How to Remove Oil Stains on Driveways
Oil stains on driveways look awful, and tarnish your home exterior, even if the oil spots are still fairly new. Avoid oil spots on your driveway, sidewalks and in your garage if possible, and try to get rid of those stains fast, before they set in.
If the oil stain has been there for a while, like from before you purchased the home, you may need the help of a local driveway cleaning service in Georgetown that is able to get rid of the most set-in oil stains on concrete.
Where Do Concrete Oil Stains Come From?
Mostly, oil from automobiles is the reason for oil-stained concrete. This might be oil, gasoline or transmission fluids – or a combination of engine fluids. Some of the most typical ways concrete gets stained are from:
- Fixing your own car
- Filling up the lawn mower
- A leak that should be checked out by a auto mechanic
But, of course, there are many other things that can cause an unsightly oil stain on concrete. So let’s look at a few of the best DIY tips to remove those oil stains!
DIY Oil Stain Removal Tips
CAT LITTER FOR OIL STAINS
Cat litter is a easy first step for fresh oil spots where there is excess oil that needs to be dried up.
Sprinkle the cat litter over the oil, getting it down into the stain by stomping on it with your feet. It’s recommended to leave the litter on the oil stain overnight so it will absorb 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 pets and wildlife don’t eat it and get sick from it.
Next you can proceed with one of the following do-it-yourself concrete cleaning techniques.
COCA-COLA FOR OIL STAINS
You might have heard urban legends about accident clean-up crews using Coca-Cola to clean the roads, but, rest assured, that is not true. However, Coca-Cola does have strong cleaning properties for greasy stains, partly because of 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 detergent (Blue Dawn is widely considered the most effective). Scrub with a stiff brush, using circular motions.
Rinse and repeat if necessary.
BAKING SODA FOR OIL STAINS
Baking soda is a 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 while, 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.
Then, add blue dishwashing detergent and some water and scrub until you have created 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 have to repeat the process.
LAUNDRY DETERGENT FOR OIL STAINS
Most homeowners already use this to clean off bad stains on clothes. It’s also a great product for removing tough oil stains on concrete as well!
Combine powdered laundry detergent and borax in equal parts according to the size of the oil stain. You want to cover it entirely. Let this mixture stay on the oil stain for an hour or longer, then add some water to create a paste, scrub and rinse.
This is a gentle cleaning method, so it may be necessary to repeat the process one or two times. But there is a possibility it will work!
DRIVEWAY CLEANING IN Georgetown
Some concrete oil stains on a driveway are too difficult for DIY home remedies to remove. That’s when it is time to call a professional pressure washing company to clean your 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 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 just as bad as the oil stains.
Hiring GTX Georgetown Pressure Washing is definitely the smart choice. Our technicians know the best ways to clean concrete without harming it, such as:
- The right PSI and GPM levels to use to remove stains
- Which nozzle will penetrate concrete without damaging it
- The correct distance to spray the concrete from
- Products that can help lighten stains
GTX Georgetown Pressure Washing also follows all of the steps to clean the concrete– the most effective method. Most homeowners don’t have enough patience to do it correctly. They want fast results.
A professional pressure washing company in Georgetown can also provide protective sealing services for driveway so oil stains are less likely to occur.