How Much Does Driveway Cleaning Cost and Is It Worth It?

If you have looked at your driveway recently and thought it is looking a little worse for wear, you are certainly not alone, because it is one of those areas around the house that gradually gets dirtier without you really noticing it until one day you stand at the front door and realise that what used to be a nice, clean driveway has become a rather dull shade of grey and could definitely do with some attention.

The funny thing with driveways is that you see them all the time, so you don’t necessarily notice the gradual change, particularly when the weather is doing what the British weather does best and throwing rain, dirt, leaves and everything else at it for months on end. Then you clean a small section and suddenly the difference becomes obvious, because underneath all that dirt there is usually a much cleaner and brighter surface that you had probably forgotten was there.

At H2O Restore, driveway cleaning starts from £100, although the exact price will depend on the size of the driveway, the type of surface and how much cleaning it actually needs, because a small driveway that has had a bit of attention over the years is obviously going to be a different job from a large block-paved driveway that has been left alone for several years and has accumulated a pretty impressive collection of dirt, grime, moss and general outdoor muck.

What does £100 get you?

The first thing I would say is that there isn’t really a one-price-fits-all answer when it comes to driveway cleaning, because every driveway is different, but £100 is where our prices start and we always prefer to look at the actual job before giving someone a price rather than throwing a random figure at them and hoping it works out.

In many cases, you can simply send us a few photographs of the driveway and we can give you an idea of what it is likely to cost, which makes things much easier for everyone because you know where you stand before we arrive and there are no surprises waiting for you once the cleaning starts.

For most homeowners, the main question isn’t really how much does a pressure washer cost or how much does someone charge per square metre, because what they actually want to know is whether spending the money will make enough difference to justify getting someone in to do it, and that really comes down to the condition of the driveway in the first place.

If your driveway is structurally sound but has simply become dirty and tired looking, professional cleaning can make a surprisingly big difference without you having to go anywhere near the expense and disruption of replacing it.

The difference a good driveway clean can make

This is the part of the job that I enjoy most because you can actually see the difference taking place in front of you, particularly when you start working across a driveway that has become very dull over the years and the original colour begins to appear again underneath all the accumulated dirt.

A driveway doesn’t necessarily need anything complicated doing to it to make it look better; quite often it simply needs the surface cleaned properly, and once the layers of dirt, grime and organic growth have been removed, the whole area can look considerably cleaner and brighter.

We have had plenty of customers come outside while we’re working and realise just how much the driveway had changed over time, usually because we have cleaned one section and left the other section untouched so they can see the difference for themselves. It is quite common to hear someone say that they didn’t realise their driveway was actually that colour anymore, which is understandable when you have been looking at the same surface every day for several years.

That is really what you’re paying for with professional driveway cleaning, not simply someone turning up with a pressure washer and pointing it at the ground, but someone who understands the surface, knows how much pressure to use and takes the time to get the best result possible without simply blasting away at everything in sight.

Why does a driveway get so dirty?

There isn’t really anything mysterious about it, because your driveway spends every single day outside taking whatever the British weather decides to throw at it, while cars are bringing dirt onto the surface, leaves are sitting around, rain keeps everything damp and organic growth gradually finds somewhere to settle.

Block paving can be particularly prone to this because dirt and organic material can build up between the individual blocks, while the surface itself gradually becomes darker and duller as everything accumulates, which is why a driveway that once looked bright and clean can eventually end up looking as though it has been there for twice as long as it actually has.

The longer it is left, the more established that dirt becomes, and while a driveway that hasn’t been cleaned for a couple of years may simply need a good clean, one that has been neglected for a very long time can require considerably more work to get it looking its best again.

There is nothing wrong with leaving it until it needs doing, of course, and we’re certainly not going to tell you that you need to clean your driveway every few months, but there is something to be said for getting it cleaned before the dirt and growth become too established, particularly if you want to keep the front of your property looking tidy.

Is driveway cleaning cheaper than replacing the driveway?

