How to Remove Oil Stains on Driveways
Oil stains on driveways look awful, and ruin your home exterior, even if the stains are still relatively new. Avoid oil stains on your driveway and in your garage whenever possible, and try to eliminate those stains right away, before they really set in.
If the stain has been there for a while, like from before you purchased the home, you might need the help of a local driveway cleaning service in High Point that is able to eliminate even the most set-in stains on concrete.
Where Do Concrete Oil Stains Come From?
Mainly, oil from cars is the cause for oil-stained concrete. This could be oil, gasoline or transmission fluid – or a combination of engine fluids. Some of the most common 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 a lot of other things that can create an ugly oil stain on your concrete. So let’s consider 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 easy first step for new oil stains where there is a lot of oil that needs to be dried 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 recommended 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 as necessary.
Get rid of used litter so your pets and wildlife don’t eat it and get sick from it.
Then you can follow up with one of the following do-it-yourself concrete cleaning tips.
COCA-COLA FOR OIL STAINS
You might have heard urban legends about accident clean-up crews using Coca-Cola to clean the roads, but, rest assured, that is not true. That said, Coca-Cola does have strong cleaning properties for greasy stains, in part due to its carbonated bubbles, but mainly from the phosphoric acid in the soda.
Pour a generous amount of Coca-Cola on top of 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.
Rinse and repeat if you have to.
BAKING SODA FOR OIL STAINS
Baking soda is another common home cleaning remedy ingredient.
To eliminate an oil stain on a driveway, you’ll first want to cover the stain with the baking soda and let it sit for a little bit, somewhere from 30 minutes to two or three hours. This should absorb a lot of the oil and allow the baking soda to penetrate the porous concrete.
Next, add blue dishwashing soap and some water and scrub hard until you have created a thick paste. Again, let this sit for maximum 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 one or two times.
LAUNDRY DETERGENT FOR OIL STAINS
Many homeowners already use this to wash off bad stains on clothing. It’s actually a great option for removing bad oil stains from 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 sit on the oil stain for an hour or more, then add some water to make a paste, scrub and rinse.
This is more of a gentle cleaning method, so it could be necessary to repeat the process one or two times. But there is a good chance it will work!
DRIVEWAY CLEANING IN High Point
Some concrete oil stains on a driveway are too difficult for DIY 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 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 can break and loosen concrete, and it can leave streaks on a driveway that look almost as bad as the oil stains.
Calling High Point Pressure Washing is definitely the safe choice. We know the best ways to clean concrete without harming it, such as:
- The right PSI and GPM levels to use
- Which nozzle tip will penetrate concrete without chipping it
- The optimal distance to spray the concrete from
- Solutions that can help lighten stains
High Point Pressure Washing also follows all of the steps to clean the concrete little by little – the most effective method. Most homeowners don’t have the patience to do it correctly. They want fast results.
A professional pressure washing company in High Point can also provide protective sealing services for your driveway so oil stains are less likely to happen again.