Driveways aren’t at the top of most house cleaning to-do lists, but they are an important aspect of your home’s exterior that requires regular care and maintenance. Let’s take a look at some simple tips for keeping driveways clean:
Items Needed for Cleaning Driveways
- Seal Coating
- Saw Dust
- Bucket
- Tarp
- Scrub Brush
- Trash Bags
- Broom/Push Broom
- Concrete repair mix/ready-made
- Dishwashing Detergent
- Hose with Power Washer Attachment
Start with a Thorough Sweeping
Before you get into the meat and potatoes of cleaning your driveways, it’s important to remove as much dust and debris from the surface as possible.
Over time, the regular movement of your cars and foot traffic, stir up yard clippings, leaves, and dirt. These items ultimately collect in piles, leaving your front yard looking like an eye sore.
Start by taking a push broom and sweeping any visible debris off of your driveway. Sweep the dust, organic materials, and trash into a dust bin and throw them out.
Focus on The Stains
Even the newest, cars have a tendency to leak automobile fluids all over our driveways and parking areas. If you regularly park on black top, it might not seem like that big of a deal, but on virgin pavement, it’s undoubtedly noticeable.
Oil and liquid stains aren’t just unsightly though, they can also lead to the breakdown of the concrete driveways are constructed out of. This can lead to structural integrity problems.
The easiest, most effective way to protect driveways from chemical damage is by investing in a sealcoat, but if that isn’t an option, you can at least get rid of the stains with simple house cleaning tools.
Fill a bucket full of sawdust, and cover any oil or grease stains that are visible. Let the sawdust sit for at least 12 hours and preferably overnight. In the morning, sweep up the pile of sawdust. Believe it or not, it will have absorbed any auto liquids that were left behind, leaving your driveway looking perfectly new.
Scrub Down Problem Areas
With the dust, debris, and major stains out of the way, it’s now time to focus on the trickier aspects of cleaning driveways. Sidewalk chalk, contractor markings, and spray paint are just some of the unusual substances that can end up on your driveway, leaving stains and unsightly splotches behind.
To remove these markings, you’ll have to do some scrubbing. Depending on how dirty the driveways are, there are a couple of different ways that you can do this. Either use the hose and a power washing attachment, or a bucket of warm water and dish soap. Accompanied by a sponge and plenty of elbow grease, the choice is yours.
Fill Up Cracks and Pot Holes
Our driveways and parking lots wear down over the years, and as they age, cracks and potholes start forming. Home improvement mixes or ready-made mixes, from the local hardware store, provide DIY solutions. Paying a team of professionals to get the job done works just as well.
Further Protective Measures
Once your driveway looks how you want it to, keep it that way. While regular maintenance, like sweeping, scrubbing, and washing is one way, hiring a team of cleaners or investing in a tarp makes the most sense. When you maintain a busy schedule, options are needed.
In closing, keeping your parking areas and driveways clean and nice is one of the few house cleaning tasks that really requires very little work. Follow these steps once every three months, and you’ll keep clients and visitors coming back again and again. Good luck!
I’m a stickler on keeping my driveway free from oil and as much other “stuff” as I can so this post hit home with me. I hate an oil stained drive. Last year I had a waterline break and the city put some spray paint markings on my curb. My car usually blocks it when parked but I really need to give an attempt to clean it off or it will never disappear in my lifetime I’m afraid. Do you have any recommendations for getting spray paint off? I try to stay away from power washers as they usually end up etching the concrete that leads to easier staining and degradation. Thanks,
Craig
We have an issue of oil stains in our driveway, and then the wind likes to blow debris all over and we’re stuck with a big mess. I’ll be trying a push broom with a power hose this weekend.
Thanks for mentioning that oil and liquid stains should not be ignored since they can significantly damage driveway concrete. My wife and I would like to install a concrete driveway so that I have a place to repair my car, but I want to make sure how to prevent oil from damaging the surface. I’ll be sure to maintain my driveway once I have it installed.
Hi Eli,
Our tip to you: invest in a sealcoat. Stains can be stubborn to get rid of. Investing in a sealcoat will protect your driveway from oil and liquid stains that aren’t so pretty to look at. It is our pleasure to hear your valuable feedback.
Could you write another post about asphalt paving a little bit more detail? I had some questions that weren’t answered here but I liked what you had to say on the subject. Love to hear more of your perspective.
Hi Steve,
Our website is in the process of an update. We will soon have more tips about asphalt paving to help better answer your questions. Thank you for your comment.