In a lot of cases, this is where driveway cleaning really makes sense, because people sometimes see a tired-looking driveway and immediately start thinking about having the whole thing replaced when there may actually be nothing fundamentally wrong with the surface.

If the paving is still in good condition and the main problem is simply that it has become dirty and lost its original appearance, spending hundreds or even thousands of pounds on a new driveway may be completely unnecessary when a professional clean could make the existing one look considerably better for a fraction of the cost.

Obviously, cleaning isn’t going to repair cracked paving, replace damaged blocks or magically turn an old driveway into a brand-new one, but if the surface itself is sound and just needs some attention, it is certainly worth getting a price for cleaning before you start thinking about ripping everything up.

For a starting price of £100, it can be one of those relatively simple jobs that makes a bigger difference to the appearance of your property than you might expect, particularly because the driveway is one of the first things people see when they arrive at your home.

What sort of result should you expect?

The main thing we aim for is a driveway that looks cleaner and brighter, while still looking like your driveway rather than something that has been completely transformed into an artificial-looking new surface.

The amount of improvement will naturally depend on how old the driveway is and what condition it is in, because every surface reacts differently and some driveways have years of ingrained dirt that will never disappear completely, but in many cases the difference between the before and after is pretty obvious once the cleaning is finished.

You will normally notice that the surface has more of its original colour back, the darker areas have been reduced and the whole driveway simply looks fresher and better maintained, which can also make the rest of the front of the property look tidier without you having to spend money on anything else.

And that’s really the point of it for most people; they aren’t looking for something complicated, they just want to pull up outside their house and think the driveway looks clean again rather than wondering when they last remembered what colour it was.

Is it worth paying someone to clean your driveway?

I think it depends on the driveway and what you’re expecting from it, but if you’ve got a driveway that is looking tired because of years of dirt and general weathering, then I would definitely recommend getting a price before deciding that it needs replacing.

You can obviously hire or buy a pressure washer and have a go yourself, and there is nothing wrong with doing that if you enjoy getting stuck into these jobs, but driveway cleaning can be a messy job and there is a bit more to getting a good finish than simply turning the machine on and pointing it at the paving.

You also have to consider the time involved, the equipment, the mess and whether you actually fancy spending part of your weekend covered in dirty water, which is probably why plenty of our customers decide that they would rather let us do it while they get on with something considerably more enjoyable. For us, it is just part of the job, and we would much rather turn up, get the driveway cleaned properly and leave you with a surface that looks noticeably cleaner and brighter than when we arrived.

How often should you have your driveway cleaned?

There isn’t a magic answer to this because it depends on the type of driveway, its position, how much shade it gets and how quickly dirt and organic growth build up, so I wouldn’t tell someone they absolutely need to have their driveway cleaned every year just for the sake of it.

Some driveways will benefit from more regular cleaning, while others can go several years before they really need professional attention, and generally speaking I would say to keep an eye on it and get it cleaned when you can see that it is starting to look dull, dirty or generally past its best. If you’re at the stage where you’ve started noticing it every time you pull onto the drive, that is probably a pretty good indication that it is time to do something about it.

Thinking about getting your driveway cleaned?

If you’re wondering whether your driveway is worth cleaning, send us a few photographs and we’ll take a look and give you an honest idea of what we think it needs and how much it is likely to cost.  Driveway cleaning starts from £100 with H2O Restore, and while the final price depends on the size and condition of the driveway, we’d much rather give you a straightforward price than make the whole thing more complicated than it needs to be.

I’m Peter and I run H2O Restore with my son, and after five years of cleaning driveways, patios, gutters and other outdoor areas around Liverpool and the surrounding areas, we still get a lot of satisfaction from seeing the difference a good clean can make.

There’s nothing particularly glamorous about driveway cleaning, but when you’ve got a tired-looking driveway in front of you and you finish the job with it looking cleaner, brighter and much better looked after, it is one of those jobs where the result speaks for itself.  So if you’ve been looking at your driveway thinking that it could really do with a clean, there’s a good chance you’re right.

Get in touch with H2O Restore and we’ll give you a free, no-obligation quote.