Tips for Protecting Your Driveway from Winter Damage

Winter is almost upon us, and while that means that there are plenty of cozy holidays coming with it, it also means that the weather is about to get a lot harder on your home. The snowy seasons are particularly hard on the concrete in your driveway and sidewalks. That’s why it’s important to take precautions to keep your driveway safe before the winter gets here, when it will be much harder to protect it from the elements. Replacing your driveway concrete can be expensive. Instead, here are some tips to keep your driveway safe from the snow…

Edge around the driveway

Before the snow falls and winter begins, take some time to edge the lawn around your driveway. Make sure to give a lot of space between the vegetation of the grass and the concrete. The roots of the grass that push against the concrete can cause cracks in the winter, when the water inside of them freezes, causing them to expand. Take precautions and make sure this doesn’t happen, or it could lead to a big, expensive fix.

Weed around the driveway

Similar to edging your lawn, the weeds in each of the concrete slabs are horrible for your driveway, even in the warmer months, but get particularly terrible when the winter days begin to show up. Make sure to keep up on any growing weeds, and pull them up with their roots. Leaving those roots in the cracks can cause massive cracks once it starts to get cold, since the moisture in the roots will freeze.

Keep clean, always

Dirt, leaves, and grime are all things that can cause little aberrations in the concrete of your driveway. When winter arrives, and the temperature drops, massive cracks will start to appear where these aberrations are taking place. A little before winter begins, make sure to regularly blow or sweep the leaves off of the concrete of your driveway. Also occasionally take the time to us a power washer to prevent dirt from building up.

Water drainage

Take certain care to not let your gutters drain onto your driveway, as it can be exceptionally hard on the concrete. If the runoff water from your home goes to the driveway, then it is going to cause consistent water damage there all winter long. As the water runs onto the concrete, it will then freeze, which will cause splits to occur in the concrete slabs.