How to Remove Oil Stains on Driveways
Oil stains on driveways look awful, and ruin your home exterior, even if the stains are still fairly new. Try to avoid oil stains on your driveway, sidewalks and in your garage when possible, and attempt to remove those stains right away, before they really set in.
If the stain has been there for a while, like from before purchasing the home, you might need the help of a local driveway cleaning service in Whittier that can remove even the most set-in stains.
Where Do Concrete Oil Stains Come From?
Mainly, oil from cars is the reason for stains on concrete. This might be oil, gas or transmission fluid – or a combination of engine fluids. Some of the typical ways your concrete gets stained are from:
- Fixing 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 cause an ugly oil stain on your concrete. So let’s consider 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 easy first step for new oil stains where there is excess oil that has 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 a good idea to leave the litter on the stain overnight so it will absorb as much as possible. Scrape it up or sweep it off of the driveway the following day and repeat as necessary.
Get rid of used litter so your pets and wildlife don’t eat it and get sick.
Next you can follow up with one of the following do-it-yourself cleaning techniques.
COCA-COLA FOR OIL STAINS
You might have heard urban legends about accident clean-up crews using Coke to clean the roads, but, rest assured, that is not true. That said, Coke does have strong cleaning properties when it comes to greasy stains, in part due to its carbonated bubbles, but mostly from the phosphoric acid in the soda.
Pour a good amount of Coke on the oil stain, then cover it with dishwashing detergent (Blue Dawn is widely accepted as the most effective). Scrub hard 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 product.
To remove an oil stain on a driveway, you’ll first want to coat the stain with the baking soda and then let it sit for a little bit, anywhere 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 blue dishwashing soap and water and scrub hard 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 motion, then rinse.
Just like the Coke method, you might need to repeat the process.
LAUNDRY DETERGENT FOR OIL STAINS
Many homeowners already use this to eliminate bad stains on clothing. It’s also a great product for removing bad oil stains from concrete as well!
Mix powdered laundry detergent and borax in equal parts based on the size of the stain. You want to cover it completely. Let this dry mixture sit on the oil stain for an hour or longer, then add water to make a paste, scrub and rinse.
This is 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 Whittier
Some oil stains on a driveway are just too difficult for 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 yourself to save a little money. You can cause significant damage that is complicated to repair if you don’t know what you’re doing. The high pressure water stream can break and loosen concrete, and it can create streaks on a driveway that look almost as bad as the oil stains.
Hiring Whittier Pressure Washing is definitely the best choice. We know the best ways to clean concrete without destroying it, including:
- The right PSI and GPM settings to use to remove stains
- Which nozzle tip will penetrate concrete without damaging it
- The best distance to spray the concrete from
- Products that can help lighten stains
Whittier Pressure Washing also follows all of the steps to clean the concrete– the most effective process. Most homeowners and other companies don’t have enough patience to do it right. They want immediate results.
A professional pressure washing company in Whittier can also offer protective sealing services for your driveway so oil stains are less likely to happen again.