How to Remove Oil Stains on Driveways
Oil stains on driveways look awful, and ruin your home exterior, even if the oil stains are still fairly new. Try to avoid oil stains on your driveway and in your garage if possible, and attempt to get rid of those stains quickly, before they really set in.
If the oil stain has been there for a long time, like from before purchasing the home, you may need the help of a local driveway cleaning service in Tamarac that has the ability to get rid of the most set-in oil stains on concrete.
Where Do Concrete Oil Stains Come From?
Mainly, oil from cars is the cause for oil-stained concrete driveways. This could be oil, gasoline or transmission fluids – or a combination of fluids. Some of the most typical ways your concrete gets stained are from:
- Servicing your own car
- Filling up the gas in a lawn mower
- A leak that needs to be checked out by a auto mechanic
But, there are countless other things that can leave an unsightly oil stain on your concrete. So let’s explore some of the best DIY methods to remove those oil stains!
DIY Oil Stain Removal Tips
CAT LITTER FOR OIL STAINS
Cat litter is a easy first step for new oil stains where there is a lot of oil that needs to be dried up.
Sprinkle the cat litter over the oil, really getting it down into the stain by crushing it with your feet. It’s best to leave the litter on the oil stain for 24 hours so it absorbs as much as possible. Scrape it up or sweep it off of the driveway the next day and repeat as necessary.
Throw away used litter so your pets and wildlife don’t eat it and get sick.
Then you can proceed with one of the following do-it-yourself concrete cleaning tips.
COCA-COLA FOR OIL STAINS
You might have heard urban legends about accident clean-up crews using Coca-Cola to clean the roads, but, be assured, that is a myth. That said, Coca-Cola does have strong cleaning properties for oily stains, in part due to its carbonated bubbles, but mostly from the phosphoric acid in the soda.
Pour a generous amount of Coca-Cola on top of the oil stain, then cover it with dishwashing liquid (Blue Dawn is widely accepted as the most effective). Scrub with a stiff brush, using circular motions throughout.
Rinse and repeat if needed.
BAKING SODA FOR OIL STAINS
Baking soda is another common home cleaning remedy ingredient.
To get rid of an oil stain on a driveway, you’ll first want to coat the stain with the baking soda and let it sit for a little bit, anywhere from 30 minutes to a few hours. This should absorb most of the oil and allow the baking soda to penetrate the porous surface.
Next, add that famous blue dishwashing detergent and some water and scrub until you have created a thick paste. Again, let this sit for maximum penetration, or continue to scrub in a circular motion, then rinse.
Just like the Coca-Cola method, you might need to repeat the process one or two times.
LAUNDRY DETERGENT FOR OIL STAINS
Many homeowners already use this to wash off tough stains on clothes. It’s actually a great product for removing bad oil stains on concrete as well!
Mix powdered laundry detergent and borax in equal parts based on the size of the oil stain. You want to cover it completely. Let this mixture stay on the oil stain for an hour or longer, then add some water to make a paste, scrub and then rinse.
This is more of a gentle cleaning process, so it could be necessary to repeat the process one or two times. But there is a possibility it will work!
DRIVEWAY CLEANING IN Tamarac
Some concrete oil stains on a driveway are just too difficult for home remedies. That’s when it is time to call a professional pressure washing company to thoroughly clean your concrete surfaces.
We don’t recommend pressure washing your driveway on your own to save a few dollars. You can cause major damage that is extremely difficult to fix if you don’t know how to properly pressure wash concrete. The high pressure water can break and loosen concrete, and it can leave streaks on a driveway that look almost as bad as the oil stains.
Calling Tamarac Pressure Washing is definitely the smart choice. Our technicians know the best ways to clean concrete without damaging it, including:
- The right PSI and GPM settings to use to remove stains
- Which nozzle will penetrate concrete without damaging it
- The best distance to spray the concrete from
- Solutions that can help lighten stains
Tamarac Pressure Washing also follows all of the steps it takes to clean the concrete little by little – the most effective process. Most homeowners and other companies don’t have enough patience to do it correctly. They want fast results.
A professional pressure washing company in Tamarac can also offer protective sealing services for your driveway so oil stains are less likely in the future.