Driveway & patio cleaning Bristol & Bath
Block paving, Indian sandstone, Cotswold stone, concrete, imprinted concrete, tarmac and resin. Right method for the surface in front of us. Water captured, waste taken away under our EA Upper-Tier Waste Carrier registration. 7-day rework guarantee in writing on every job. Owner-operator, Bristol-based, working across the BS and BA postcodes.
What is driveway cleaning?
Driveway cleaning is lifting the black, green and red stuff off the surface of your block paving, tarmac or concrete. We use a rotary plate at low pressure (not a lance held six inches from the bricks, which chews them up), then re-sand the joints. On a standard BS9 four-car driveway it takes us about half a day and the bricks come back looking like they did the year you laid them.
Green at the edges, slippery by the back door, weeds in every joint
You walk up the path and the drive looks tired. The blocks have gone darker than they were last summer. There is a rust shadow where the gas-bottle stand used to live. Round the back, the slabs by the kitchen door are properly slippy after rain. That slippery film is biofilm, and it is a real trip hazard. Older folk slip on it most autumns in Bristol, usually round October when the leaves first matt down on the wet stone.
BBES is a small Bristol outfit working across the BS and BA postcodes. We clean drives and patios using the right method for the surface in front of us. Water is captured, waste taken away, 7-day rework guarantee in writing. Owner-operator, no call centre, the person who turns up to clean the drive is the person who quoted you the week before.
Most of the time the drive does not need replacing. It needs the right method for the substrate it is. We used to take the rotary head to anything that would hold its shape under pressure. Switched after a Henleaze customer rang us back six weeks later because the riven sandstone had gone bald in patches. The rotary had stripped the texture off the high points. Now we soft-wash riven, rotary the sawn, and never the other way round. That mistake costs other contractors at least one customer a month round here.
What we clean, and how each surface wants to be treated
Cleaning a drive is not "point a pressure washer at it and walk backwards." Surfaces want different things. Getting it wrong is how blocks lose their colour and sandstone goes bald.
Block paving (Marshalls, Brett, Tobermore)
Hard, durable, built to take a rotary surface cleaner. We run a flat-plate rotary head at controlled pressure to lift the dirt and biofilm evenly, without the zebra stripes you get from a wand. After that the joints get re-sanded. Kiln-dried as standard, polymeric polysand if you want the extra weed resistance. A standard BS31 four-car block drive runs about half a day on site.
Indian sandstone (riven and sawn)
Softer than it looks. Riven sandstone gets a low-volume soft-wash with a dedicated biocide so the algae dies at the root. Sawn sandstone takes a controlled rotary clean. For stubborn organic shadows we bring the hot wash in. We do not blast riven sandstone at high pressure. That is how you end up with bald patches where the texture used to be.
Cotswold stone & natural limestone
The local hero. Also the most easily ruined. Cotswold is porous and soft, so it gets a soft-wash only. Surfactant biocide does the work. The rinse is gentle. Never rotary, never hot pressure on raw stone. Bath stone patios in Bathwick, Widcombe and Combe Down get the same heritage-grade treatment. Two visits if it has not been cleaned in years, rather than one heavy job that opens the surface up.
Concrete (broom-finish or exposed aggregate)
Standard rotary clean at moderate pressure. Concrete copes well, but we keep the head moving so it does not burn marks into the surface. Exposed aggregate wants a slightly slower pass so the loose face stones are not knocked back. A Filton or Bradley Stoke driveway in standard concrete cleans up well. Older concrete with a lot of oil drip needs a hot-wash pre-treat at the affected zones.
Pattern-imprinted concrete
This one needs care. The pattern is shallow and the sealer wears thin. We rotary-clean at reduced pressure and we will tell you on the day if the sealer is past it. A re-seal is a separate job once the surface has dried out properly. The mistake we see most often on imprinted concrete is contractors using a turbo nozzle and stripping the colour out of the pattern in three months.
Tarmac
Soft-wash and a tarmac-safe biocide. A rotary at high pressure will strip the bitumen and leave the aggregate loose. We do not do that. Tarmac is a working surface and it will never look "as new". That is fine. It will look properly clean. Most of the time the moss and biofilm lift off in a single pass, then the surface stays presentable for a year or so depending on tree cover.
Resin-bound & resin-bonded
Cold rinse, low pressure, biocide for the moss. If the resin is already failing we will turn the job down. Cleaning will not fix delamination, and we will say so on the survey. We have walked away from three resin drives this year where the binder had gone past the point of cleaning. Better to tell you straight than take your money for a job that will look the same in two months.
