The best time to clean a Bellevue driveway is late October into November, once most of the leaves are down and before the cold sets in. Wet leaves leave brown stains on concrete every fall, and a wash needs weather warm enough for the concrete to dry, which in the Omaha area runs out in December.
Here is what stains concrete in the fall, how we clean it, and what to do about deicers once the snow starts.
What stains a driveway in fall
- Leaf stains. Leaves that sit wet on concrete leave brown, leaf shaped marks. Under oaks and maples, a driveway can collect them for weeks.
- Tire marks and oil spots. A year of parking shows up as dark tracks and drips near the garage.
- Gray grime. Dirt, pollen and road film turn light concrete gray.
- Green film on shaded walks and patios. Algae and mildew grow where concrete stays damp.
- Rust and mineral streaks. Sprinklers that hit the drive or walk all summer leave orange and white marks.
Why Bellevue concrete gets it worse
Bellevue has more mature trees than most of the metro. Driveways and sidewalks near Fontenelle Forest, Haworth Park and the bluffs along the Missouri River sit under oaks, maples and cottonwoods, and oaks keep dropping leaves into late November. We are based in Bellevue, and the heaviest leaf staining we see is on concrete under that tree cover.
When to wash
December through February are the only months with an average temperature below freezing in the Omaha area: 28.7°F in December, 24.4°F in January and 28.9°F in February (NOAA 1991 to 2020 normals). The National Weather Service in Valley puts the average first hard freeze for Omaha, next door to Bellevue, at October 26. Wash before steady cold arrives, on a dry stretch, so the concrete goes into winter clean and dry.
- Light tree cover: any time in October or November.
- Big oaks over the drive: wait for the last leaf drop in November, or the stains come right back.
- Same visit as the house: a house wash before winter and the driveway can go on one quote.
How we clean concrete
Our pressure washing service matches the pressure to the surface. Concrete and stone are the surfaces that get higher pressure, after a cleaning solution has loosened the stains:
- Treat. A cleaning solution matched to the surface loosens leaf stains, grime and algae before any pressure touches it.
- Wash. Even passes across the whole slab, so there are no wand marks.
- Rinse. Everything gets a full rinse, including walkways and plants.
Rental machines put out more pressure than most surfaces can take, and too much pressure on concrete leaves wand marks you can see for years.
| Surface | What comes off |
|---|---|
| Driveways and sidewalks | Tire marks, oil spots, leaf stains, gray grime |
| Patios and pool decks | Dirt, algae, leaf stains; ready for furniture the same day |
| Garage doors and entryways | Cobwebs, dust and streaks, washed at low pressure |
Go easy on deicers this winter
Once the drive is clean, the next threat is what goes on it in January. The National Ready Mixed Concrete Association explains that scaling, the flaking or peeling of a concrete surface, comes from freezing and thawing. Its advice:
- Avoid deicing chemicals in a new slab's first winter. Use clean sand for traction instead.
- After that, use deicers in moderate amounts.
- Never use ammonium sulfate or ammonium nitrate, which are found in many fertilizers, as a deicer.
Shoveling early, before snow gets packed into ice, means less deicer is needed in the first place.
How often to clean
Most driveways do well with a wash every year or two. Drives under heavy trees or shade, where leaf stains and algae build up fastest, are the ones worth doing every fall.
What it costs
Driveway cleaning with Fontenelle runs $200 to $500+, depending on the size of the drive, the surface and how much buildup there is. A house wash runs $300 to $800+. While we are there, the gutters under those same trees are often due: add a gutter cleaning in Bellevue to the quote. Members of our membership program save 15% to 30% on every cleaning.
Getting a quote
Send us your address and a photo of the drive if you have one. Request a free quote and we will text you a price, usually within the hour.
Want the crew to handle it?
Fontenelle Window Cleaning serves Omaha, Bellevue, Papillion and the whole metro. Free quotes by text, usually within the hour.
