How Pre & Post Treating Helps With Driveway Cleaning

Have you ever rented a Home Depot or Lowe's pressure washer to clean your driveway? You probably have done this at some point or are looking to do it in the future. There's a misconception that higher PSI machines will clean a driveway better. While PSI plays a factor in this, GPM (gallons per minute) is of greater importance. The more water you can put on the surface, the cleaner and faster you can work. Most pressure washing rentals only reach 4 GPM. This is not enough cleaning power compared to commercial pressure washers, which usually start at 5.5 GPM. These rentals clean well on their own. However, you can get even better results by using common household chemicals.

We'll cover how to make a simple pre/post-treatment solution so you'll get even better results the next time you clean your driveway! These treatments will help remove dirt and bacteria from your driveway. When you start pressure washing, they will come up faster and easier, saving you time and money.

Before You Get Started With Your Driveway Cleaning: 

Before you start cleaning your driveway, you'll want to ensure all debris is removed from the area. This is to ensure nothing is kicked up during the cleaning process, which may cause injury to you or the surrounding property. Blow the area and ensure no rocks or mulch pieces are on the surface. This is also a good time to inspect the concrete to ensure no loose pieces can separate during the cleaning.

Step 1: Pre-wet the Surrounding Grass (Precautionary)

• Take a garden hose and wet all the areas around the cleaned areas. This helps reduce the likelihood of your grass absorbing the pre-treatment.

Step 2: Mix Bleach/Water/Soap

• Put on rubber gloves and safety goggles for protection

• The following instructions will create a 3% bleach ratio for the treatments. This is based on using a 2-gallon sprayer.

• Mix as follows:
• 0.6 Gallons of Liquid Pool Chlorine
• Fill The Remaining With Water
• Add 2 Ounces of Dawn Dish Soap

Step 3: Apply Pre-Treatment

• Begin at one end of your driveway. Walk at a steady pace as you apply the pre-treatment. Keep going until you cover the whole driveway

• Let the solution dwell for 5-10 minutes.
• If you accidentally get some on your grass, take your garden hose and soak that area.

Step 4: Pressure Wash Driveway

• We suggest you use a surface cleaner to make the job easier and more efficient. This will give you a more unified and faster clean. Always walk slowly while cleaning with a surface cleaner to reduce striping.

• We recommend starting at the bottom of your driveway and working your way up. This helps keep your treatment intact. If you start at the top, all the water from the pressure washer will wash away your treatment below.

Step 5: Post-Treatment

• Apply a post-treatment using the same ratios and process as the pre-treatment process in step 3.

• A post-treatment will reduce any visible striping from your surface cleaner. It will also kill any remaining bacteria on the concrete. Thus, a post-treatment will help keep your driveway cleaner for a longer time than just using a pressure washer.

• If any parts of the driveway are still dirty after cleaning, make your post-treatment stronger. This will help remove the leftover algae or mold. In this case, you'll want to go 50/50 and work your way up. If you're using a 2-gallon pump sprayer, you would mix 1 gallon of SH (chlorine) with 1 gallon of water.

Step 6: Enjoy your clean driveway!

Always use extreme caution when using a pressure washer as it's blasting water at a high rate of speed. There is enough force to cause serious injury to yourself or the surrounding property. It's recommended to wear safety goggles and gloves during the cleaning process. If you aren't satisfied with the results, contact a local pressure washing company to assist.