Pressure Washing Lancashire

Pressure is the least important part of pressure washing

The name is misleading. Almost every job we get called to fix was done by somebody who thought a bigger machine was the answer.

What actually does the work is the right combination of water temperature, detergent or biocide, dwell time and the correct nozzle at the correct distance. Pressure is one variable among several, and on most surfaces it is the one that should be turned down rather than up.

Get it wrong and the damage is usually permanent, because you are removing material from the surface rather than removing dirt off it.

What we will and will not pressure wash

Hard landscaping is fair game: block paving, concrete flags, Indian stone, concrete, setts, steps, patios, yards and paths. Those are the surfaces designed to take it.

What we do not pressure wash is roofs, render, painted surfaces, soft stone, lime pointing, decking that is already soft, and imprinted concrete beyond a very light touch. Those get soft washed instead, which means biocide and dwell time rather than force.

If a contractor offers to pressure wash your roof or your render, that is the point to stop and get another opinion.

Surface cleaner, not a lance across the whole job

Large flat areas are cleaned with a rotary surface cleaner, which holds constant pressure and distance and produces an even finish across the whole area.

A hand lance across a large area gives you stripes, and those stripes are permanent, because the banding is a difference in how much surface has been removed rather than a difference in how clean it is. You can spot a lance-cleaned patio from the other side of the garden ten years later.

Lances are for edges, corners, steps and spot work, which is what they are good at.

Hot water, cold water and steam

Cold water and a detergent handles most general grime. Hot water is what shifts grease, oil and traffic film, because heat breaks the bond that cold water cannot.

Steam is the gentlest option and the one we use on anything delicate, including roofs and older stone, because it cleans through temperature rather than force.

Having all three available is the difference between choosing the right method and using the only method you own.

Why Lancashire surfaces need it more often

Between one and one and a half metres of rain a year, long damp winters and a lot of shade from hills and trees. Flat outdoor surfaces here stay wet for months at a time.

That produces algae, which is the black or green film that makes patios and paths slippery. It is the leading cause of slips on domestic property and it is the reason most people finally ring somebody.

Killing it with a treatment after cleaning is what stops it coming straight back the following winter. Washing alone buys you a season.

Resanding, sealing and finishing the job properly

Block paving loses its jointing sand during cleaning, and that sand is structural. It goes back, kiln-dried, on every block paved area we clean.

Sealing is worth considering on sound block paving and good quality stone, and it is not a way of rescuing something that is already failing. We will tell you which yours is.

Gullies and channel drains get cleared before we leave, because washing a surface sends a lot of silt towards the nearest drain.

Domestic and commercial

Domestic work is mostly drives, patios, paths and yards. See driveway cleaning for the detail on drives specifically.

Commercial work covers car parks, service yards, loading bays, bin stores, walkways and forecourts, usually out of hours so the site can keep trading. Risk assessments, method statements and insurance documents come with the quote rather than after you have chased for them.

Cost and how often

Area, surface type, how bad it is, access to water and power, and whether it needs resanding or sealing afterwards.

Most Lancashire hard surfaces want doing every one to two years, annually where they are shaded. Fixed price in writing before we start.

See jet washing for the full service or areas we cover for where we work.