When owning a property, homeowners typically overlook the importance of the driveway. They tend to make the living room their top priority with welcoming guests in mind. However, the first impression of people towards your home usually lies in the appearance of your driveway.
A great driveway should both be functional and aesthetically pleasing. You fundamentally obtain a presentable and practical driveway by simply keeping your house clean inside out. On that note, here is a concise guide for beginners to driveway cleaning.
Get rid of unnecessary things
Start with clearing up tangible things. Apart from the fact that your driveway cannot achieve functionality and parking with stuff along the way, stuff like dirt and leaves that are inevitably bound to reach your driveway could lead to annoying stains. If you neglect to get rid of unwanted organic matter such as fallen leaves, piles of mulch and pine needles, chances are they would leave harmless yet unattractive stains behind. While the stain will most likely fade eventually, you can prevent staining from happening in the first place with regular driveway cleaning.
Treat oil stains immediately
If you regularly park your vehicle on your driveway, stains from oil and other liquid will most likely exist. Depending on what your driveway is made out of, it is possible to remove oil stains with household products such as cat litter, soapy water, baking soda, cola or powerful dishwashing detergent.
Deal with paint problems as soon as possible
It is possible to remove paint splatters from a furniture project you brought to your driveway. If you are dealing with a latex-based paint spill, you can usually get rid of it by splashing the area with water and some household scouring powder while scrubbing it with a stiff-bristle nylon brush.
On the contrary, oil-based and acrylic-based paint splatters are tougher to remove. If you have an asphalt driveway, the best solution may be coating the driveway or just the affected area with an asphalt sealer, which will restore its black surface and cover the splatters.
Remember that you can only use a solvent that removes oil-based paint on concrete driveways and never on asphalt because the solvent will damage your asphalt driveway.
Eliminate rust stains
While rust stains aren’t an issue on black asphalt driveways, rust stains don’t look nice on concrete. Rust stains on concrete happen as quickly as overnight. Just leaving a piece of metal out on your driveway during rain can leave a dark rusty stain by morning.
Luckily, muriatic acids that are available in most hardware stores can remove rust stains without much trouble. Just be careful about using them and wear gloves to prevent the chemical from touching your skin.
Patch up visible cracks
Driveways unavoidably crack overtime. It is important to repair these small cracks with sealers, hot asphalt crack filler, pourable grout, or textured caulk as soon as you notice them so that you can prevent more prominent damage.
On the other hand, if there are already larger cracks in your driveway, you can also use pourable grout, vinyl patch material, or textured caulk in greater quantity.
In conclusion, knowing how to keep the driveway clean should be every homeowner’s top priority. There are lots of ways to take care of your driveway, like the ones mentioned above. Preventing damage and maintaining a clean driveway is achievable through regularly checking on the condition of your driveway. However, in case of greater driveway damage, it is best to reach out to a professional driveway cleaner to better help you restore your home’s most prominent feature.
