Maintaining your driveway in a good condition

You might have had to deal with antifreeze spills from your car. The best way to remove antifreeze and clear up the stains that are left behind is by cleaning the driveway the minute you spot an antifreeze spill. There are various household cleaners that can be used for driveway cleaning.

If your driveway is made up of asphalt, then cleaning any type of stain can be a little tricky. Asphalt gets damaged very easily and requires extreme precaution and care. Using strong chemicals or even household detergents for driveway cleaning can easily weaken asphalt. It is therefore advisable for you to use mild household detergent to clean the surface.

Firstly, mix half a cup of mild detergent in a bucket of hot water. Two-thirds of water would be sufficient. To this mixture, add at least two cups of white vinegar. Remember to wear gloves to protect your hand from antifreeze.

Apply a thick coating of the above mixture on the affected area. Allow the mixture to stay on for 10 minutes. The vinegar acts like a bleaching agent and removes away the stains while the detergent will help to loosen out the antifreeze from the surface making it easier for you to remove. Now scrub the stain with a hard brush and rinse it off with sufficient amounts of water. Failing to wash the vinegar off completely might make the area lighter in color when compared to the rest of the driveway.

It is advisable to use cat litter when pressure cleaning your driveway as it is made up of other materials like concrete, gravel, etc. Sprinkle liberal amounts of litter on the area where antifreeze spill has occurred. Allow it to soak up the antifreeze thoroughly. For small quantities it may hardly take 30 minutes but if the area that has to be covered is large, it is better to leave cat litter overnight. The following morning, sweep it off with a broom or hard brush and dispose off the litter in plastic bags. Then sprinkle detergent on the surface and scrub it off with a hard brush. Rinse the entire driveway with sufficient amounts of water. Repeat the process if you still find antifreeze stains.

If the stains prove very tough to remove, then your last resort should be muriatic acid which is known to remove just about any type of stain off the driveway. Pressure cleaning your driveway will yield better results when compared to cleaning with a garden hose. The efficiency of removing any type of stain; the minimum amount of time that is required when compared to other types of cleaning methods and the minimum amount of chemicals required make pressure washing a superior type of cleaning technique when compared to other cleaning methods

Driveway pressure cleaning has to be done as soon as you see the stains on your driveway. This will make your cleaning job a lot easier.