How To Clean Driveway
A Concrete driveway, when it is new, it looks great but when
it becomes dirty you ask the question how to clean driveway.
However, it does not remain new for long. It is affected by oil
stains, rust, grease, mildew and tire marks spoil its
appearance within a short time and it loses its luster. Hence
it is essential to remove these stains to make the driveway
regain its luster. Some of the solutions for keeping it
lustrous are given below.
Try and get a Power washer – this is very useful when you
consider your driveway having stubborn stains.
Removing Oil & Grease
1. Fresh Oil -- The commonly followed solution for freshly
spilt oil is kitty litter. If you are changing yourself the car
engine oil or there is any oil leakage it is advisable to keep
stock of kitty litter and put it on the area where oil is
spilt. Even even the oil spillage is recent kitty litter will
suck the oil.
2. Old Oil -- This is the most difficult to clean.
People have been trying to clean this with coke, laundry soap
and ammonia mixture but without success. Use of Gunk brand
degreaser partly solves the problem but the stain does not
fully go off. Branded products like Castrol SuperClean,
PurpleStuff etc. clean with part success and you could check
with the auto stores about availability. According to Michigan
State University Extension Service – wet the stained area with
water apply a hot solution of 2.5 OZ of washing soda and .5 OZ
of tri-sodium phosphate per gallon of water.
Removing Rust
Cleaning this is neither easy nor safe. First of all you
must ensure that the cleaning agent does not spoil the color of
your tiles. Apply it on an inconsequential area and check
whether it affects the color.
It is better to start with easy stuff first before going for
ugly stuff. Oxalic acid is the best for removing rust from most
of the items. ZUD Heavy Duty Cleanser removes stains that are
long standing and is available in grocery stores. Wet the
rusted area, sprinkle ZUD, wait for a few minutes and scrub
with brush.
The real oxalic acid is sold as a powder or wood bleach many
times and you must dissolve it in warm water until it gets
saturated. Brush the area and leave it for sometime. Rinse it
thoroughly. Care must be taken to wear rubber gloves because
the acid is mildly toxic.
Dirt and Mildew Stains
Using power washer or water blaster and spraying bleach
water solution after washing will solve the problem.
Tire Marks
Cleaning with power washer or water blaster is the best
solution.
Last resort
Use dilute hydrochloric acid to etch the dirty concrete
away; however rinse it thoroughly immediately after using
HCL.
Hope you get an idea about how to clean driveway.
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