How to clean your driveway after a muddy winter – 5 simple steps including stain removal and sealing, to supercharge your home's curb appeal this spring

After months of rain, sleet, and snow, it's very likely that your driveway is looking a little worse for wear.

But, with mud, debris, and stains littering your driveway, how do you get it back to looking its best for the start of the spring season?

Here, professional cleaners share their cleaning tips to restore and maintain yours after winter, and make it the most enviable in your neighborhood this spring.

How to clean your driveway after winter

Step 1: Sweep away debris

Before deep-cleaning a driveway ready for spring and undertaking this essential outdoor cleaning task, you will need to remove any lingering winter debris Karina Toner, cleaning expert and operations manager at Spekless warns. She explains, 'Leaves, dirt, and small rocks can scratch the surface and make deeper cleaning less effective.'

This step is one of the simple things people with clean driveways always do that makes all the difference to the final result.

To remove these, Forrest Webber, cleaning expert and owner of Bear Brothers Cleaning suggests using a stiff-bristled brush, such as the Yocada 18" Heavy Duty Push Broom Brush available at Walmart. Alternatively, you can also use a leaf blower to get rid of leaves and other debris.

Karina reminds us, 'Pay attention to corners and edges where buildup is common,' especially after periods of high wind, heavy rain, and snow.

All prices correct at time of publication.

Step 2: Pre-treat stubborn stains

While water will effectively wash away surface-level dirt, for oil, grease, and deep-set stains, you will likely need something a little stronger, particularly as it's likely that you used your car more often than usual over the colder winter months.

So, to effectively get oil stains off a driveway, Forrest advises, 'Apply a degreaser or baking soda with water paste to the affected area, then let it sit for ten to fifteen minutes before scrubbing.'

In this instance, cleaning with baking soda, such as ARM & HAMMER Pure Baking Soda available at Walmart, works effectively due to its highly absorbent nature, which draws the oil and grease out of your concrete.

Karina adds, 'For mud stains, mix a solution of water and an outdoor cleaner, like Simple Green Concrete and Driveway Cleaner available at Amazon, and let it soak for 10-15 minutes,' to remove the built-up mud that may have gathered over periods of inclement weather.

Step 3: Power wash the surface

Next, you're ready to clean with a pressure washer.

If you're concerned about how much it costs to pressure wash a driveway, you can always rent a pressure washer to save money at home, which will generally work out cheaper than hiring a professional to do it for you. The Home Depot offers easy tool and equipment rental.

You can also, as Forrest suggests, use a hose with a high-pressure nozzle, such as the FANHAO Garden Hose Nozzle Sprayer available at Amazon.

Karina explains, 'A pressure washer removes deep-seated grime, moss, and lingering stains effectively.'

Always start at the highest point of your driveway and work downwards in overlapping sections, to prevent dirty water from undoing your hard work.

Just be aware that, when it comes to how often you should power wash your drive, less is more, with once a year typically being more than enough to maintain appearances. Spring is the ideal time for this task, as the weather tends to be milder and drier, preventing ice formation.

Step 4: Scrub and rinse

Even after power washing your driveway, you might find that some areas still need extra attention. For these, Karina suggests, 'Use a stiff-bristle scrubbed brush on stained spots,' such as the Weiler Heavy Duty Deck Scrub Brush available at Amazon.

Then, rinse thoroughly with clean water, to remove any residual cleaner and dirt, before letting your driveway dry thoroughly in the sunny spring weather.

Forrest reminds us, 'Check for remaining stains, and repeat treatments as necessary.'

Step 5: Apply a sealant

Finally, both Karina and Forrest recommend applying a sealant to your driveway, to protect against future stains all spring and summer long, and make cleaning easier when winter rolls around again.

Karina advises, 'Choose a penetrating concrete sealer for long-term protection,' such as the Siloxa-Tek Penetrating Concrete Sealer available at Amazon. 'Apply with a roller (such as the Mister Rui Paint Roller Kit available at Amazon) or sprayer, and allow it to dry completely before using the driveway again,' she adds.

If you do use one, just make sure you clean your paint roller afterward. It's best to reserve it solely for this task, so avoid using it for painting with a roller around the house.

Meet our experts

Forrest Webber

Forrest is the founder and CEO of Bear Brothers Cleaning, which offers an extensive array of house cleaning services, including deep-cleaning, maid services and move-out cleaning.

Karina Toner

As the operations manager at Spekless, Karina is extremely knowledgeable when it comes to cleaning both indoors and outdoors, and has made numerous contributions to a number of well-loved homes publications.

A clean driveway is just one of many practical ways to upgrade your curb appeal, with repainting a front door and maintaining your mailbox next on the list of spring home maintenance jobs.