Helpful video reference. Garage Gear's video "How To Pressure Wash A Driveway For Beginners (Most Skip This FIRST STEP!)" is a useful beginner-level watch on driveway pressure washing.
Clear the surface first
Sweep or blow off loose leaves, grit and plant debris before you start. Pressure washing over loose debris just sends it flying and wastes passes - a clear surface lets the water and pressure actually work on what's stuck down.
Check for cracks and loose material first
Look over the driveway for cracked concrete, loose block paving, or crumbling edges before you start. High pressure can force water into existing cracks and make a small problem worse. If a surface is genuinely too damaged to safely wash, that's worth knowing before you begin, not after.
Pre-wet the area
A first pass at lower pressure to wet the whole surface evenly helps loosen surface dirt before the main clean, and stops the pressure washer working against bone-dry, baked-on grime from a standing start.
Match the pressure to the surface
Standard concrete and tarmac driveways can take a proper high-pressure wash. Softer or more delicate surfaces - natural stone, render, decking - need lower pressure and a different technique, or you risk damaging the surface rather than cleaning it. See our pricing page for how this breaks down by surface type.
Deal with oil stains separately
Pressure alone often won't fully shift oil or grease staining. A degreaser applied before washing gives the pressure something to work with instead of just spreading the stain around.
When to call someone in
A small patio or short path is a reasonable DIY job with a domestic pressure washer. Large driveways, block paving that needs re-sanding, or natural stone and render that need a soft-wash and biocide treatment are usually better left to the right kit and know-how - the wrong pressure on the wrong surface is how driveways get damaged, not cleaned.