A homeowner in Castle Pines called us a few weeks ago for pressure washing on his driveway.
Driveway Before Pressure Washing
We had the job set for mid-afternoon, but the homeowner thought we were set for ‘noon’. It was a simple misunderstanding, but because he was very concerned about leaving ice on his driveway if we washed too late in the day, he cancelled the job completely out of frustration.
This was a regrettable situation, but we had no real recourse to fix it. We assumed the job was lost. Based on the description of the oil stains on the driveway that the homeowner originally gave us, we weren’t sure using our degreaser and pressure washing would make a visual difference anyway.
However, the homeowner called us last week and asked to reschedule. He had tried some other options and had not achieved any acceptable results. We reiterated that our pressure washing might not give him any better results, especially since he had already tried other chemicals.
The effectiveness of pressure washing stains on concrete – even with degreaser – decreases the longer the stain has to soak in.
We’ve had situations here someone tried using solvent or carburetor cleaner and the stain just soaked deeper into the concrete. But usually if we’re there within 24 hours, we can remove the stain completely.
Once we were sure he understood what he was paying for, we had a crew take care of the driveway. Our team leader let us know as soon as they were finished pressure washing that they didn’t have much success. We contacted the homeowner the next day to make sure there weren’t any more misunderstandings.
Because we explained the porosity of concrete and the effects of the other chemicals before we attempted to clean it, the homeowner understood the lack of positive results. The oil stains on the driveway were cleaned as well as they could be and what’s left will fade over time. Unfortunately, this is the case with many older oil stains on concrete and asphalt.
Related pages and articles
- Pressure Washing Stains On A New Driveway (washonwheels.net)
- Pressure Washing Grease Stains On The Patio And Driveway Of A Rental Home | Denver pressure washing (washonwheels.net)
- Pressure Washing A Concrete Spill At a New Home (washonwheels.net)
- Wood Fence Damaged By Amateur Pressure Washing Company – Video
- Pressure Washing A Wood Fence – The Right Way – Video (washonwheels.net)
