How to Remove Oil Stains on Driveways
Oil stains on driveways look awful, and age your home exterior, even if the spots are relatively new. Avoid oil spots on your home’s driveway and in your garage whenever possible, and attempt to get rid of those stains fast, before they really set in.
If the stain has been there for a long time, like from before purchasing the house, you might need the help of a local driveway cleaning service in Killeen that has the ability to get rid of even the most set-in stains.
Where Do Concrete Oil Stains Come From?
Mostly, oil from automobiles is the reason for stains on concrete driveways. This could be oil, gasoline or transmission fluid – or a combination. Some of the most common ways your concrete gets stained are from:
- Servicing your own car
- Filling up the gas in a lawn mower
- A leak that needs to be checked out by a auto mechanic
But, of course, there are a lot of 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 simple first step for new oil spots where there is a lot of oil that has to be cleaned up.
Sprinkle the cat litter over the oil, really getting it down into the stain by crushing it with your feet. It’s best to leave the litter on the stain for 24 hours 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.
Then you can proceed with one of the following do-it-yourself cleaning techniques.
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 a myth. But, Coke does have strong cleaning properties for oily stains, partly because of its carbonated bubbles, but mostly because of the phosphoric acid in the soda.
Pour a generous amount of Coke on top of the oil stain, then cover it with dishwashing liquid (Blue Dawn is widely considered 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 another common home cleaning remedy ingredient.
To get rid of an oil stain on a driveway, you’ll first want to coat the stain with the baking soda and let it sit for a little bit, somewhere from 20 minutes to a few hours. This should absorb a lot of the oil and allow the baking soda to penetrate the porous concrete.
Next, add blue dishwashing liquid and water and scrub hard until there is a thick paste. Again, you can let this sit for maximum penetration, or you can continue to scrub in a circular motion, then rinse.
Just like with the Coke method, you might have to repeat the process one or two times.
LAUNDRY DETERGENT FOR OIL STAINS
Most homeowners already use this to clean off bad stains on clothes. It’s actually a great product for removing bad oil stains on concrete as well!
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 stay on the oil stain for an hour or longer, then add water to make a paste, scrub and rinse.
This is more of a gentle cleaning process, so it might be necessary to repeat the process one or two times. But there is a possibility it will work!
DRIVEWAY CLEANING IN Killeen
Some 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 little money. You can cause significant harm that is difficult to fix 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 on a driveway that look just as bad as the oil stains.
Hiring Killeen Pressure Washing is definitely the safe choice. Our technicians know the best ways to clean concrete without harming it, such as:
- The right PSI and GPM settings to use to remove stains
- Which nozzle tip will penetrate concrete without damaging it
- The optimal distance to spray the concrete from
- Products that can help lighten stains
Killeen Pressure Washing also follows all of the steps to clean the concrete little by little – the most effective process. Most homeowners don’t have enough patience to do it correctly. They want fast results.
A professional pressure washing company can also provide protective sealing services for your driveway so oil stains are less likely to occur.