Pressure washing where pressure is the right answer
Pressure belongs on hard surfaces that can take it, and almost nowhere else. We match the method to the material — surface cleaner on flatwork, low pressure on anything water can get behind — because the most expensive exterior cleaning mistakes are made by using pressure on the wrong thing.
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The problem this solves
Grimy concrete, a black-streaked walkway, or a surface that has been washed before and came back looking striped.
What pressure washing is genuinely for
Concrete, pavers, block and other hard surfaces that will not absorb water or be forced apart by it. On those, pressure plus heat plus the right nozzle does in one pass what a chemical clean would take several attempts to achieve. On anything softer it is the wrong tool entirely.
Why a surface cleaner beats a wand
A wand cleans in a fan, so a person sweeping it across a driveway leaves overlapping arcs behind — the stripes you see on most pressure-washed concrete. A surface cleaner spins two nozzles inside a housing at a fixed height, so the pass is even and the result has no pattern in it.
How we set pressure for the material
Pressure, nozzle and distance change with every surface: broom-finish concrete takes far more than a paver joint, and old mortar takes almost none. We test a small area first where the material is unfamiliar. Etched concrete and blown-out sand joints cannot be undone by a second visit.
What we will tell you not to pressure wash
Siding, roofs, screens, soft or aging wood, painted trim, window seals and anything with failing mortar. Those get soft washing instead. We would rather talk you out of a pressure wash on your siding than take the money and hand back water inside the wall.
Where the dirty water goes
Runoff carries whatever came off the surface, so it gets directed away from beds, pools and open drain inlets rather than left to find its own way. On a property with drainage inlets in the flatwork, that matters twice over: silt washed into a catch basin is tomorrow's blockage.
Why it looks worse before it looks better
Cleaning one section of a large surface reveals how dirty the rest is, and half-finished flatwork looks alarming. We work in complete surfaces rather than patches for that reason, and we do not stop a driveway halfway through to move to something else.
QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS SERVICE
Pressure washing questions
Can pressure washing damage concrete?
Yes. Too much pressure held too close etches the surface, exposes aggregate and leaves permanent wand marks, and on pavers it strips the joint sand out. It is not reversible, which is why the pressure setting and the surface cleaner matter more than the size of the machine.
Do you use hot water?
Where it helps. Heat breaks down oil, grease and gum far better than pressure alone, so it earns its place on driveways, garage floors and commercial walkways. On most organic staining — algae, mildew, leaf tannin — the solution and dwell time do more of the work than temperature does.
Will pressure washing remove oil stains from my driveway?
Usually it lightens them substantially rather than erasing them. Oil soaks into concrete, so what is below the surface has to be drawn out with a degreaser and dwell time before anything is rinsed. Old, deep stains are honestly a reduction rather than a removal.
Do I need to provide water?
Yes, an outside spigot is enough for most jobs. We bring hose, equipment and solution. If the property has no usable water supply, tell us when you call and we will plan for it rather than discover it on arrival.
How often should concrete be pressure washed?
Every one to two years here. Shade, oak litter and our humidity mean organic growth returns faster than it does in a drier climate, and a surface cleaned on a schedule takes far less aggressive work each time than one left for five years.
Get pressure washing scoped properly.
We inspect before we quote, so the price answers a defect we can show you rather than a guess.