How Much Does Driveway Cleaning Cost?
There are three main factors that influence the cost of driveway cleaning, these include ;
The type of surface,
The size of the surface,
The level of cleaning/ restoration
Other factors that might influence the cost of a driveway clean are whether there are amenities such as water and drainage on the site.
The type of surface
There are several different types of material used to create driveways here in the UK, some of the most common include;
- Block paving
- Patio Slabs
- Resin bound
- Tarmac
- Concrete
- Crazy Paving
- Imprinted concrete.
Each of the above surfaces can be restored in different ways, for example block paving by its very nature has joints in between the blocks which often attract weed growth. For this type of surface, pressure washing is often the best choice to clean the surface and remove the weeds. However a driveway made of patio slabs that has no weed growth and only light organic staining might be best cleaned using softwashing methods.
Tarmac and resin bound driveways can take more skill to clean as due to the nature of the compound there is more risk of damaging the surface if cleaned incorrectly, for this reason tarmac and resin bound may cost more to clean than other easier to clean surfaces such as block paving or patio slabs.
To give a few more examples, block paving may cost more than a concrete driveway to clean as it can be a far messier job due to all the dirt between the blocks in comparison to concrete which is usually a smooth surface with little or no joints and hence less mess created during the cleaning process.
Each type surface listed above has a different process for restoring the driveway as we will get into more below when we look at level of service.
The Size of the surface
This is probably the most obvious factor to influence price when it comes to driveway cleaning. The larger the driveway, the higher the price this is because the job will take longer. There are some driveway cleaning companies that give a blanket rate per square metre for pressure washing, the industry average is around £3-4/ square metre. However if you’ve got a large driveway this can quickly add up and we here at LBC factor in the fact that the overheads of providing the surface are the same for a small driveway as a big driveway, it only the cost of sale that varies, for this reason a driveway that’s 5 times as large as another driveway will not cost as much as five times the price.
The Level of Cleaning/Restoration
This is the factor that can influence the price the most in our opinion.
Lets take block paving for example, there are multiple levels of service that we offer our clients for a driveway clean of block paving
If the weeds on the driveway are very bad we will recommend a pre weed treatment before cleaning.
We will always recommend resandig block paving after it has been pressure washed and allowed to dry , this is done to refill the gaps between the blocks. However few of our clients opt to do this part themselves, therefore whether or not resanding is included in the job will affect the price.
Another optional level of service we offer and highly recommend with our driveway cleaning packages is sealing the driveway after cleaning and resanding.
This is where we spray a clear protective coating over the blocks and the sand, it not only enhances the look of the driveway but it provides protection, the sealer hardens the jointing sand making weed regrowth much harder, it also provides an oil and water resistant barrier which helps to increase the lifespan of the blocks.
If the driveway clean is to include sealing as well then the cost will be significantly increased as there is a cost for the sealing product as well as for the additional time taken to apply the product.
Long term it is definitely worth it having your driveway sealed if you have block paving. When sealed, your driveway can be maintained with a less aggressive form of cleaning such as softwashing, which will ensure that the blocks on the driveway are not deteriorated as they could be if cleaning every year using a pressure washer.
For tarmac driveways the different levels of service can include clean only or cleaning and recolouring the tarmac. Often tarmac can fade over time, a great way to revive your tarmac can be to reseal it with a back to black colour this costs a lot more than just cleaning but the results can really be worth it.
We hope this article has helped you understand the different factors that affect how much driveway cleaning costs. To get a free no obligation quote try out our pricing calculator below
