leatherhead
Lewisham	Mitcham	Morden
New Malden	Norwood	Nunhead
Orpington	Oxted	Peckham
Penge	Purley	Putney
Redhill	Richmond	Roehampton
Sanderstead	Selhurst	Selsdon
Shirley	Sidcup	Streatham
Surbiton	Sutton	Sydenham
Thornton Heath	Tulse Hill	Twickenham
Wallington	Wandsworth	Warlingham
West Wickham	Westerham	Whyteleafe
Wimbledon	Woldingham	Worcester Park