How to Remove Oil Stains on Driveways
Oil stains on driveways look terrible, and age your home exterior, even if the stains are fairly new. Try to avoid oil stains on your home’s driveway and in your garage if possible, and try to eliminate those stains right away, before they really set in.
If the stain has been there for a long time, like from before you purchased the house, you may need the help of a local driveway cleaning service in Mesquite that can eliminate the most set-in stains.
Where Do Concrete Oil Stains Come From?
Mainly, oil from cars is the cause for oil-stained concrete driveways. This might be oil, gasoline or transmission fluids – or a combination. Some of the typical ways your concrete gets stained are from:
- Servicing your own car
- Filling up the lawn mower
- A leak that should be checked out by a auto mechanic
But, of course, there are several other things that can leave an ugly oil stain on your concrete. So let’s look at 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 stains where there is excess oil that needs to be cleaned up.
Sprinkle the cat litter all over the oil, really getting it down into the stain by stomping on it with your feet. It’s best to leave the litter on the stain overnight so it absorbs as much as possible. Scrape it up or sweep it off of the driveway the next day and repeat if necessary.
Throw away used litter so your 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 methods.
COCA-COLA FOR OIL STAINS
You’ve probably heard urban legends about accident clean-up crews using Coca-Cola to clean the roads, but, rest assured, that is a myth. That said, Coca-Cola does have strong cleaning properties for oily 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 soap (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 a common home cleaning remedy ingredient.
To eliminate 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, somewhere from 20 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 liquid and water and scrub until there is a thick paste. Again, you can let this sit for optimal 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 wash off tough stains on clothes. It’s actually a great option for removing tough oil stains on concrete too!
Combine 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 water to create a paste, scrub and rinse.
This is more of a gentle cleaning method, so it could be necessary to repeat the process two or three times. But there is a good chance it will work!
DRIVEWAY CLEANING IN Mesquite
Some concrete oil stains on a driveway are too tough 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 on your own to save a a little money. You can cause significant damage that is extremely complicated 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 on a driveway that look just as bad as the oil stains.
Hiring Mesquite Pressure Washing is definitely the best choice. Our technicians know the best ways to clean concrete without destroying it, including:
- The right PSI and GPM settings to use
- Which nozzle will penetrate concrete without damaging it
- The correct distance to spray the concrete from
- Solutions that can help lighten stains
Mesquite Pressure Washing also follows all of the steps it takes to clean the concrete little by little – the most effective method. Most homeowners and other companies don’t have enough patience to do it correctly. They want immediate results.
A professional pressure washing company in Mesquite can also provide protective sealing services for your driveway so oil stains are less likely in the future.