can cambridge pavers be power washed?
Do you have beautiful pavers, brick, or stone on your property? Well, these surfaces can get dirty over time. How do you clean these materials to get them looking like new again?
Thankfully, there are a few quick and easy ways to keep your Cambridge Pavers, Brick, Concrete and Stone clean. You just need the right techniques and products. In this blog post we’ll go over different cleaning techniques for your Cambridge Pavers, Brick, Concrete and Stone . This article will also detail how to choose the best cleaning methods based on the properties of your individual surface. Let’s learn more!
If you have pavers, you know that they are prone to getting dirty over time. They are also a great surface for growing moss and weeds. If you don’t clean your pavers regularly, they can become a breeding ground for mold, mildew, and bacteria. When this happens, you’ll need to clean your pavers as soon as possible. This section will discuss the best ways to clean your pavers. This includes cleaning methods for removing dirt, stains, and moss. We’ll also discuss the best ways to maintain your pavers to keep them looking new. Let’s get started! First, let’s talk about how to avoid the buildup of dirt and debris on your pavers. You can avoid build-up by sweeping or vacuuming them regularly. You can also use an air or steam cleaner on your pavers. Another method is to use a long-handled broom to gently scrub your pavers. When your pavers are dirty and need a deep cleaning, you can use different types of cleaning solutions. You want to choose a cleaning solution that is safe for concrete and pavers. Avoid cleaning solutions that contain acids or acids like muriatic acid. These types of cleaners can cause damage to your pavers. Some cleaning solutions you can use include:
Regular Household Cleaners: You can use a regular household cleaner to clean light stains and dirt from your pavers
Tile and Grout Cleaning Solutions: If you have tile on your pavers, you can use a tile and grout cleaning solution to deep clean your pavers.
Pressure Washing: If your pavers are very dirty, you can pressure wash them. Make sure you read the instructions on your pressure washer to avoid damaging your pavers. Besides cleaning your pavers, you also want to keep them maintained. You can do this by sealing your pavers to protect them from the elements. You can seal your pavers by pouring a concrete sealer on them. Another option is to use a sealant spray on your pavers. These sealants are easy to apply and will keep your pavers protected from UV rays, rain, and other elements.
Cleaning and maintaining Cambridge bricks is an important part of ensuring that these beautiful bricks stay in good condition. With regular maintenance and cleaning, these bricks can last for many years.
The most important thing in cleaning and maintaining Cambridge bricks is to make sure that the surface is kept clean. This means using a soft brush or cloth to gently brush away dirt and debris that may have collected on the brick’s surface. It is also important to use a mild soap and warm water to clean the brick surface. Once the brick has been cleaned, it should be rinsed with clean water and then allowed to dry completely.
In addition to regular cleaning, it is important to seal the brick surface to help protect it from the elements. Sealing the brick can help to prevent water, dirt, and other elements from infiltrating the brick surface and causing damage. It is also important to check the brick regularly for any signs of wear or damage, and to make any necessary repairs before they become a major issue.
Finally, it is important to protect the brick from harsh chemicals and solvents. These can cause discoloration and damage to the brick’s surface. If you need to use a chemical or solvent, make sure that it is safe for use on Cambridge bricks. With regular maintenance and cleaning, you can ensure that your Cambridge bricks will look their best for many years to come.
Cambridge concrete is a popular choice for driveways, patios, and other outdoor surfaces. It has a durable, attractive finish that can last for years with proper maintenance. To keep your Cambridge concrete looking its best, you should clean and maintain it regularly. To clean Cambridge concrete, use a pressure washer with a fan-style nozzle and a mild detergent. Start from the bottom of the surface and work up, being careful not to allow the pressure washer to get too close to the surface. Rinse the surface with clean water to remove any residue. For deep-cleaning, you may need to scrub the surface with a stiff-bristled brush and a mild detergent. Rinse the area with clean water afterward. To maintain Cambridge concrete, seal the surface every two to three years with a sealer specifically designed for concrete. Apply the sealer with a roller, brush, or sprayer. Make sure to cover the entire surface and allow it to dry completely before use. Finally, inspect the surface regularly for any signs of damage or wear, and repair any areas that need attention. Taking these steps will keep your Cambridge concrete looking great for years to come.
