How to Remove Oil Stains on Driveways
Oil stains on driveways look terrible, and ruin your home exterior, even if the stains are still fairly new. Try to avoid oil stains on your home’s driveway and in your garage if possible, and attempt to remove those stains quickly, before they set in.
If the stain has been there for a while, like from before you purchased the home, you might need the help of a local driveway cleaning service in Round Rock that is able to remove even the most set-in stains.
Where Do Concrete Oil Stains Come From?
Mostly, oil from vehicles is the reason for oil-stained concrete driveways. This might be oil, gas or transmission fluids – or a combination. Some of the typical ways concrete gets stained are from:
- Servicing your own car
- Filling up the lawn mower
- A leak that needs to be checked out by a auto mechanic
But, there are a lot of other things that can cause an ugly oil spot on concrete. So let’s review a few of the best DIY ways to remove those stains!
DIY Oil Stain Removal Tips
CAT LITTER FOR OIL STAINS
Cat litter is a simple first step for fresh oil stains where there is a lot of oil that needs to be dried up.
Sprinkle cat litter all over the oil stain, getting it down into the stain by crushing it with your feet. It’s recommended to leave the litter on the stain for 24 hours so it absorbs as much as possible. Scrape it up or sweep it off the next day and repeat as necessary.
Throw away used litter so pets and nearby wildlife don’t eat it and get sick from it.
Next you can follow up with one of the following do-it-yourself cleaning techniques.
COCA-COLA FOR OIL STAINS
You’ve probably heard urban legends about accident clean-up crews using Coca-Cola to clean up the roads, but, be assured, that is not true. However, Coca-Cola does have powerful cleaning properties for oily stains, in part due to its carbonated bubbles, but mainly because of the phosphoric acid in the soda.
Pour a generous amount of Coca-Cola on top of the oil stain, then cover it with dishwashing detergent (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 remove an oil stain on a driveway, you’ll first need to coat the stain with baking soda and let it sit for a while, somewhere from 15 minutes to two or three hours. This should absorb a lot of the oil and allow the baking soda to penetrate the porous concrete.
Next, add that famous blue dishwashing liquid and water and scrub until there is a thick paste. Again, you can let this sit for the best penetration, or you can continue to scrub in a circular pattern, then rinse.
Just like with the Coca-Cola method, you might need to repeat the process.
LAUNDRY DETERGENT FOR OIL STAINS
Many homeowners already use this to clean off tough stains on clothes. It’s actually a great product for removing tough oil stains from concrete too!
Combine powdered laundry detergent and borax in equal parts based on the size of the stain. You will want to cover it entirely. Let this dry mixture sit on the oil stain for an hour or longer, then add water to create a paste, scrub and then rinse.
This is a gentle cleaning process, so it might be necessary to repeat the process one or two times. But there is a possibility it will work!
DRIVEWAY CLEANING IN Round Rock
Some oil stains on a driveway are too difficult for home remedies to remove. That’s when it is time to call a professional pressure washing company to thoroughly clean your home’s concrete surfaces.
We don’t recommend pressure washing your driveway on your own to save a little money. You can cause major damage that is difficult to repair if you don’t know what you’re doing. The high pressure water can break and loosen concrete, and it can create streaks that look just as bad as the oil stains.
Calling RTX Round Rock Pressure Wash is definitely the smart choice. We know the best ways to clean concrete without destroying it, including:
- The right PSI and GPM settings to use
- Which nozzle tip will penetrate concrete without damaging it
- The optimal distance to spray the concrete from
- Solutions that can help lighten stains
RTX Round Rock Pressure Wash also follows all of the steps it takes to clean the concrete– the most effective process. Most homeowners don’t have the patience to do it correctly. They want fast results.
A professional pressure washing company can also provide protective sealing services for driveway so oil stains are less likely to occur.