Hiring a Pro to Clean Your Driveway: What You Need to Know

A clean driveway is much more than just a friendly  area as it is an immensely important aspect of your property that not only impacts the functionality but aesthetics as well. Moreover, it also enhances the curb appeal of your home and extends the lifespan of the surface. However, as the years passes, the driveways area accumulate oil stains, dirt, and even grime and algae, thus, this makes them look awful and unattractive. 

This ultimate guide will shed some light on the detailed discussion of cleaning and maintaining the driveways which is very essential for keeping its aesthetic appeal in existence and preserving the life of the surface material.

Importance of Regular Driveway Cleaning

Like other exterior parts of your home, your driveway is also exposed to several components such as dust, dirt, and oil leaks from your car. With the passage of time, these elements get accumulated at the surface and gradually make the appearance of stains visible which can later become tough to remove if not cleaned regularly. 

Moving further, regular driveway cleaning is of utmost importance and plays a paramount role in:

• Enhancing curb appeal

• Maintaining property’s value

• Ensuring safety and longevity of your driveway

• Preventing stains and discoloration

• Avoiding expensive repairs

• Preparing driveway for sealant

To know in-depth about driveways, keep reading to find out more.

5 Types of Driveways

It is extremely difficult to choose the best driveway material for your home. It should not only look good but should also perform exceptionally well during its usage. There are various driveway material options available in the UK with their own set of pros and cons mentioned below. 

Let’s list and discuss them individually: 

1. Asphalt (or Tarmac) Driveways: Asphalt driveways are also known as Tarmac are which is an extremely popular choice of homeowners in the UK. 

Pros:

• It has an impressive longevity of over 20 years. 

• It is even more durable and hard-wearing due to the seal applied on the top of asphalt driveways.

• Due to its sleek finish it has an aesthetic look.

Cons:

• Asphalt driveways can get sticky during summer months, especially when it heats up more, it shows tyre marks and sometimes the shape of the asphalt even gets altered.

  
  

2. Gravel Driveways: Homeowners who are mostly concerned with limited budget and are security conscious, then choosing gravel driveway materials will be one of the best options available. 

Pros:

• Installation of gravel driveway is ultimately very easy and quick. 

• There are varieties of style and colour options for gravel stones are available that you can match with your home’s aesthetics. 

• It is much cheaper as compared to the other driveway materials. 

• The distinct crunch sound of the underfoot gravel stones when walking on can act as a deterrent when someone will be outside of your house, for example opportunist thieves. 

• Typically, it is the cheapest driveway option you can have as gravel is cost-effective and is easy to install, thus cutting the labour costs.

  
  

Cons:

• A lot of maintenance of the gravel driveways is required to deal with dirt, moving stones, and weeds. 

• With the passage of time, it quickly gets messy with visible sinkholes and ruts in it. 

  
  

3. Block Paving Driveways: Block paving has become one of the most demanding driveway materials in recent years, among many homeowners residing in the UK. This type of driveway material forges an amazing feature of their homes. 

Pros:

• This type of driveway is generally considered as one of the best materials for creating exceptionally amazing driveways. 

• There is a wide range of blocks available for paving driveway ranging in different sizes, shapes, patterns, and colours.

• Block paving material forms an extremely hard-wearing driveway surface, if installed correctly and maintained from time to time, as it makes individual blocks easy to replace. Thus, it helps in cutting maintenance costs. 

Cons:

• The major drawback of block paving driveway surface is its higher cost, as it is one of the most expensive driveway options available. 

• With respect to its expensiveness, it is also one of the most complicated driveway materials as compared to others. Moreover, its installation requires intricate blocks to create paving patterns. 

  
  

4. Concrete Driveways: If you are strict on your budget and are looking for a driveway surface which requires extremely low maintenance, then concrete could be the best driveway material option for you to opt for. Adding to this, concrete driveways are not generally considered to be the most visually impressive driveway materials, but it can have an aesthetic appeal.

Pros:

• It benefits the homeowners with exceedingly low maintenance requiring option. 