Cleaning and maintaining Cambridge limestone and marble is essential to ensure its longevity and beauty. The best way to clean and maintain these materials is to use natural, pH-neutral cleaning products. As limestone and marble are porous, they are prone to staining, so it is important to clean any spills immediately and to avoid using any acidic or alkaline-based cleaning products. It is also important to regularly dust the surface to prevent dirt and dust from becoming embedded in the stone and causing staining. Additionally, you should use a sealant to protect the surface against staining; this should be done regularly to ensure the sealant is effective. To prevent scratches, you should use a soft cloth when wiping the surface, and avoid using any abrasive materials. Furthermore, you should not drag any heavy furniture on the surface, as this can cause scratches. Finally, you should wipe down the surface with a damp cloth regularly to remove any dirt or dust that may have accumulated on the surface.
Travertine and Granite are two of the most popular and attractive natural stone materials used for flooring, countertops, and backsplashes. They both have unique characteristics that can make them a great addition to any home. To keep your Travertine and Granite looking its best, it is important to clean and maintain it properly.
The first step in cleaning and maintaining Travertine and Granite is to use a mild detergent or cleaner specifically designed for natural stone surfaces. You should never use harsh chemicals, scrubbing pads, or abrasive cleaners as these can damage the surface of the stone. After cleaning, you should rinse the area with clean water and dry it with a soft cloth.
To protect your Travertine and Granite, you should use a sealer. A sealer will help to protect the stone from staining and scratching. Sealing should be done every few years, depending on the type of stone and how often it is used.
Weeds growing at the joints, mold, moss; they are just a few examples of unwanted presences on our pavers. And one of the most common methods of cleaning them is with a pressure washer. You just need to turn on the washer and go clean everything that stands in your path, right? No!
Although it seems easy, it’s important to remember that for every cleaning method, you must follow a series of guidelines to make sure you’re not damaging your pavers, especially when pressure washing.
As long as it’s done carefully, cleaning pavers with a pressure washer is ok. However, it’s important to remember that after the process, you need to apply a sealant again; which is a substance that considerably increases pavers’ durability.
All things considered, cleaning pavers using a pressure washer is probably something that is best left to a qualified company or professionals to handle the task.
To begin with, one of the reasons why we recommend you always contact qualified professionals is precisely so that they apply the sealant after cleaning. The sealant protects the surface of pavers from several conditions, including:
But that’s not all. Unskilled pressure washing will damage pavers, and remove joint sand, which is paramount to ensure long lasting paver leveling.
The recommended PSI for the pressure washer is approximately 1000 to 1500. PSI stands for ‘pound-force per square inch’, and is the measure used to assess the washer’s water pressure strength. Low pressure and you end up with unsatisfactory cleaning results. On the other hand, if you apply too much pressure, it’s even possible to damage pavers.
The correct choice of the nozzle and an adequate angle of inclination in the jet requires the utmost attention. Damage to the surface of the pavers, due to lack of care, can range from pitting, lines to general surface degradation.
Pressure washing is a great way to make pavers look new again, but it is not the only way. Periodic cleaning is one of the secrets to keeping pavers looking fresh for longer. For starters, take a few minutes every day to sweep the pavers’ surface. That simple fact alone, sweeping the surface, will help remove the thinner and superficial layers of dirt, such as dust particles. By sweeping the surface you’re likely to eliminate seeds, which can germinate in weeds, and spores that can become mold. Just make sure to use a broom with soft bristles, so that it will not scratch the pavers’ surface.
Washing the surface with a water hose is another good tip. Similarly, the water eliminates much of the deposited dust and other residues from the surface.
Finally, for stains, you can use a paver cleaning solution. Take a bucket, mix in water and dish soap, grab a rag or sponge, dip it in the solution, and apply some elbow grease to clean the spot. The solution with water and dish soap is effective for most stains, it may just not work very well with more resistant stains such as oil.
