Too Much Foot Traffic: When to Perform Upkeep on Sidewalks?

If you live in a neighborhood, chances are good that you have sidewalk areas around your home. These sidewalks are great areas for walking and kids’ activities, including riding bikes and scooters. If you live in a large neighborhood, you may see a great deal of foot traffic around your home. When the area is busy, how do you go about cleaning up and repairing your concrete sidewalks? Is there a form of etiquette you should follow?

Regular Cleaning

To begin with, your sidewalks will require regular cleaning on a weekly basis depending on the season. In the fall, you will want to use a leaf blower or broom to sweep away leaves and other debris. During the summer, you will want to clean off any grass clippings or dirt from the sidewalk.

To do this without interruption, it will be best to work in the early morning. If you have time before work, just head out with your broom and sweep the area. This way, anyone walking by will not be subject to any tripping hazards and your lawn can stay clean. If you are unable to complete the work on the weekday, the sidewalks can easily be swept on the weekend.

Power washing is also a good idea but not needed on a weekly basis. This will be a bit trickier to do. When planning a power washing to clean dirt and grime from the sidewalk, think about when the sidewalks are the least busy. Usually this will be early morning or perhaps late evening. Plan to start your power washing project from the main sidewalk area and end at the front of your home.

This way, you get the busy part of the sidewalk completed first before walkers start out on their daily strolls or when foot traffic is at its peak.

Repairs

Your sidewalk will also need to be repaired from time to time. This could be due to cracks, bulging areas or other repair needs. Some repairs require a quick fix, while others may be subject to major repair needs. Whatever the case may be, your concrete will need to be void of foot traffic for a time.

If the main area of the sidewalk where people will be traveling needs to be repaired, talk to your neighbors first. Alert them of the repair need and that you will be working on the area. Set up cones, signs or some type of alert so that anyone walking by will see that the area is being treated and needs to be avoided.

In some areas, the concrete will need new cement poured down. If anyone were to walk on the fresh cement, it would affect their shoes and clothing as well as damage your project. Be sure to mark the area clearly so even children will know to avoid the space.

Just because you live in a high traffic area, doesn’t mean you cannot care for your sidewalk properly. Just take the appropriate steps to ensure that your sidewalk is cleaned and repaired as needed and you will have a walkway that lasts a lifetime!