Does your home have the curb appeal you want?
Your driveway sets the tone for your home. It’s the first thing people see when they arrive.
It also shows dirt and age faster than any other part of your home’s exterior.
Keeping your driveway clean is an important part of owning a home and prolonging the life of your driveway. But if you’ve never thought about how to clean a driveway, you might not know where to start or how to clean concrete.
Here is a Beginner’s Guide: How to Clean a Concrete Driveway
1. Clear Away the Big Stuff
This might be obvious but let’s start with the big stuff.
Remove fallen tree branches and leaves. Use a blower or sweep dirt away. Trim bushes or trees that overhang the driveway to reduce the amount of future debris on your driveway.
2. Treat Oil Stains
If you park a vehicle on the driveway, you might have stains from oil or other liquids.
Spot clean these areas with cat litter or sawdust to soak up any liquid. Cover each area with cat litter and let it sit overnight.
Next day, sweep the piles of soaked litter and safely dispose of it. Then clean the area with water.
3. Check for Mildew
The surface of your driveway is hard to keep in its original light condition. It darkens over time as it weathers the seasons.
Even on darker gray driveways, mildew is an issue. When wet, mildew is slippery and causes other health issues.
Use a combination of bleach and water for the best way to clean driveway concrete and remove mildew. Be sure to use gloves when handling bleach and keep it away from grass or plants.
Bleach also brightens the surface of your driveway. The overall treatment of bleach helps restore your concrete to its original lighter shade.
4. Make Small Repairs
Driveways crack over time. After the dirt and grime are gone from your driveway, cracks might be more visible than before.
Fortunately, you can repair cracks with a little DIY effort. Fill small cracks with caulk and fill larger cracks with grout.
It’s important to repair cracks as soon as you see them to prevent bigger damage.
5. Give it Power
Sometimes it takes a little power to get a clean driveway. Use a power washer to remove dirt from small nooks and crannies.
Power washing shoots a concentrated stream of water at high pressure to remove dirt that scrubbing doesn’t remove.
Choose the correct nozzle and amount of force to get the job done. Using too much direct force can dislodge pieces of concrete from your driveway.
Be sure not to use bleach in the power washer.
Know How to Clean a Concrete Driveway
Before you start, be sure you know how to clean a concrete driveway. Preparation will help avoid damage to your driveway as you clean it.
Should you need more than cleaning to get your driveway back in shape, contact us with questions or to request an estimate. We handle concrete projects of all sizes.
