Driveway & Concrete Cleaning in Portland, ME

Driveway and concrete cleaning tops the spring list around Portland. After an average winter of about 69 inches of snow, driveways, sidewalks, patios and front steps are coated in road sand, salt residue, tire tracks and slush stains, and shaded walks along a north wall turn green and slippery. Concrete is one surface where real pressure belongs, as long as it is applied evenly and the wash water is controlled.

Even passes, no stripes

Cleaning a driveway with a hand wand leaves the zebra stripes and swirl marks you sometimes see on freshly washed concrete. A rotary surface cleaner holds spinning nozzles at a fixed height inside a hood, so the whole pass gets the same pressure and the hood limits spray. The hand wand is reserved for edges, stairs and tight corners, then post-rinse so dirty water does not dry back onto the clean surface.

Oil, rust and other stains

• Oil and fluid drips: degreaser goes on first; deep, years-old spots tend to fade more than disappear
• Rust: left by furniture legs, fertilizer pellets or iron-rich water, spot-treated with a concrete-safe product
• Mildew and algae: killed before washing so the green does not creep back within weeks
• Tire marks and leaf stains: most give way to heated water under the spinning cleaner

During the visit we sort the stains into ones that should lift and ones that will only lighten.

Salt, scaling and older concrete

Deicing salt and freeze-thaw cycles can cause the top layer of concrete to flake or scale. Washing will not repair that, and high pressure aimed at already-scaling concrete can loosen more of the surface. On worn or flaking slabs we lower the pressure and avoid lingering in one spot. If the slab is spalling badly, we will point it out rather than make it worse.

Pavers, asphalt and granite

Paver walkways are cleaned more gently to avoid blowing out joint sand; afterward we let you know if the joints should be re-sanded. Asphalt driveways get lower pressure than concrete because high pressure can loosen the surface aggregate. Granite steps and curbs, common on older Portland houses, clean up well but are rinsed carefully around any mortar joints.

Keeping driveway water out of Casco Bay

Driveway runoff is the hardest wash water to control, because most driveways slope to the street. Driveway wash water carries oil, metals, salt residue and detergent, and some of Portland's storm drains empty straight into Casco Bay. Pavement wash water is not on the list of discharges the city allows into the storm drain system. Depending on the site, we sweep first to cut down on sediment, berm or block the path to the catch basin, direct water onto lawn, or vacuum it up for proper disposal.

Sealing afterward

Many owners seal concrete or pavers after cleaning to resist stains and salt. Sealers need a fully dry surface, usually a day or more after washing in good weather. Ask at the estimate if you are considering it.