Heritage stone (Pennant, Bath, lime)
Soft-wash only. Surfactant biocide with a long dwell time. Gentle rinse. Pennant sandstone steps in Clifton and Redland are usually rust-stained from Victorian railings rather than dirty. That is a separate iron-stain treatment, not a clean. Cotswold and Bath stone get the heritage-grade protocol because the surface is calcareous and reacts badly to strong chemistry.
How we pick the method
Four methods on the van. We pick the one that suits the substrate, not the one we feel like running that day. The wrong method on the wrong surface is the single biggest cause of avoidable damage in this trade.
Rotary plate (block, concrete, sawn sandstone)
Flat-plate rotary head delivering pressure across the surface evenly so you do not get the wand stripes. The right tool for hard, dense surfaces that can take mechanical force. Block paving, broom-finish concrete, sawn sandstone all clean up beautifully under a rotary at controlled pressure. A standard 50 m² double driveway runs in a single shift.
Soft-wash (riven sandstone, Cotswold, tarmac, resin)
Low-pressure biocide application. Sodium hypochlorite at the right dilution, surfactant for dwell, rinse off after the contact time. The chemistry kills the algae at root level so it stays away longer. Ten to twenty-five minute dwell is standard. The substrate stays intact. The clean lasts twice as long as a rotary on the same surface.
Hot wash (oil, lichen, deep organic)
90°C+ at the lance. The only method that breaks the bond between hydrocarbon contamination and concrete or block. Used as a spot treatment on oil drips, lichen patches and the worst of the organic stains. We do not hot-wash an entire driveway by default. We use it where it is needed and cold-clean the rest.
Iron-stain treatment (rust shadows, Victorian ironwork run-off)
Separate chemistry. Not a clean. Oxalic acid based, applied locally, neutralised after dwell. Rust marks under garden ironwork or below Victorian railings need this rather than a pressure clean. We will identify it at quote stage so it goes on the price, not as a surprise on the day.
How a job actually runs
- Survey and test patch. We walk the drive with you, work out what the surface is, find the soft spots (failed pointing, loose blocks, peeling sealer) and run a small test patch so you can see the finish before we commit to the whole area.
- Spot-treat oil, rust and lichen. Oil drips get a degreaser pre-treatment and dwell time. Rust marks get a separate iron-stain remover. Lichen patches get a biocide pre-soak.
- Clean using the right tool. Hard surfaces get the rotary surface cleaner. Soft or heritage surfaces get the low-volume soft-wash. Hot wash only comes out where the staining warrants it.
- Re-sand or biocide-treat. On block paving we sweep in fresh kiln-dried sand. Polymeric polysand is the upgrade. On patios and natural stone we apply an aftercare biocide that keeps regrowth slow for nine to twelve months.
- Rinse and capture. All run-off is captured, filtered where needed, removed under our Upper-Tier Waste Carrier registration. Nothing goes down a storm drain.
- Walk-round and photos. We do not leave until you have seen the finish in daylight and signed it off. Photos by email or WhatsApp the same day.
What drives the cost
We quote every job on its own merits because two drives the same size can be very different jobs. Rather than make up a flat rate, here is the logic.
Typical footprints
- Small front drive, around 25 m². One car, terraced or semi-detached front.
- Standard double driveway, around 50 m². Two cars side by side.
- Large rear patio, around 30 m². Back-garden entertaining area.
What moves the price
- Access. A drive we can park the van next to is faster than one where we run 40 m of hose down a side return.
- Contamination. A drive cleaned 18 months ago is a different job to one untouched in eight years with 30 mm of moss in the joints.
- Surface type. Block paving on a flat drive is quicker than riven sandstone on a stepped patio with planted borders.
- Polysand option. Polymeric jointing is a real cost line. It is also the single biggest factor in how long the clean stays clean.
- Biocide aftercare. A small extra that buys you nine to twelve months of slower regrowth.
- Waste volume. Heavy organic contamination means more material to lift and remove under our waste-carrier duty.
Indicative ranges for 2026: a standard driveway runs £180 to £350. A patio of 25 to 40 square metres sits around £150 to £280. Bigger Victorian places in Clifton or Bath go higher. We always quote from photos first, no surprise pricing on the day. See the guarantee page for the full rate logic.
Honest hedge. Most of the time these ranges hold. If your drive is an awkward shape, has restricted access, or has not been touched in a decade, the figure will sit higher. We tell you on the quote, not after we are halfway through.
