The Best Ways To Maintain Your Driveway
This might not be something many people think about too often, but it’s important all the same. Maintaining your driveway is crucial for many reasons. Mainly, it’s best to keep up with it in order to save yourself costly replacements in the long run. With changing seasons, each one brings its own challenges when it comes to keeping the driveway in good shape. However, it doesn’t take too much time and effort to care for it. Whether you have a concrete driveway, asphalt, gravel, or anything else, you can take care of it and avoid any damage being done to it. With a little attention, you’ll be able to make sure your driveway will last for many years.
Clean It
As time passes, driveways wear down the same way your home’s exterior would. If you have a solid surface driveway, treat stains as they happen and don’t let them sit too long. The quicker you take care of them, the easier they will be to clean. Also, pull out any weeds and treat the driveway in order to prevent any future growth. For all driveways other than gravel, power was or wet clean them. Otherwise, sweep, rake, or remove tree debris that could cause staining or future growth on the driveway.
Fill In Any Cracks
Look over your driveway carefully to see if there are any cracks or holes you need to take care of. Keep an eye out for crumbling concrete as well. Seal any cracks or holes you might find on a solid driveway. Aside from making your driveway look nice, this will prevent injuries from tripping over the uneven ground.
Check The Water Flow
If you see that there are water puddles in your driveway in the summer, this means that those same puddles will freeze over in the winter. Frozen spots on driveways can lead to all kinds of unpleasant things like slips and accidents. On top of that, water and ice can also cause damage to concrete and asphalt driveways. In order to prevent all this, clear a few inches on each side of the driveway to direct water to flow in the right direction. If water flows under your driveway, it can cause the ground to shift – this can also lead to cracking and crumbling.
Keep The Edges Safe
Putting edging around your driveway is good for several reasons. Brick pavers can help gravel driveways stay in place. Rubber gravel or any other material with a weed-proof mat underneath it helps keep weeds from growing in the driveway. Not to mention, having this underneath asphalt or concrete will help as well since weeds can contribute to cracks in the driveway.
Be Careful With It
By understanding the need for maintaining your driveway and the methods that work for the one you have, you can prevent the need for repairs in future seasons and take care of it on your own. For example, asphalt driveways need to be resealed once every 1-3 years, while concrete driveways need to be resealed once every 3-5 years. Not to mention, you need to remember that all the salts in de-icers also cause concrete to weaken and crack more easily. Instead, use some sand for traction in the winter and plastic snow shovels that won’t damage the surface of the driveway.
