Nothing hurts a homeowner's pride quite like a driveway overrun with mold and mildew stains. If your driveway is always in the shade, or you live in a damp climate, it's only a matter of time before your driveway falls victim to a mildew attack.
It's frustrating to try hosing mold and mildew away and watch it reappear moments after. Scrubbing it off with a push broom doesn't help much either. Below we cover two effective options for removing mold and mildew from concrete.
Things You'll Need:
*Pro Tip: Water your lawn well before cleaning to minimize bleach absorption.
Before you begin cleaning, put on rubber gloves. Combine 1/4 cup of liquid bleach with 1 gallon of hot water in a large bucket. To avoid damaging your lawn or walkways, always dilute your bleach and control your runoff when rinsing.
Soak your brush in the solution and scrub the entire area until it's fully saturated. Let it soak for at least several minutes before cleaning it up. Never put bleach in your pressure washer, as it'll ruin it.
Don't want to use bleach? Alternatively, you can use a mold and mildew house and siding detergent that is safe for your pressure washer. It will make your task much easier.
Simply fill your detergent tank, switch the tank to "On," and begin spraying your concrete with soap. Let it soak into the mold and mildew, and you'll be ready to spray it away.
Once either solution has had a chance to soak into the mold and mildew, power up your pressure washer. Using a powerful tip or turbo nozzle, hold the pressure washer about 10-12 inches from the concrete and begin blasting.
The mold should break up and wash away very quickly, leaving your concrete looking cleaner than the day it was poured. To avoid streaking, wash the entire walkway in smooth, overlapping strokes to remove any other dirt or mildew buildup.
After cleaning, wait until the driveway dries in order to verify you haven't missed any spots. Interested in other cleaning projects? Check out the link below to get new ideas for using your pressure washer around the house.