Driveway Cleaning in Lakewood Ranch — Concrete, Pavers, and Stain Removal

Lakewood Ranch is one of Sarasota County's most well-maintained communities, and the HOAs know it. Many Lakewood Ranch neighborhoods enforce exterior maintenance standards that include driveway appearance. Whether you're keeping your HOA happy or just want your home to look its best, driveway cleaning is one of the highest-impact improvements you can make.

Concrete Driveways

Most Lakewood Ranch homes built in the last 15 years have poured concrete driveways that range from 400 to 800 square feet. In Florida's climate, untreated concrete develops dark organic staining within 12–18 months. The north side of the driveway — the side that gets less direct sun — always stains faster.

Professional concrete cleaning uses a surface cleaner — a rotating disc that provides uniform cleaning pressure across a wide path. This prevents the streaking and tiger-striping that happens when contractors use a standard wand. We pre-treat with a sodium hypochlorite solution to kill organic growth, then make overlapping passes with the surface cleaner for even results.

A properly cleaned concrete driveway goes from dark gray-green back to light gray or white. The transformation is dramatic and immediate.

Paver Driveways

Lakewood Ranch communities like Country Club East, The Lake Club, and Edgewater have homes with paver driveways that require a different approach. Pavers need cleaning plus joint sand inspection and potential sealing. The cleaning process is lower pressure to avoid displacing sand from the joints, followed by polymeric sand fill where needed and optional sealer application.

Paver driveways that haven't been sealed tend to develop weed growth in the joints, ant hills, and color fading. A clean-sand-seal cycle restores the driveway to near-original condition and prevents weed intrusion for 2–3 years.

Oil Stain Removal

Oil stains are the number one complaint we hear about Lakewood Ranch driveways. A single oil drip from a car becomes a permanent dark spot within days as the petroleum penetrates concrete pores. Standard pressure washing improves oil stains but rarely removes them completely.

For stubborn oil stains, we use hot water pressure washing combined with commercial degreasers. The hot water emulsifies the oil and the degreaser breaks the molecular bond with the concrete. Fresh stains (under 30 days) typically come out completely. Older stains may lighten significantly but sometimes leave a shadow where the oil penetrated deeply.

HOA Compliance

Several Lakewood Ranch HOAs include driveway cleanliness in their architectural review standards. We've had homeowners contact us specifically because they received a notice from their HOA citing driveway staining. If you've received a notice, we can typically schedule within a few days and have your driveway cleaned before the compliance deadline.

Pricing for Lakewood Ranch Driveways

Standard 2-car concrete driveways: $125–$200. Larger 3-car driveways or driveways with heavy staining: $200–$300. Paver driveways with cleaning and sand: $250–$500. Add $1.50–$2.50 per square foot for sealing. Most homeowners combine driveway cleaning with sidewalk and walkway cleaning for the best per-surface rate.

Sidewalks and Walkways

Most Lakewood Ranch homes have 50-100 linear feet of sidewalk connecting the driveway to the front door, mailbox, and side yard. These narrow surfaces stain disproportionately because they stay shaded by roof overhangs and landscaping for much of the day. Sidewalk cleaning is typically bundled with driveway service — since the equipment is already set up, adding sidewalks costs significantly less per square foot than pricing them as a standalone job.

The walkway from the driveway to the front door is arguably more important than the driveway itself. It's the path every visitor, delivery person, and potential buyer walks. A clean walkway leading to your front door signals a well-maintained home. A stained walkway undermines everything else you've done to maintain curb appeal.

Lakewood Ranch communities with deed restrictions sometimes specify that sidewalks must be maintained to the same standard as the driveway. If you've received a notice about your driveway, assume the sidewalks are included in the expectation and clean them at the same time. Coming into compliance on the driveway while leaving stained sidewalks invites a follow-up notice.

For homeowners in communities like Waterside, Cresswind, and Del Webb — which have newer construction and higher aesthetic standards — quarterly sidewalk cleaning combined with twice-yearly driveway service maintains the premium appearance these communities expect. The annual cost for a comprehensive hardscape program runs $500-$900 depending on total surface area, which is substantially less than a single HOA violation fine or the property value impact of a neglected exterior.