How to Remove Oil Stains on Driveways
Oil stains on driveways look terrible, and ruin your home exterior, even if the stains are relatively new. Avoid oil stains on your driveway, sidewalks and in your garage when possible, and attempt to get rid of those stains quickly, before they really set in.
If the stain has been there for a while, like from before you purchased the house, you may need the help of a local driveway cleaning service in Columbus that can get rid of the most set-in stains.
Where Do Concrete Oil Stains Come From?
Mostly, oil from automobiles is the cause for oil-stained concrete. This might be oil, gasoline or transmission fluid – 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 needs to be checked out by a auto mechanic
But, of course, there are countless other things that can create an ugly oil stain on your concrete. So let’s review some of the best DIY methods to remove those stains!
DIY Oil Stain Removal Tips
CAT LITTER FOR OIL STAINS
Cat litter is a easy first step for fresh oil stains where there is excess oil that needs to be cleaned up.
Sprinkle 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 for 24 hours so it absorbs as much as possible. Scrape it up or sweep it off the next day and repeat if necessary.
Get rid of used litter so your pets and wildlife don’t eat it and get sick.
Then you can proceed with one of the following do-it-yourself cleaning methods.
COCA-COLA FOR OIL STAINS
You’ve probably heard urban legends about accident clean-up crews using Coke to clean up the roads, but, rest assured, that is not true. However, Coke does have strong cleaning properties when it comes to greasy stains, in part due to its carbonated bubbles, but mainly because of the phosphoric acid in the soda.
Pour a generous amount of Coke on the oil stain, then cover it with dishwashing detergent (Blue Dawn is widely considered the most effective). Scrub hard with a stiff brush, using circular motions throughout.
Rinse and repeat if you have to.
BAKING SODA FOR OIL STAINS
Baking soda is a popular home cleaning remedy ingredient.
To get rid of an oil stain on a driveway, you’ll first want to coat the stain with baking soda and then let it sit for a while, somewhere from 15 minutes to a few hours. This should absorb some of the oil and allow the baking soda to penetrate the porous surface.
Next, add that famous blue dishwashing soap and water and scrub hard 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 Coke method, you might need to repeat the process one or two times.
LAUNDRY DETERGENT FOR OIL STAINS
Many homeowners already use this to get rid of bad stains on clothing. It’s actually a great option for getting rid of bad oil stains on concrete too!
Mix powdered laundry detergent and borax in equal parts based on the size of the stain. You will want to cover it completely. Let this dry mixture stay on the oil stain for an hour or more, then add water to create a paste, scrub and then rinse.
This is more of a gentle cleaning process, so it may be necessary to repeat the process two or three times. But there is a possibility it will work!
DRIVEWAY CLEANING IN Columbus
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 clean your concrete surfaces.
We don’t recommend pressure washing your driveway on your own to save a little money. You can cause significant damage that is extremely complicated 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 on a driveway that look almost as bad as the oil stains.
Calling Columbus Pressure Washing is definitely the safe choice. We know the best ways to clean concrete without ruining it, such as:
- The right PSI and GPM settings to use to remove stains
- Which nozzle tip will penetrate concrete without damaging it
- The correct distance to spray the concrete from
- Products that can help lighten stains
Columbus Pressure Washing also follows all of the steps it takes to clean the concrete– the most effective process. Most homeowners and other companies don’t have the patience to do it correctly. They want quick results.
A professional pressure washing company in Columbus can also provide protective sealing services for your driveway so oil stains are less likely in the future.