Driveway Cleaning in Chattanooga, TN
Driveway and concrete cleaning in Chattanooga
Chattanooga Washing Co. handles driveway cleaning in Chattanooga with a rotating surface cleaner on a 4,000 PSI rig, the tool that cleans flat concrete evenly and keeps splash off your siding. We pre-treat black mildew, green algae and leaf tannin stains with a 2-4% SH concrete mix, then work the slab in overlapping passes and detail the edges with a wand. The same visit can cover walkways, front steps, porches, patios, pool decks and the curb apron. Oil drips, sprinkler rust and the red clay that washes off every Tennessee yard each get their own cleaner.
Chattanooga Washing Co. provides driveway pressure washing and concrete cleaning to Chattanooga and surrounding Tennessee and North Georgia cities, including East Ridge, Collegedale, Ooltewah, Hixson, Red Bank, Harrison, Rossville and Fort Oglethorpe. Book it with a house wash and we clean the concrete last, so the siding rinse never lands on a finished slab.
What you get when we clean your driveway
- A surface cleaner over the whole slab, so no zebra stripes
- Pre-treatment for mildew, algae and leaf tannin stains
- Walkways, front steps and the curb apron in the same visit
- Oil, rust and red clay stains priced line by line up front
- Edges and expansion joints detailed by hand
- Free estimates and insured crews, evenings and weekends too
Types of driveway and concrete cleaning we offer
Concrete stains come from different sources, and each one needs a different cleaner. These are the concrete jobs Chattanooga homeowners call us for most.
Driveway pressure washing
A standard two-car driveway gets a pre-treat, a pass with a 20 or 24 inch surface cleaner and a hand-detailed edge. HomeAdvisor's 2026 national average for a driveway is $210, and most Chattanooga driveways come in near that. Shaded concrete under trees grows mildew faster, so it usually needs cleaning every year instead of every two.
Walkway and step cleaning
Walkways, front steps and stoops take more foot traffic than the driveway and turn slick when algae sets in. We clean them with a smaller 16 inch surface cleaner where it fits and a 15-degree tip on step faces, then rinse the grit off lawns and beds. Step edges and the base of handrail posts get detailed by hand.
Oil stain removal
Fresh oil and transmission drips come out best. We apply a degreaser that emulsifies the oil, agitate it, give it time to work and then wash the spot with the surface cleaner. Old stains that soaked deep into porous concrete usually lighten a great deal but can leave a faint shadow, and we tell you which kind you have before we start.
Rust removal from concrete
Orange spots and fan-shaped stains come from well water sprinklers, fertilizer granules and metal furniture, and bleach does nothing to them. We use an oxalic acid based rust remover, the main active ingredient in many rust removers because it binds iron, then neutralize and rinse. Most sprinkler rust lifts in a single application.
Red clay stain removal
Southern red clay is an Ultisol, and its red color comes from iron oxide, so clay washed onto concrete stains like rust. Runoff from bare yards and construction leaves the worst of it on lower driveways and garage aprons after a heavy rain. A pressure wash moves the loose soil, and an acid-based clay cleaner takes out the color that soaked in.
Patio and pool deck cleaning
Broom-finish patios and pool decks collect pollen, leaf tannins and black mildew in the shade of decks and fences. HomeAdvisor puts patios, walkways and pool decks at $0.20 to $0.40 per sq ft nationally. We use the surface cleaner on open concrete and a gentler rinse along pool coping, drains and screen enclosures.
Paver and brick walkway cleaning
Pavers and brick need a lighter pass than poured concrete so the joint sand stays put. We clean at reduced pressure, kill green algae in the joints and treat efflorescence, the white salt bloom that water carries out of masonry. We don't seal pavers, so if yours need resealing afterward, we'll say so and you choose who does it.
Leaf tannin and mildew stain removal
Brown leaf shadows on driveways under oaks and maples are tannins leaching out of wet leaves. With 55 inches of rain a year in Chattanooga, they set into the concrete through fall and winter. A 2-4% SH pre-treat followed by the surface cleaner lifts most tannin, mildew and algae stains in one visit.
How much does driveway cleaning cost in Chattanooga?
Driveway cleaning in Chattanooga typically costs $149 to $279 for a standard concrete driveway, with long or three-car driveways running higher. HomeAdvisor's 2026 national range is $100 to $350, averaging $210, or $0.30 to $0.55 per sq ft. Size, stain treatment and access set the final price, which we confirm first.
| Job | Low | Typical | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Two-car driveway, up to 600 sq ft | $149 | $179 | $229 |
| Long or three-car driveway, 600 to 1,200 sq ft | $199 | $279 | $399 |
| Driveway plus walkway and front steps | $179 | $229 | $299 |
| Patio or pool deck | $99 | $179 | $299 |
| Oil, rust or red clay stain treatment (add) | $50 | $100 | $200 |
These are typical starting ranges. We confirm the final price on site or from your photos before any work starts, and stain treatments are always listed as their own lines.
