How to Remove Oil Stains on Driveways
Oil stains on driveways look bad, and tarnish your home exterior, even if the oil spots are fairly new. Try to avoid oil spots on your home’s driveway and in your garage when possible, and try to eliminate those stains quickly, before they really set in.
If the oil stain has been there for a while, like from before purchasing the house, you may need the help of a local driveway cleaning service in Cary that has the ability to eliminate even the most set-in oil stains on concrete surfaces.
Where Do Concrete Oil Stains Come From?
Mainly, oil from vehicles 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:
- Servicing your own car
- Filling up the gas in a lawn mower
- A leak that needs to be checked out by a mechanic
But, there are a lot of other things that can create an unsightly oil spot on your concrete. So let’s look at some of the best DIY tips to remove those oil 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 has to be dried up.
Sprinkle the cat litter over the oil stain, really getting it down into the stain by crushing it with your feet. It’s best to leave the litter on the oil stain overnight so it can absorb as much as possible. Scoop it up or sweep it off of the driveway the next day and repeat if necessary.
Throw away used litter so your pets and nearby wildlife don’t eat it and get sick.
Next you can follow up with one of the following do-it-yourself concrete cleaning techniques.
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. However, Coca-Cola does have powerful cleaning properties when it comes to oily stains, partly because of its carbonated bubbles, but mostly from the phosphoric acid in the soda.
Pour a good amount of Coca-Cola on the oil stain, then cover it with dishwashing soap (Blue Dawn is widely considered the most effective). Scrub hard with a stiff brush, using circular motions throughout.
Rinse and repeat if necessary.
BAKING SODA FOR OIL STAINS
Baking soda is a common home cleaning remedy ingredient.
To eliminate an oil stain on a driveway, you’ll first need to coat the stain with the baking soda and then let it sit for a while, anywhere from 30 minutes to two or three hours. This should absorb most of the oil and allow the baking soda to penetrate the porous surface.
Then, add blue dishwashing liquid and water and scrub hard until there is a thick paste. Again, you can let this sit for optimal penetration, or you can continue to scrub in a circular motion, then rinse.
Just like the Coca-Cola method, you might have 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 clothing. It’s actually 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 oil stain. You will want to cover it entirely. Let this mixture stay on the oil stain for an hour or more, then add water to make a paste, scrub and then 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 good chance it will work!
DRIVEWAY CLEANING IN Cary
Some concrete oil stains on a driveway are just too difficult for DIY home remedies. That’s when it is 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 few dollars. You can cause significant damage that is complicated to fix if you don’t know what you’re doing. 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 Cary Pressure Washing is definitely the smart choice. Our technicians know the best ways to clean concrete without destroying it, such as:
- The right PSI and GPM levels 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
Cary 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 correctly. They want quick results.
A professional pressure washing company in Cary can also offer protective sealing services for your driveway so oil stains are less likely to occur.