Where we work
We are based in Keynsham and most of our work sits inside about 25 miles of central Bristol. Bristol's west-coast damp is the reason your drive is greener than your friend's drive in Reading. We sit in a wet maritime band and the prevailing south-westerly carries moisture inland off the Severn Estuary. North-facing drives in Bishopston, Henleaze and Westbury-on-Trym go green first.
10 cities and towns we cover
Bristol, Bath, Keynsham, Saltford, Portishead, Clevedon, Thornbury, Nailsea, Yate and Chew Valley. See the full list on our areas we cover page.
Sub-areas and neighbourhoods we work in regularly
Clifton, Redland, Cotham, Bishopston, Henleaze, Westbury-on-Trym, Stoke Bishop and Sneyd Park in Bristol; Lansdown, Bathwick, Widcombe and Combe Down in Bath.
Big chunks of central Bath sit inside a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and Bristol has a lot of conservation areas covering Clifton, Redland, Cotham, Montpelier and Kingsdown. On conservation properties we adjust the method to avoid altering the surface character of historic paving. Usually that means soft-wash only, and no chemistry that could leach into adjacent stonework or planting beds. If you are not sure whether your property is in a conservation area, we will check before quoting.
Recent work
BS9, Henleaze. 50 m² block paving driveway, March 2026.
Marshalls Drivesett block, eight years down, never cleaned. North-facing front. Heavy moss in the joints, algal sheeting across the parking bays, two oil drips at the gate end. Rotary clean, hot-wash spot treatment for the oil, polymeric polysand re-jointed. Half-day on site. Owner sent a photo six weeks later, still clean.
BA1, Lansdown. 28 m² Indian sandstone patio, April 2026.
Riven sandstone, six years down, north-east aspect under mature beech. Heavy biofilm, lichen rosettes through the centre. Soft-wash with extended dwell, gentle rinse, residual biocide top-up. We left the lichen to weather off naturally over four to six weeks rather than scrape it and damage the texture. Customer signed off the next morning in daylight.
BS31, Keynsham. Mixed concrete drive plus Cotswold-stone path, February 2026.
Two-method job. Rotary on the concrete forecourt. Soft-wash on the Cotswold flag path round the back. Iron-stain treatment under an old garden gate where the rust had run onto the path. One day on site. Same day photo handover.
Frequently asked questions
Will pressure washing damage my block paving?
Done properly, no. Modern concrete blocks are designed to take a rotary surface cleaner at the pressures we run. The damage you see on other people's drives is almost always from a wand at point-blank range. That is how you get the zebra stripes. A rotary head at a controlled distance cleans evenly and does not abrade the blocks. Cleaning does take the jointing sand out, which is why we re-sand at the end.
How long does it last?
Twelve to twenty-four months before another deep clean is sensibly due. North-facing drives under trees go green first. South-facing open drives can hold for two years. Polysand jointing extends the life noticeably because weeds and moss have nowhere to anchor. Most of the time the aftercare biocide buys you another six months on top.
Do I need to re-sand the joints afterwards?
Yes, if it is block paving. Cleaning takes some sand out every time, and unsanded joints are the fastest route back to weeds and block movement. Kiln-dried sand is included as standard. Polymeric polysand is the upgrade and worth the extra on most family drives.
Can you get tyre marks out?
Most of them, yes. Fresh black rubber from braking or turning normally lifts completely with hot wash and a degreaser. Old, baked-in tyre marks from years of parking in the same spot lift partially. They fade a lot. They do not always disappear, because the rubber has bonded with the surface texture.
Will it kill the moss permanently?
No. Anyone who tells you otherwise is selling you something. Moss spores are airborne and constant. What we can do is remove the moss completely, treat the surface with a residual biocide that kills regrowth for nine to twelve months, and re-joint with polysand to take away the moisture trap moss needs to colonise. With aftercare you go from "green every winter" to "clean for two years."
Related services
Most of our customers book the drive and patio as part of a wider exterior refresh. Common pairings.
- Roof cleaning
- House render & wall cleaning
- Soft washing
- Gutter, fascia & soffit cleaning
- Conservatory cleaning
- Window cleaning
- Solar panel cleaning
- Hot washing
- K-Rend & silicone render cleaning
- Commercial exterior cleaning
Get a quote on your drive or patio
Send three or four phone photos showing the whole area, plus one close-up of the worst bit. We come back inside 24 hours, usually same day. If we need to see it in person before pricing, we will say so and book a free site visit.
Phone 07763 741067. WhatsApp +44 7763 741067. Email enquiries@bristolandbathexteriorsolutions.co.uk. Or use the quote form to send photos for a quote.