If you have been neglecting to maintain your driveway and then you happen to pull in one day and think, “Oh my goodness this driveway looks horrible”, never fear. With some effort and one of the best electric pressure washers, you can bring it back to life and make it look great again. You do not have to hire a professional, but you do have to be willing to put in the effort.

For a driveway that has discolorations on it, you can use a little ammonia, diluted with water and scrub, then rinse. If you would rather avoid the chemicals, you can, if you are able to figure out what caused the discoloration. For instance, there are a lot of people who swear that rust can be removed from concrete using a packet of unsweetened lemonade Kool-Aid. You simply pour it over the rust stain, add hot water, let it sit for a couple minutes and scrub it away.

Rust stains are not the most common driveway killer though. Oil spots, spills, and streaks are most often the culprit. Transmission fluid, power steering fluid, and motor oil are all common oils that may end up on a driveway. You may not even see the power steering fluid at first because a lot of it is clear. However, after time, it will become blackened because of dirt that will get stuck in it. For all of these issues, you need something that can remove the oily part and then you can clean up the left over stuff. A degreaser can work, but there are other options if you do not have degreaser on hand.

You can use oven cleaner to remove set in stains that are oily. You simply spray it on, let it sit for up to 10 minutes, and scrub it with a very stiff brush. Rinse it off with your garden hose or pressure washer. Sometimes you may need to repeat if it is a very heavy stain.

If you are certain it is a stain left over by motor oil, you can sometimes make it easier to clean if you have WD-40 nearby. You can spray on a heavy coat of it over the oil stain and hose it down after you let it sit for a minute. Again, some scrubbing may be required, but in the end, your driveway should end up looking great.

When your driveway was new, you most likely put a sealant on it to try and keep it from getting stained. Over time, sealant wears thin. After you have thoroughly cleaned all of the stains from your driveway, you may want to consider resealing it again. To do this, all you have to do is purchase the concrete or cement sealer and paint it on. You do however need to make sure that your driveway has had a few days to dry off and check the weather for your area to ensure that it will not rain for a few days after you have applied the sealant. If it rains before the sealant is dry, your sealant will not set properly. During this time, you will also need to avoid driving or walking on your driveway. This may be an inconvenience, but will definitely be worth it when you can clean future spots and stains with less effort.