Can pressure washing kill my lawn?

Have you noticed that grass near the edge of your driveway seems to be dying? Have you had a professional pressure washing lately?

We recently had a situation where a client noticed that their sod along the edges of their driveway was dying. After thinking through possible causes, we pondered whether they had had their driveway pressure washed recently. And they had! The professional power washing caused both a chemical and power burn of the sod. High heat and chemicals contributed to the dead sod. 

This is more common than you think. While most pressure washing services for driveways & houses  are advertised as safe for plants and pets, it is actually possible for them to kill plant life eventually. 

Drive way pressure washing can cause plants around the edge of the driveway to be killed off. You may not think about it at the time, but the combination of heat, pressure and chemicals creates a less than ideal environment for grass & plants to thrive. When pressure washing your driveway, make sure to stay away from edges that could cause the loss of grass. 

House pressure washing can cause a slow death to your lawn or surrounding plants. When washing houses, typically a bleach solution is used to remove mold and mildew. the runoff can be absorbed into your lawn. When bleach breaks down it turns into salt. High salinity in the ground can cause plants to struggle with water absorption and cause death. This can possibly be avoided by watering your lawn before pressure washing with a solution like this. If your lawn is watered, the runoff will be diluted and won’t cause as much damage! It is also helpful to rinse off plant areas immediately after completing any wash job!

Pressure washing is a great way to get a good deep clean of your home and driveway, just take the necessary precautions to protect your lawn.

Questions about your lawn? Give us a call at (864) 275-2039!