Driveway and Concrete Cleaning
A Florence driveway picks up three things faster than anything else: red clay washed down from the yard, black mildew where the shade never leaves, and oil spots where the cars sit. We clean driveways, sidewalks, patios, pool decks and commercial concrete across Florence and the Shoals, and concrete is the one surface where real pressure is the right tool.
The difference between a good concrete cleaning and a bad one is mostly in the equipment. A wand held by hand leaves stripes, those light and dark bands you see on a lot of driveways after a weekend rental. We run a flat rotary surface cleaner across the whole slab so the clean is even edge to edge, then go back with the wand only for the edges, steps and corners.
Driveways
Most driveways around here go grey-green along the shady side and orange-brown at the bottom where rain carries clay off the lawn. Tire marks build up in two dark lanes. If there is a basketball goal, a trash can spot or a corner where leaves pile up, those show up too.
We start with a pre-treatment on the stains and the growth so the pressure does not have to do it all, then the surface cleaner goes down in overlapping passes from the garage to the street. Expansion joints get blown out. A post-treatment on the shady sections kills what is left of the mildew so it does not come back green in a month. Then everything gets rinsed to the street, and the garage door and the bottom of the siding get rinsed too, since some splash always lands there.
Driveways often go hand in hand with a house wash, because the clay that stains the slab is the same clay on the lower siding and the garage door. If the house is part of the quote, concrete goes last so nothing from above runs onto a clean slab.
Patios and pool decks
Back patios sit in more shade than driveways, under trees, a covered porch or the house itself, so they grow more black mildew and green algae. They also get slick, which is the real reason a lot of people call. A patio that has gone slippery after a damp spring is a fall waiting to happen.
Pool decks get the same treatment with more care around the coping, the tile line and any drains. We keep wash water out of the pool, and we will talk with you first about whether to run the pump. Stamped and stained concrete gets lower pressure and a gentler mix, because the color layer on top is thin and will not come back once it is gone.
Wood steps or a deck built over the patio are a different material and get a different method. If the boards on the deck above it need work too, we can quote both together and handle each the right way.
Sidewalks, storefronts and commercial flatwork
Businesses call us for the sidewalk out front, the drive-through lane, the dumpster pad and the entrance where gum and spills build up. Older storefront blocks in the Shoals have long runs of sidewalk that go dark fast under foot traffic and rain. We do that work early, before the doors open, or on a day the business is closed, so customers are not walking through it.
Parking lots and loading areas at shops, offices and churches are quoted by the area and how heavy the staining is. If you manage a property in one of the commercial lots in Muscle Shoals or anywhere else around the river, send a photo and the rough size.
Wash water on commercial jobs needs more thought than in a backyard. The federal stormwater rules exist because runoff from paved lots heads straight into storm drains and from there into creeks and the river. On a lot with oil and grease, we block the drain and collect the dirty water rather than sending it downhill.
Oil, rust and red clay stains
Oil soaks into concrete and never fully leaves. We pre-treat oil spots with a degreaser and give it time to pull the oil up before the surface cleaner goes over it. Fresh drips usually come out completely. Old stains that have been there for years usually fade a lot but leave a shadow, and we will tell you that up front rather than promise something concrete will not do.
Rust stains, from fertilizer, sprinkler water with iron in it or metal furniture, need a different treatment than mildew or oil, and pressure alone will not move them. Let us know if you see orange spots in a pattern around the yard, since that is usually fertilizer granules.
Red clay is the stain that makes Shoals driveways look different from driveways in a lot of other places. After heavy rain it washes out of bare spots and beds and settles into the lower part of the slab and the joints. Most of it comes out with a pre-treatment and the surface cleaner. Clay that has baked in through several summers may take a second pass.
Sealing after a clean
Once concrete is clean and dry, a penetrating sealer can slow how fast stains and mildew soak back in. It is not something every driveway needs, and we do not push it. It makes the most sense on pool decks, light-colored patios and stamped concrete where the color matters.
If you want it, it goes on after the slab has had a full day or two to dry out. Sealing a damp slab traps moisture under the coating and leaves cloudy patches, so on most jobs it is a separate visit. Every job is priced in writing before we start, by the surface and its size, from a photo or a quick walk-around. The sealer is listed on its own line so you can decide.
Related
House Washing
North-side mildew, spring pollen and red clay splash cleared at the right pressure.
Deck and Fence Cleaning
Grey weathered wood lifted without raised grain, ready to stain when it dries.
Pressure Washing in Muscle Shoals
We soft wash houses and clean concrete across town.
Power Washing in Killen
We soft wash siding, clean concrete and bring grey decks and docks back.
Questions we get
How is driveway cleaning priced?
By the size of the slab and how heavy the staining is. Oil, rust and old clay stains need extra treatment, so they get their own line on the quote. Send a photo and we put the number in writing.
Will pressure washing damage my concrete?
Not when it is done with a surface cleaner at the right pressure and distance. Damage comes from holding a narrow tip close to the surface, which etches lines. Stamped and stained concrete gets lower pressure.
Can you get oil stains out completely?
Fresh oil usually comes out. Stains that have soaked in for years usually fade a great deal but can leave a faint shadow.
How long before I can drive on it?
As soon as it is dry, often within an hour or two on a warm day. If a sealer is applied, that is a separate wait we will tell you about.
Get the driveway on the schedule
Send a photo of the driveway from the street and one of the worst stain, and tell us roughly how many cars it fits. Patios and pool decks, same idea. Out in the newer subdivisions around Killen or right in Florence, it is the same route. We work Monday through Saturday, 7am to 6pm, and answer quote requests the same day. Hit Get FREE Quote Today and the written price comes back to you.