How to Remove Oil Stains on Driveways
Oil stains on driveways look awful, and age your home exterior, even if the spots are still relatively new. Avoid oil spots on your driveway, sidewalks and in your garage whenever possible, and try to eliminate those stains quickly, before they set in.
If the stain has been there for a while, like from before purchasing the home, you may need the help of a local driveway cleaning service in Quincy that can eliminate the most set-in stains.
Where Do Concrete Oil Stains Come From?
Mainly, oil from cars is the reason for stains on concrete driveways. This might be oil, gas or transmission fluids – or a combination. Some of the common 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 mechanic
But, of course, there are a lot of other things that can create an unsightly oil spot on your concrete. So let’s consider a few of the best DIY methods to remove those stains!
DIY Oil Stain Removal Tips
CAT LITTER FOR OIL STAINS
Cat litter is a simple first step for new oil spots where there is excess oil that has to be dried up.
Sprinkle cat litter all over the oil stain, getting it down into the stain by stomping on it with your feet. It’s a good idea to leave the litter on the stain for 24 hours so it will absorb as much as possible. Scoop it up or sweep it off of the driveway the following day and repeat as necessary.
Throw away 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 tips.
COCA-COLA FOR OIL STAINS
You might have heard urban legends about accident clean-up crews using Coca-Cola to clean up the roads, but, rest assured, that is not true. But, Coca-Cola does have powerful cleaning properties when it comes to 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 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.
Rinse and repeat if necessary.
BAKING SODA FOR OIL STAINS
Baking soda is a popular home cleaning remedy product.
To eliminate an oil stain on a driveway, you’ll first need to coat the stain with baking soda and then let it sit for a little bit, somewhere from 15 minutes to a few hours. This should absorb a lot of the oil and allow the baking soda to penetrate the porous surface.
Then, add that famous blue dishwashing soap and water and scrub until you have created a thick paste. Again, let this sit for optimal penetration, or 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 get rid of tough stains on clothes. It’s also a great product for getting rid of tough oil stains on concrete too!
Mix powdered laundry detergent and borax in equal parts according to the size of the stain. You want to cover it entirely. 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 method, so it might be necessary to repeat the process one or two times. But there is a possibility it will work!
DRIVEWAY CLEANING IN Quincy
Some oil stains on a driveway are just too difficult for home remedies. That’s when it may be time to call a professional pressure washing company to thoroughly clean your concrete surfaces.
We don’t recommend pressure washing your driveway yourself to save a few dollars. You can cause significant harm that is extremely difficult to fix if you don’t know how to properly pressure wash concrete. The high pressure water can break and loosen concrete, and it can create streaks that look just as bad as the oil stains.
Calling Quincy Pressure Washing is definitely the best choice. We know the best ways to clean concrete without destroying it, such as:
- The right PSI and GPM settings to use to remove stains
- Which nozzle will penetrate concrete without damaging it
- The best distance to spray the concrete from
- Solutions that can help lighten stains
Quincy Pressure Washing also follows all of the steps it takes to clean the concrete– the most effective method. Most homeowners and other companies don’t have the patience to do it right. They want immediate results.
A professional pressure washing company in Quincy can also offer protective sealing services for your driveway so oil stains are less likely to happen again.