How to Remove Oil Stains on Driveways
Oil stains on driveways look bad, and age your home exterior, even if the spots are still relatively new. Avoid oil spots on your home’s driveway and in your garage when possible, and attempt to remove those stains fast, before they set in.
If the stain has been there for a long time, like from before purchasing the home, you might need the help of a local driveway cleaning service in Centennial that has the ability to remove even the most set-in stains on concrete surfaces.
Where Do Concrete Oil Stains Come From?
Mostly, oil from cars is the reason for stains on concrete driveways. This might be oil, gasoline or transmission fluid – or a combination. Some of the typical ways concrete gets stained are from:
- Servicing your own car
- Filling up the gas in a lawn mower
- A leak that should be checked out by a auto mechanic
But, of course, there are countless other things that can cause an unsightly oil stain on concrete. So let’s explore a few of the best DIY tips to remove those stains!
DIY Oil Stain Removal Tips
CAT LITTER FOR OIL STAINS
Cat litter is a simple first step for fresh oil spots where there is a lot of oil that needs to be dried up.
Sprinkle the cat litter over the oil stain, getting it down into the stain by stomping on it with your feet. It’s recommended to leave the litter on the stain for 24 hours so it can absorb as much as possible. Scoop it up or sweep it off the next day and repeat if necessary.
Get rid of used litter so pets and wildlife don’t eat it and get sick.
Then you can follow up with one of the following do-it-yourself concrete cleaning processes.
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, rest assured, that is a myth. However, Coca-Cola does have powerful cleaning properties for greasy stains, partly because of its carbonated bubbles, but mostly from the phosphoric acid in the soda.
Pour a good amount of Coca-Cola on 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 necessary.
BAKING SODA FOR OIL STAINS
Baking soda is a common home cleaning remedy ingredient.
To remove an oil stain on a driveway, you’ll first need to cover the stain with the baking soda and let it sit for a little bit, somewhere from 20 minutes to two or three hours. This should absorb a lot of the oil and allow the baking soda to penetrate the porous surface.
Next, add blue dishwashing liquid 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 motion, then rinse.
Just like with the Coca-Cola method, you might need to repeat the process.
LAUNDRY DETERGENT FOR OIL STAINS
Most homeowners already use this to get rid of dirty stains on clothing. It’s also a great product for removing tough oil stains from concrete too!
Stir powdered laundry detergent and borax in equal parts based on the size of the stain. You want to cover it entirely. Let this mixture sit on the oil stain for an hour or longer, then add some water to create a paste, scrub and then rinse.
This is a gentle cleaning process, so it could be necessary to repeat the process one or two times. But there is a good chance it will work!
DRIVEWAY CLEANING IN Centennial
Some concrete oil stains on a driveway are just too difficult for DIY home remedies. That’s when it may be time to call a professional pressure washing company to clean your home’s concrete surfaces.
We don’t recommend pressure washing your driveway yourself to save a few dollars. You can cause major damage that is extremely complicated to repair if you don’t know how to properly pressure wash concrete. The high pressure water stream can break and loosen concrete, and it can leave streaks that look just as bad as the oil stains.
Hiring Centennial Pressure Washing is definitely the smart choice. Our technicians know the best ways to clean concrete without harming it, including:
- The right PSI and GPM levels to use
- Which nozzle tip will penetrate concrete without chipping it
- The optimal distance to spray the concrete from
- Solutions that can help lighten stains
Centennial 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 correctly. They want quick results.
A professional pressure washing company can also offer protective sealing services for driveway so oil stains are less likely to happen again.