How to Remove Oil Stains on Driveways
Oil stains on driveways look awful, and age your home exterior, even if the oil spots are still relatively new. Avoid oil spots on your driveway, sidewalks and in your garage whenever possible, and attempt to get rid of those stains fast, before they really set in.
If the oil stain has been there for a while, like from before you purchased the home, you may need the help of a local driveway cleaning service in Mesa that can get rid of even the most set-in oil stains on concrete.
Where Do Concrete Oil Stains Come From?
Mainly, oil from vehicles is the reason for oil-stained concrete driveways. This could be oil, gasoline or transmission fluid – or a combination. Some of the typical ways your concrete gets stained are from:
- Fixing your own car
- Filling up the gas in a lawn mower
- A leak that needs to be checked out by a mechanic
But, of course, there are many other things that can leave an ugly oil stain on your concrete. So let’s look at some of the best DIY ways to remove those oil stains!
DIY Oil Stain Removal Tips
CAT LITTER FOR OIL STAINS
Cat litter is a easy first step for fresh oil spots where there is excess oil that needs to be dried up.
Sprinkle cat litter all 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 oil stain overnight so it absorbs 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 from it.
Next you can proceed with one of the following do-it-yourself concrete cleaning tips.
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. That said, Coke does have strong cleaning properties for oily stains, in part due to its carbonated bubbles, but mostly from the phosphoric acid in the soda.
Pour a good amount of Coke 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.
Rinse and repeat if you have to.
BAKING SODA FOR OIL STAINS
Baking soda is a popular home cleaning remedy product.
To get rid of an oil stain on a driveway, you’ll first need to coat the stain with baking soda and let it sit for a little bit, somewhere from 20 minutes to a few hours. This should absorb some of the oil and allow the baking soda to penetrate the porous surface.
Then, add blue dishwashing liquid 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 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 eliminate bad stains on clothes. It’s actually a great product for getting rid of bad oil stains from concrete too!
Stir powdered laundry detergent and borax in equal parts according to the size of the oil stain. You will want to cover it completely. Let this mixture sit on the oil stain for an hour or more, then add water to create 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 possibility it will work!
DRIVEWAY CLEANING IN Mesa
Some concrete oil stains on a driveway are just 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 concrete surfaces.
We don’t recommend pressure washing your driveway yourself to save a few dollars. You can cause major harm that is complicated 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 create streaks on a driveway that look just as bad as the oil stains.
Calling Mesa Pressure Washing is definitely the best choice. Our technicians know the best methods to clean concrete without damaging it, such as:
- The right PSI and GPM settings to use to remove stains
- Which nozzle tip will penetrate concrete without chipping it
- The correct distance to spray the concrete from
- Solutions that can help lighten stains
Mesa Pressure Washing also follows all of the steps it takes to clean the concrete little by little – the most effective method. Most homeowners don’t have the patience to do it right. They want quick results.
A professional pressure washing company in Mesa can also provide protective sealing services for your driveway so oil stains are less likely to happen again.