How often should you actually wash your driveway?

A concrete driveway is one of the most expensive things bolted to your house, and it's also the surface people neglect the most. A yearly wash keeps oil, tire marks, and organic staining from setting in permanently.

For most homes in Manchester and Tullahoma, once a year is the sweet spot — usually late spring after pollen season ends. That single wash catches pollen, winter salt (yes, we get some), and any oil drips before they set.

• You park under trees that drop sap or berries
• You have kids, sports gear, or a lot of foot traffic
• Your driveway faces north and grows a green/black film
• You just had roofing, painting, or landscaping work done

If you can see a lighter square where a garbage can used to sit, that's not clean concrete — that's the rest of your driveway darkened by years of grime. Same with tire tracks that look "burned in." Those are still washable, but they take a hot surface cleaner and sometimes a second pass.

A yearly driveway wash costs less than a tank of gas for most driveways I do. Sealing every 3–5 years after that will make each wash easier and keep the concrete looking newer for a decade longer.