Best driveway cleaners
Oily deposits or dirt on your drive? Here are the best cleaners to fix it
You might take pride in keeping your car shiny, but when did you last look down and see if your driveway is looking clean? Moss, algae and general dirt will soon build up, often leaving tell-tale lighter ‘shadow’ patches when your car moves out of its usual parking spot. If you have an older car or like to do DIY maintenance, you might also be left with the odd unsightly oil patch.
Spending a few hours with a proper driveway cleaner, a hose and a brush will soon have it looking like new. Some contain acid to cut through to the stone surface under the dirt, but need to be treated with caution. Others have fungicides to reduce the growth of algae and moss, while some have detergents that attack oily spots. But which is the most effective? We tried seven to see which scrubbed up the best.
How we tested
We’re judging our cleaners on their ability to shift grime from concrete and paved surfaces with the minimum of effort. We mixed and used them in accordance with each maker’s instructions, using a brush and a pressure washer if suggested.
They were tried on block paving that was stained with used engine oil, and algae-covered concrete. We also scored them on value and environmental impact, because chemicals that kill off your neighbour’s Geraniums are going to make you unpopular with everyone…
Scrubb Driveway & Patio Cleaner
- Price: around £13.48
- Size: 5 litres
- Rating: 5 stars
- Contact: toolstation.com
Used - available now
2021 Toyota
Aygo
25,060 milesAutomaticPetrol1.0L
Cash £11,399
2020 Fiat
500
140,644 milesManualPetrol1.2L
Cash £2,795
2019 Ford
Kuga
24,308 milesManualPetrol1.5L
Cash £12,899
2022 DS
DS 3 CROSSBACK
38,177 milesAutomaticPetrol1.2L
Cash £11,949Used at the suggested dilution rate of just 50ml per litre, the Scrubb’s cleaning of our patches of grubby drive was behind that of some others in this test, but it is also exceptionally economical. Used neat on the oil patches, it excelled, however, and its other cleaning powers improved when the concentration was doubled – which still made it cheaper to use than most of its rivals here. It’s also friendlier on the environment, with a lower acid content. This means you can use a jet wash to help make cleaning easier, because it won’t damage its surroundings.
Spear & Jackson Path, Patio & Decking Cleaner
- Price: around £4.99
- Size: 5 litre
- Rating: 4.5 stars
- Contact: therange.co.uk
The headline attraction of the Spear & Jackson cleaner is the price. It’s less than £5 for a five-litre bottle, and the instructions say it can be diluted at up to a ratio of 1 to 4. It’s available in a selection of high street stores, too, so you don’t need to pay delivery. It did a great job clearing our driveway and contains chemicals to deter algae growth. But it lacks oil-busting ability.
Jennychem Patio & Driveway Cleaner
- Price: around £18
- Size: 5 litres
- Rating: 4 stars
- Contact: jennychem.com
It looks expensive at £18, especially compared to our top two cleaners, but the Jennychem cleaner can be diluted 1 to 4 to make it more economical, which goes some way to justify the cost. As does the cleaning power – we tried it at the suggested concentration, and it cleared
the grime almost as well as the Bostik, and it doesn’t need the same usage precautions as acidic formulas. It wasn’t as good on the oil as the Scrubb though.
Bostik Brick & Patio Cleaner
- Price: around £13.19
- Size: 5 litres
- Rating: 4 stars
- Contact: toolstation.com
If you have a really dirty driveway, then you might need to reach for the Bostik. It had the biggest effect on our patch of concrete with the least effort required. But there are some compromises that mean it doesn’t get placed higher, mainly that its acidic formula requires all sorts of restrictions. These include not being able to use a pressure washer with it because of the acid, which will add to your manual workload.
Knock Out Driveway, Decking & Patio Cleaner
- Price: around £15.28
- Size: 4 litres
- Rating: 3.5 stars
- Contact: toolstation.com
The Knock Out is another specialist cleaner, but in this case it targets algae, moss and mildew. As well as removing them effectively, it is said to inhibit regrowth, so your drive will look cleaner for longer. It did a great job on the mossy concrete strip in our test, but hardly touched the oil. It looks expensive too, especially because it’s a smaller four-litre container and shouldn’t be diluted.
Essentials Patio & Driveway Cleaner
- Price: around £12.99
- Size: 5 litres
- Rating: 3 stars
- Contact: screwfix.com
A dilution rate of 50ml per litre means the Essentials is great value to use, but it also seems to hurt the cleaning ability, because it was noticeably less effective than most of its rivals here. Increasing the mix ratio to make it stronger meant it was able to clear more of the grime away, but it also created a lot of foam in the process, which made it difficult for us to clearly see the areas that we were trying to clean underneath all of the suds.
Kärcher Stone & Paving Cleaner
- Price: around £8.99
- Size: 1 litre
- Rating: 3 stars
- Contact: kaercher.com
If scrubbing with a brush seems like effort, this is the lazy way. If you have a Kärcher pressure washer, the little bottle of cleaner plugs straight in and the fluid is fed into the flow. The problem is that it’s not very effective and works out expensive.
Verdict
A combination of all round-ability, ease of use and value means the Scrubb Driveway & Patio Cleaner takes the win. The Spear & Jackson takes second place, with a great price and decent cleaning, so long as you don’t need to tackle any oil stains. Third place goes to the Jennychem, which works well but is pricey.
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