Avoid substances such as vinegar, bleach, among others, while cleaning pavers. Although they are effective at removing resistant stains, they can severely damage pavers. It’s common that pavers, where chemical substances are applied, end up losing their luster over time, and appear dull. Besides, porous pavers can absorb those chemicals, which will threaten their integrity and promote cracking and making them more fragile.
The best way to prevent pavers from getting dirty, or looking worn, is by using a paver sealer.
Every 3 to 5 years, get a professional contractor to pressure wash and seal your pavers, and they will last longer than you!
JSBrick has 20+ years of experience providing paver installation, sealing, and cleaning services in Sarasota and surrounding cities. For a free estimate on your paving project, don’t hesitate to leave us a message or call us at your earliest convenience.
Concrete pavers are robust and structurally sound, potentially lasting 20 to 30 years or more with proper care and maintenance, making them one of the most cost-effective landscape path and flooring products on the market.
Concrete pavers come in a wide variety of styles and shapes, including:
These pavers can be used to create a myriad of patterns and effects, including:
There are even custom moulds available to create bespoke shapes and patterns that can be tailored for a unique garden installation or theme.
While concrete pavers are versatile and robust, they are not indestructible, and they do require a care regime, which includes:
While maintenance cleaning can generally be performed with water, gentle detergents, a stiff broom and some elbow grease, a deep cleaning may require a little more muscle.
Deep cleaning is critical in cases where tiles require resealing, as all legacy sealants must be removed before reapplication to ensure adequate adhesion or impregnation on or into the pavers. DIY pressure cleaning may seem like an obvious choice for deep cleaning concrete pavers; however, this may cause more harm than good.
Read on to discover why you shouldn’t pressure wash concrete pavers and why Enviro Clean and Capture can provide the best paver cleaner Sydney can offer.
While concrete pavers are known for their durability, they do have a weakness, and that is that concrete is porous. Similar to pores in your skin, these networks of micro-holes are a natural part of the concrete pavers structure and occur during manufacturing.
These pores will allow contaminants and pollutants into the concrete substructure if left unsealed and improperly cleaned.
When pavers are sealed, they are water-resistant. Sealant is a protective aquaphobic film that allows water and other contaminants to wash over the concrete tiles’ surface, protecting the paver’s surface layer and sublayers from moisture and pollutants.
While industrial high-pressure water cleaners easily remove the dirt and legacy sealant, the high pressure can often damage the surface layer of your concrete pavers, breaking down the pavers themselves and exposing sublayers to moisture and environmental contaminants.
There are often bigger pores in the substructure of many concrete pavers. These larger cavities allow larger particles to permeate the pavers and break them down prematurely.
These contaminants and pollutants include:
Moisture that gets forced deep into the pores of cement pavers can also provide a breeding ground for mycotoxins, like mould and mildew.
Mould and mildew can stain and damage cement pavers while also increasing the chance of human exposure to these mycotoxins, which can be dangerous to human health.
Exposure to mycotoxins has been linked to adverse health conditions such as:
High-pressure cleaners can also remove your paver fillers, like polymeric sand, between your pavers, which cushions and reduces the chance of cracking with earth movement, and stops your pavers from shifting over time or in extreme weather conditions.
If removed, rain and wash water can move into the gaps between your pavers, resulting in pavers movement, which compromises structural integrity. In particularly heavy rain, you may even have foundation sand washed away, resulting in expensive repair work.
When it’s time to get your concrete tiles deep cleaned, it is best to hire a professional technician. Read on to learn about professional concrete tile cleaning and see why Enviro Clean and Capture are the prefered paver cleaner in Sydney.
Like most jobs, you need to use the right tools to get the right results. A professional concrete paver cleaner uses custom-designed pressure cleaners that provide the optimal pressure to clean the concrete pavers and remove the legacy sealant without damage.
Most professional concrete pressure cleaning units also have a steam cleaning capacity, which may be the best solution in some circumstances.
