Four Tips For Cleaning Your Driveway Using Common Household Items

May 31, 2010

Driveway cleaning is an easy job for homeowners to put off. However, routine maintenance is important for your driveway, as it is for just about every other area of the home. Fortunately, many of the tools you need to clean your driveway can be found around the house, and using them to clean your driveway can make the job easier and more efficient. Read on to learn about the best tips for cleaning your driveway with common household items.

Mix your own driveway cleaning solution.

Don't worry, it's easy. Mix a solution like Arm & Hammer's Washing Solution with warm water (about one cup per bucket of water) and stir until the solution is dissolved. Voila! You have simple do-it-yourself driveway cleaner. Now the hard part: Scrubbing the driveway with it. Apply the solution with a stiff bristled broom or long handled brush, then scrub and rinse with water.

Use kitty litter for driveway oil stains.

Kitty litter does an amazing job of absorbing oil. It works best on fresh stains, but can help improve even old driveway oil stains. The trick to making this tip work is to apply pressure to the stain. Be sure to grind the kitty litter onto the stain and apply pressure by standing on a board or piece of cardboard.

Oven cleaner and laundry stain remover can be used for other tough driveway stains.

When left to sit for several hours, oven cleaner can work miracles on old, tough driveway stains. Just rinse off the area afterwards, no scrubbing required. Similarly, laundry stain remover works just as well on the driveway as it does on your stained clothes. Let the stain remover sit for five minutes or so, then add powdered laundry detergent and water. A little scrubbing power should do the trick, and you can rinse away the solution when finished.

Use salt to kill weeds and prevent them from coming back.

Simple table or kosher salt can help eliminate those pesky weeds that keep popping up in the cracks of your driveway. To kill the weeds, add one-fourth cup table or kosher salt to one gallon of boiling water and pour onto the weeds. To prevent the weeds from growing back, sprinkle salt directly onto the cracks and crevices in your driveway. Warning: rock salt should not be used for this job as it could cause the driveway to chip.

Your driveway is part of the overall outer appearance of your home, and can enhance your home's curb appeal considerably. Remember: clean the driveway now, and save yourself the headache of pouring a new one down the road!