How often should you pressure wash a driveway in Chattanooga?
Most Chattanooga driveways need pressure washing every one to two years, and shaded concrete under trees often needs it every year. Sunny slabs mostly collect tire marks and dust. Shaded ones stay damp through roughly 123 rainy days a year and grow black mildew and green algae that turn slick by late winter.
Doing it yourself is possible, but it costs more than most people expect. A rental pressure washer runs $35 to $175 a day, and without a surface cleaner a wand leaves zebra stripes that show for months. A red 0-degree tip can etch concrete and injure people. Our crew brings a 4,000 PSI, 4.0 GPM rig and a 20 inch surface cleaner, which cleans faster and evenly.
We also watch where the water goes. Hamilton County's water quality rules allow residential car washing and street wash water to reach storm drains, but detergent-heavy rinse water is better kept out of them. On sloped driveways we pre-wet, use only as much cleaner as the stain needs and steer rinse water toward the lawn instead of the curb inlet.
How our driveway cleaning visit works
- Quote and stain check
Send photos for a faster quote, or we measure on site. Oil, rust and red clay stains are listed as separate lines so the price holds.
- Clear and pre-treat
Cars come off the driveway, nearby siding gets a wet-down, and the 2-4% concrete mix goes on mildewed and algae-stained areas.
- Surface clean and detail
The 20 inch surface cleaner covers the slab in overlapping passes, then a 15-degree tip details the edges, joints and steps.
- Spot treat and post-rinse
Stain removers go on oil, rust and clay spots, then we post-rinse the slab, the siding splash line and the beds.
Driveway cleaning near Chattanooga
- Collegedale, TNTurnover washes for rentals near Southern Adventist University, first cleanings for 2010s homes and flatwork along SR 317.
- East Ridge, TNBrick ranches from the 1950s, original carport slabs and Ringgold Road storefronts, washed at the right pressure for their age.
- Fort Oglethorpe, GAShaded homes on the battlefield edge, 2000s vinyl subdivisions and the 1904 quarters on Barnhardt Circle, all on our Georgia route.
- Harrison, TNDock, boathouse and seawall cleaning timed to the winter lake level, plus lake-safe soft washing for Harrison homes.
- Hixson, TNSoft washing for the split-levels and ranches off Hixson Pike, roofs under Big Ridge oaks and docks above Chickamauga Dam.
- Lookout Mountain, TNPre-war brick, sandstone walls and lichen on shaded brow lots, cleaned with detergent and patience instead of pressure.
- Ooltewah, TNSoft washing for 2000s and 2010s subdivision homes, HOA-ready roofs and broom-finish driveways east of White Oak Mountain.
- Red Bank, TNA town named for red clay, with pre-war cottages, 1950s ranches and Dayton Boulevard storefronts that all need that clay washed off.
- Signal Mountain, TNRoofs under a full Walden Ridge canopy, cleaned of black streaks, moss and lichen by soft wash, with gutters done the same day.
- Soddy-Daisy, TNDeck cleaning, long rural drives, barns and escarpment-shaded roofs along the 9-mile US 27 corridor.
Driveway cleaning FAQ
Can pressure washing damage concrete?
Yes, with the wrong tip. A 0-degree nozzle or a wand held too close can etch the surface off concrete and leave permanent lines. A surface cleaner spreads the pressure across a spinning bar under a round shroud, so it cleans evenly without gouging. We use one on every driveway and keep the wand for edges.
How long does it take to pressure wash a driveway?
A standard two-car driveway usually takes 1 to 2 hours, including pre-treatment and the post-rinse. Long driveways, heavy mildew or several stain treatments add time. You can drive on the concrete as soon as we finish, and it dries completely within a few hours on a sunny Chattanooga day.
Can you get oil stains out of a driveway?
Most of them. Fresh oil and transmission fluid drips usually come out completely with a degreaser, some agitation and a surface cleaner pass. Stains that soaked into porous concrete for years usually fade a lot but can leave a faint shadow. We test a small spot first so you know what to expect.
Do you seal driveways after cleaning?
No. We clean concrete and pavers, but we don't seal or stain them. A clean, dry slab is exactly what a sealing contractor needs, so we're glad to clean first and let you pick a sealer. If your concrete is spalling or cracked, we'll point it out so you can plan the repair.
What is the white powder on my pavers or concrete steps?
That's efflorescence, a salt bloom that forms when water dissolves salts inside concrete or masonry, carries them to the surface and evaporates. Pressure alone often makes it come back. We treat it with an efflorescence cleaner and a low-pressure rinse, and fixing the moisture source keeps it from returning.
Is driveway pressure washing worth it before selling a house?
Usually, yes. The driveway is the first thing buyers and listing photos see, and cleaning a two-car slab typically costs $149 to $279 in Chattanooga. Taking off mildew, tire marks and rust stains makes the concrete look years newer for a small fraction of what any repair or replacement costs.