Steam cleaning also helps kill off mycotoxins and other bio-contaminants, like moss and fungi, that may have embedded in the pores of your concrete or breached the legacy sealant.
A professional concrete cleaner also has the advantage of a trained eye. An experienced concrete paver cleaner can pick up subtle colour changes, shade differences and other nuances that only become obvious after time on the job.
While there are plenty of talented and competent DIY handypeople and homeowners, nothing can beat years of experience in a trade. Damage caused by inexperienced DIY pressure cleaning, even once, is enough to create significant and irreparable damage to your concrete services.
Concrete pavers, tiles and pathways constitute a significant part of your property’s aesthetic, and their condition can impact the overall worth of your home or business.
By having your concrete pavers cleaned by a concrete cleaning professional, you are ensuring that you are optimising your outdoor paths and flooring’s life expectancy, helping your property look its best all year round.
Commercial property owners may even recoup some of the costs of professional concrete paver cleaning at tax time as a property maintenance expenditure.
While regular cleaning and scheduled deep cleans are an ideal way to take good care of your concrete pavers, they are still left unprotected if unsealed.
Sealants have been specifically designed to protect your concrete surfaces from:
Once your professional deep clean is completed, it is highly suggested by concrete experts to have either a topical or, preferably, penetrating sealant applied to seal off the pores in your concrete surfaces.
DIY sealants often leave home and property owners disappointed, resulting in:
Topical sealants, while temporarily effective if correctly applied, have a shorter life expectancy than penetrative sealants, usually between six months to a few years; this depends on the manufacturer and only creates a surface-layer film over your concrete work.
A penetrative sealant, sometimes called an impregnating sealant, penetrates the pores of the pavers, bonding into the sublayers of the concrete, providing optimal protection and allowing them to breathe so moisture can escape.
Penetrative sealants also have a significantly higher life expectancy than topicals and can last anywhere from twelve months to ten years or more, depending on manufacturer specifications.
Sealants also make maintenance cleaning significantly more manageable, as you are removing dirt and grime off the sealant rather than the untreated concrete. If you are unsure whether your concrete pavers are currently sealed, there is an easy DIY test you can perform.
In temperate weather, pick the discreet section of your pavers. Drizzle a few drops of water via your fingertips and observe. If the water is beading on the concrete’s surface after a minute or so, there is a good chance your pavers are sealed.
However, your concrete surface may be unsealed if the paver absorbs the water quickly. If you are still unsure about your concrete paver’s sealant status, a professional concrete paver cleaner and sealer will be able to make a diagnosis.
Our Enviro Clean and Capture technicians are seasoned professionals in cleaning and sealing concrete pavers. If you require reliable and experienced paver cleaners in Sydney, call our helpdesk today and learn why we are the industry-leading paver cleaner Sydney side of New South Wales.
While DIY pressure cleaners appear to be cleaning your concrete effectively, most will be too powerful and damage your concrete surfaces, removing their upper layers and exposing the substructures to damaging compounds and premature wear and tear.
A professional paver cleaner uses tailored concrete pressure and steam cleaners to provide optimal force and penetration without causing damage, effectively removing dirt, pollutants and unwanted layers of legacy sealant.
Sealing your concrete between professional cleans maximises your concrete tile’s protection, prolonging the concrete’s life expectancy and maintaining a more consistent, desirable and long-lasting aesthetic.
Your concrete pavers are a significant investment. While they are robust and designed for the rigours of outdoor installation, these steps can ensure your investment and assets remain in their best condition for many years to come.
If your concrete pavers are due for a professional clean, don’t risk damaging your asset with overpowered DIY pressure cleaners. Instead, contact one of our technicians at Enviro Clean and Capture today to arrange a no-obligation free quote.
We also offer a comprehensive range of topical and penetrating, environmentally-friendly sealant solutions for:
Is It OK To Pressure Wash Pavers? As long as it's done carefully, cleaning pavers with a pressure washer is ok. However, it's important to remember that after the process, you need to apply a sealant again; which is a substance that considerably increases pavers' durability.