How Can You Remove Tough Stains from Your Asphalt Driveway?

Driveway stains happen to all of our property eventually. Our cars get a leak and then our driveway gets a stain—it’s nearly unavoidable. If you want to keep your driveway looking neat and clean but aren’t sure how to get the stains out, here are some helpful tips.

Do It Fast

The easiest time to clean up a fluid stain on your driveway is right after it happens. If the oil, gasoline or other fluid is still on the surface of the driveway, pour some absorbent material like cat litter or baking soda on the stain and let it sit for a few hours. Then, remove the soiled material and wash the remaining stain with detergent.

Oil and Antifreeze

Oil and antifreeze stains are the most common driveway stains, and plenty of products can remove these stains. Start by applying a degreaser to the stain, let the area soak for a few minutes and then scrub it in with a stiff brush. After that, clean the area using a pressure washer and a detergent and then power wash the driveway. If you don’t have access to a pressure washer, you can try various cleaning solutions, like dishwasher detergent, trisodium phosphate or commercial concrete cleaner. Just wet the area, scrub in the cleaner and rinse it away. Deep stains may require several attempts to remove them completely.

Tire Marks

Hot tires can leave unsightly black marks on sealed concrete driveways, as the chemicals that keep the tires soft can leach into certain types of sealers, leaving black streaks across the concrete. Cleaning and removing these streaks may just require a little degreaser and some scrubbing, or you may need to use a solvent or chemical stripper to remove the sealer.

Resealing

Concrete or brick driveways don’t need to be sealed as often as asphalt driveways, but there is no better time to reseal a driveway than right after you give it a good cleaning. Let the concrete driveway dry for a few days, and make sure that it won’t rain for the next few days after that. Apply the sealer as if you were painting the driveway, then let it dry according to the directions before you start using the driveway again.

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