• It is an excellent choice with an industrial style constructed homes. 

• This type of driveways have a good temperature regulation feature which does not allow the surface to get too hot during summer months.

• There are numerous colour options available if you want to install concrete driveways at your home.

Cons:

• Though concrete driveway requires low maintenance, over time, you may notice some cracks appearing. Therefore, to repair these cracks you need to remove the entire driveway completely and reinstall with a new one which is a great disadvantage of this type of driveway . 

• Another pitfall is the oil stains can also become a major issue for certain concrete driveways. 

  
  

5. Resin Driveways: Last but certainly not the least, resin driveways is one of the best driveway materials listed on our list.  thanks to its and the fact that it’s a very hard-wearing driveway surface. 

Pros:

• Resin material creates a beautiful visual appeal that looks slick and boosts curb appeal. 

• If you want to install this driveway then, you can choose between permeable resin bound or impermeable resin bonded.

• There is a relatively a diverse colour options to choose from so that it could matches and complements your home. 

• It requires very less maintenance and easy-breezy cleaning. 

Cons:

• However, if you are planning to opt for a resin driveway, then you need to make sure that you hire a good reputable company which exhibits years of experience in the installation of resin driveway.

All of these above-mentioned driveway surfaces require maintenance from time to time, else, they begin to look sluggish and unattractive. 

Need to Hire Expert Driveway Cleaners Near Me

If you are planning to clean your driveway then hiring a tradesperson can offer you several benefits. Ranging from removing grime build-up to oil stains and power washing the stubborn weeds away, our expert cleaners strictly ensure that your driveway must be well-maintained and look pristine.

While DIY cleaning methods might seem tempting, but hiring professional cleaners can improve the value of your home's curb appeal, restore the look of cracked drives, enhance the longevity of your driveway and reduce various risks such as slippery surfaces. This will not only save you time, money, and hassle, but also provide maintenance by making good use of advanced equipment and expertise.

Below are the key reasons mentioned that details why it is mandatory to consider hiring experts for your driveway cleaning needs:

• To remove dirt, grime build-up and debris.

• To remove weed and oil stains. 

• to protect the drive from future problems by repairing its sealing.

• For its ongoing maintenance work from time to time.

However, it's not just accumulation of dirt and grime that makes your drive look grubby, but green growth, lichen and algae can also have severe detrimental effects on the looks of the driveway. Furthermore, a driveway cleaner addresses all of these issues and can keep the surface of a driveway clean and clear by thoroughly vanishing it.

Therefore, cleaners from Urban Gaffa are skilled in cleaning all types of driveways in the UK by removing organic growth completely.

Approximate Cleaning Cost Estimation

Though the professional driveway cleaning cost ranges between £1.50-£10 per square metre depending on the numerous factors such as your location, the size and the condition (such as the level of dirt or oil staining) of your driveway, and the sealing will all affect your combined cost. 

Generally, homeowners can be expected to pay anywhere between £200 to £600. The average cost for cleaning a driveway is £250. Therefore, it is best to get a detailed quote from a professional cleaning services near me depending upon an accurate estimation.

Additional Costs For a Driveway Cleaning 

If you are already investing in your driveway cleaning by hiring experts, you might want to carry out further work to your outdoor space. Doing this, will make your whole outdoor space completely look spick and span at the same time. 

Here are some additional costs that can be considered:

Conclusion

Hiring an expert to clean your driveway is the smartest investment in your property's appearance and prolonged lifespan that you have ever made. Moreover, by investing in regular driveway cleaning services, the expert cleaners ensure that your driveway remains in top condition, thus contributing to the overall improvement in the value of your property. Further, with their expertise, usage of specialised equipment, and efficient methods, tradespeople ensure your driveway is thoroughly cleaned and properly maintained. Therefore, you can enjoy a peace of mind knowing that your driveway is in safe hands. Last but not the least, you can visit Urban Gaffa website for more detailed information.

So, say goodbye to oil stains and hello to a perfect mint conditioned driveway…!!!