What do professionals use to clean a driveway?
Professional crews typically use a combination of a concrete-specific degreaser for oil stains, a general-purpose pressure-washer detergent for routine dirt, and a surface cleaner attachment that distributes pressure evenly across flat concrete without leaving the streak marks a handheld wand can create. For algae or organic staining, many professionals reach for a bleach-based or specialized biological cleaner rather than standard soap, since it more effectively breaks down that specific type of buildup. Equipment-wise, most professional driveway cleaning is done with gas-powered machines in the 2,500–3,500 PSI range, paired with commercial-grade triplex pumps built to sustain that pressure for hours without overheating. The combination of the right chemical pretreatment and a surface cleaner attachment, rather than pressure alone, is usually what separates a fast, even professional result from a slower, streaky DIY attempt.