How to Remove Oil Stains on Driveways
Oil stains on driveways look bad, and age your home exterior, even if the oil spots are still fairly new. Try to avoid oil spots on your home’s driveway and in your garage whenever possible, and try to remove those stains quickly, before they really set in.
If the oil stain has been there for a long time, like from before you purchased the house, you might need the help of a local driveway cleaning service in Memphis that can remove even the most set-in oil stains on concrete surfaces.
Where Do Concrete Oil Stains Come From?
Mostly, oil from automobiles is the cause for oil-stained concrete driveways. This could be oil, gasoline or transmission fluid – or a combination of fluids. Some of the typical 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 countless other things that can cause an unsightly oil stain 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 simple first step for new oil spots where there is a lot of oil that needs to be dried up.
Sprinkle 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 oil stain overnight so it absorbs as much as possible. Scoop it up or sweep it off the next day and repeat if necessary.
Get rid of used litter so your 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 concrete cleaning tips.
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 not true. But, Coca-Cola does have strong cleaning properties when it comes to 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 liquid (Blue Dawn is widely accepted as the most effective). Scrub 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 remove an oil stain on a driveway, you’ll first want to cover the stain with baking soda and then let it sit for a little bit, 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.
Next, add that famous blue dishwashing detergent and water and scrub until you have created a thick paste. Again, let this sit for the best penetration, or continue to scrub in a circular motion, 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 remove tough stains on clothes. It’s also a great option for removing bad oil stains from 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 completely. Let this dry mixture sit on the oil stain for an hour or longer, then add water to create a paste, scrub and rinse.
This is 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 Memphis
Some concrete oil stains on a driveway are too tough for DIY home remedies to remove. That’s when it is time to call a professional pressure washing company to thoroughly clean your home’s concrete surfaces.
We don’t recommend pressure washing your driveway on your own to save a few dollars. You can cause major damage that is extremely difficult to repair 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 Memphis Pressure Washing is definitely the best choice. Our technicians know the best ways to clean concrete without harming it, including:
- The right PSI and GPM levels to use
- Which nozzle will penetrate concrete without damaging it
- The best distance to spray the concrete from
- Solutions that can help lighten stains
Memphis Pressure Washing also follows all of the steps to clean the concrete little by little – the most effective method. Most homeowners don’t have enough patience to do it right. They want fast results.
A professional pressure washing company in Memphis can also provide protective sealing services for your driveway so oil stains are less likely in the future.