Tips for Cleaning Your Driveway of Stains and Debris
Your concrete driveway, patio, outdoor steps, and other concrete surfaces can become dirty, stained, and covered in mold, mildew, and lichen growth. When your concrete's surface is marred with damaging and discoloration stains, you can clean them from your concrete with some recommended cleaning steps. Here are some recommendations to help you clean your concrete surface to improve the look and value of your property.
Clean Off Dirt and Mildew Stains
After regular use and exposure to the weather, your concrete can become covered in salt from the roads during winter, dirt from your vehicle's dirty tire tread, green and brown growth. To remove dirt and salt stains after a hard winter, you can use your garden hose with a pressure nozzle sprayer, which will help you rinse the debris from your concrete. Use a scrub brush to loosen clots of dirt or the edge of your flat edge shovel to remove thick mud layers.
For mold, mildew, and lichen growths, your concrete may look permanently stained, but you can remove it with a pressure washer treatment. If you have your own pressure washer, use a high-pressure tip to cleanly lift off the growth and restore the clean white pavement beneath. You can also look to hire a professional concrete cleaning service to remove many types of stains and discoloration. They can also use specialized treatments to remove any stubborn stains with safe and biodegradable cleaning solutions so that your lawn and other vegetation do not become damaged.
Remove Oil Spills
Oil spills can happen easily on your driveway, especially when your vehicle is the one causing the problem and it has a persistent leak. As a first step, you should absorb as much of the oil as you can with a layer of cat litter. Once it has sat for several hours, sweep it up and toss it in the trash. Then, use a degreaser cleaning liquid or a concrete grease cleaning solution to clean off the stain. Use water and a scrubber to lift up the stain.
Clear Off Paint and Rust
Paint and rust are common staining elements that affect your concrete along with leaves and pine needles that leave brown-colored stains. Liquid dish soap and some water along with some of your own arm muscle to scrub at the stain to remove it from the concrete. Use muriatic acid to remove rust stains and pet remover to lift off paint spills from your concrete to restore its appearance.
For additional assistance, contact companies like Jaco Waterproofing.