How to Remove Oil Stains on Driveways
Oil stains on driveways look terrible, and age your home exterior, even if the spots are relatively new. Avoid oil spots on your home’s driveway and in your garage when possible, and try to remove those stains fast, before they really 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 Dayton that is able to remove even the most set-in stains on concrete surfaces.
Where Do Concrete Oil Stains Come From?
Mainly, oil from automobiles is the cause for stains on concrete driveways. This could be oil, gasoline or transmission fluids – 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, there are many other things that can cause an unsightly oil stain on concrete. So let’s explore some of the best DIY ways to remove those stains!
DIY Oil Stain Removal Tips
CAT LITTER FOR OIL STAINS
Cat litter is a easy first step for new oil spots where there is excess oil that needs to be dried up.
Sprinkle the cat litter 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 for 24 hours 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 pets and nearby wildlife don’t eat it and get sick from it.
Next 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 Coca-Cola to clean the roads, but, rest assured, that is a myth. That said, 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 generous amount of Coca-Cola on the oil stain, then cover it with dishwashing liquid (Blue Dawn is widely accepted as 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 another popular home cleaning remedy product.
To remove an oil stain on a driveway, you’ll first need to cover the stain with the baking soda and then let it sit for a little bit, somewhere from 30 minutes to a few hours. This should absorb most of the oil and allow the baking soda to penetrate the porous concrete.
Next, add blue dishwashing detergent 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 pattern, then rinse.
Just like the Coca-Cola method, you might need to repeat the process one or two times.
LAUNDRY DETERGENT FOR OIL STAINS
Most homeowners already use this to get rid of dirty stains on clothes. It’s also a great product for getting rid of tough oil stains from concrete too!
Mix powdered laundry detergent and borax in equal parts according to the size of the stain. You will 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 may be necessary to repeat the process two or three times. But there is a possibility it will work!
DRIVEWAY CLEANING IN Dayton
Some oil stains on a driveway are too tough for home remedies to remove. That’s when it may be time to call a professional pressure washing company to thoroughly clean your home’s concrete surfaces.
We don’t recommend pressure washing your driveway yourself to save a little money. You can cause significant damage that is complicated to fix if you don’t know what you’re doing. The high pressure water can break and loosen concrete, and it can leave streaks on a driveway that look almost as bad as the oil stains.
Calling Dayton Pressure Washing is definitely the smart choice. Our technicians know the best methods to clean concrete without destroying it, including:
- 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
- Solutions that can help lighten stains
Dayton Pressure Washing also follows all of the steps it takes to clean the concrete– the most effective process. Most homeowners don’t have enough patience to do it right. They want immediate results.
A professional pressure washing company in Dayton can also provide protective sealing services for driveway so oil stains are less likely in the future.