This is the one surface that does want high pressure
Concrete, pavers and most pool decking tolerate real pressure, and it is what actually lifts the organic staining out of the pores. We use a surface cleaner rather than a wand for anything larger than a walkway — a wand leaves the striping pattern that tells everyone the driveway was cleaned by someone in a hurry.
The exceptions are worth knowing: stamped and coloured concrete, and any deck with a coating on it, go back down to soft wash pressure. Colour is a surface layer and pressure takes it off.
Why do driveways here stain so quickly?
Three reasons stack up. Rain plus 70% humidity keeps concrete damp long enough for algae to establish. Pollen season leaves an organic layer that feeds it. And on coastal properties, salt in the concrete pores holds moisture even on dry days.
Rust from irrigation water and from anything metal left standing is a separate problem, and a separate treatment — it needs an acid-based remover, not more pressure. Grinding at a rust stain with a pressure washer just polishes the concrete around it and makes the mark more visible.
Should pavers be sealed after cleaning?
Usually yes, on the Gulf Coast. Sealing locks the joint sand in place, slows organic staining and makes the next clean easier. Expect to reseal every two to three years here, against the four to five a sealer manufacturer will quote — that difference is the ultraviolet load.
Sealer goes on dry pavers only. If a company offers to clean and seal in the same visit on a humid Panhandle afternoon, the sealer is going down over trapped moisture and will cloud.
When can you park on it again?
After a clean, straight away — concrete is walkable as soon as the rinse water runs off and takes about 1 to 2 hours to dry out visually. A typical two-car driveway is 45 to 90 minutes of work.
Sealing is the part that needs planning. Sealer goes down on dry pavers, so the clean and the seal are two visits 24 to 48 hours apart, not one. After sealing, allow 24 hours before foot traffic and 48 to 72 hours before you put a vehicle on it. Anyone offering to clean and seal in a single afternoon on a humid Panhandle day is sealing moisture in, and it will cloud.
Pool decks add a step: the coping and any coated surface drop to soft-wash pressure, and we mask the water line so nothing goes into the pool chemistry.