Cleaning guides
costs, methods & care
How exterior cleaning is actually priced and carried out — including the bits that cheap quotes leave out.
Most exterior cleaning advice online is written to sell. These guides are written to answer the questions we get asked on site: what changes the price, why the green comes back, whether sealing is worth it, and when a tired drive genuinely needs relaying rather than cleaning.
Where we don't know something, we say so — and we don't quote statistics we can't stand behind.
What driveway cleaning actually costs — and what changes the price
The honest breakdown of how a driveway clean is priced, and the five things that move the number.
Read guidePatio cleaning costs: what you're paying for on stone, porcelain and concrete
Why two patios of the same size can be priced very differently, and what to check before you book.
Read guideBlock paving re-sanding: why the sand matters more than the wash
Cleaning makes block paving look right for a week. Re-sanding is what keeps it right for years.
Read guideWhat happens on cleaning day, hour by hour
No mystery, no surprises — exactly how a job runs from the van arriving to the final walk-round.
Read guideBiocide treatment: the step that decides how long the clean lasts
Pressure removes what you can see. Biocide deals with what's left behind in the surface.
Read guideKerb appeal before selling: the cheapest presentation work on a house
The first photo and the first ten seconds of a viewing are both the frontage. It's worth an afternoon.
Read guideCommercial forecourts: cleaning around trading hours
For a business, the paving is part of the shopfront — and part of the risk register.
Read guideHow to prepare for a driveway or patio clean
Ten minutes of prep makes the job faster, tidier and cheaper to quote accurately.
Read guideSoft washing vs pressure washing: which your surface actually needs
Two different tools for two different problems — and an expensive mistake if you swap them.
Read guideRotary flat-surface cleaner vs pressure lance: why striping happens
The single biggest reason a cleaned drive looks blotchy — and how it's avoided.
Read guideDIY vs professional cleaning: an honest look at when hiring a machine makes sense
Some jobs really are DIY. Here's how to tell which side of the line yours falls on.
Read guideIs sealing a driveway worth it? The case for and against
Sealing isn't automatic. It suits some surfaces and situations, and is a waste of money on others.
Read guideClean it or replace it? How to judge whether a drive is worth saving
Most tired-looking drives are dirty, not finished. Here's how to tell the difference.
Read guideHow to compare driveway cleaning quotes without getting caught out
Two quotes for the same drive can differ by half. Usually it's scope, not greed.
Read guideBlack spot lichen: what it is and why scrubbing won't shift it
Those stubborn black dots aren't tar or dirt — they're a living organism rooted into the stone.
Read guideWhy north-facing patios go green first — and what to do about it
Shade plus damp plus organic litter is a growing medium. That's the whole problem in one line.
Read guideOil and fuel stains: what comes out, what fades and what stays
Some stains lift completely, some lighten, and a few are permanent. Honest expectations first.
Read guideWeeds in block paving: they grow from above, not below
The seed lands on top and germinates in whatever's collected in the joint. That changes the fix entirely.
Read guideImprinted concrete: the drive most often ruined by cleaning
On imprinted concrete, the finish and the surface are the same thing — which is why technique matters most here.
Read guideDecking: making it safe again without wrecking the boards
Slippery decking is a biology problem with a safety consequence — and a lance makes it worse.
Read guideAftercare: how to keep a cleaned surface looking cleaned
Five minutes of maintenance a few times a year does more than the next clean will.
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