How to Remove Oil Stains on Driveways
Oil stains on driveways look awful, 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 if possible, and attempt to remove those stains right away, before they set in.
If the oil stain has been there for a long time, like from before you purchased the house, you may need the help of a local driveway cleaning service in Melbourne that can remove even the most set-in oil 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. Some of the common 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, there are countless other things that can create an unsightly oil spot on your concrete. So let’s consider a few of the best DIY ways 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 cleaned up.
Sprinkle the cat litter over the oil stain, 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 for 24 hours so it will absorb as much as possible. Scrape it up or sweep it off the following day and repeat if necessary.
Throw away used litter so your pets and wildlife don’t eat it and get sick.
Next you can proceed with one of the following do-it-yourself cleaning tips.
COCA-COLA FOR OIL STAINS
You might have heard urban legends about accident clean-up crews using Coca-Cola to clean up 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 mainly because of the phosphoric acid in the soda.
Pour a generous amount of Coca-Cola on the oil stain, then cover it with dishwashing soap (Blue Dawn is widely considered the most effective). Scrub with a stiff brush, using circular motions.
Rinse and repeat if necessary.
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 let it sit for a while, somewhere from 30 minutes to a few hours. This should absorb a lot of the oil and allow the baking soda to penetrate the porous concrete.
Then, add that famous blue dishwashing detergent and water and scrub until you have created a thick paste. Again, you can let this sit for optimal penetration, or you can 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 eliminate bad stains on clothes. It’s also a great product for removing tough oil stains on concrete as well!
Combine powdered laundry detergent and borax in equal parts based on the size of the oil stain. You will want to cover it entirely. Let this mixture sit on the oil stain for an hour or longer, then add water to make a paste, scrub and rinse.
This is a gentle cleaning process, so it may be necessary to repeat the process one or two times. But there is a good chance it will work!
DRIVEWAY CLEANING IN Melbourne
Some oil stains on a driveway are too difficult 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 harm that is difficult 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 leave streaks that look just as bad as the oil stains.
Calling Melbourne Pressure Washing is definitely the best choice. Our technicians know the best ways to clean concrete without damaging it, including:
- The right PSI and GPM levels to use to remove stains
- Which nozzle will penetrate concrete without chipping it
- The optimal distance to spray the concrete from
- Products that can help lighten stains
Melbourne Pressure Washing also follows all of the steps to clean the concrete little by little – 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 Melbourne can also offer protective sealing services for your driveway so oil stains are less likely in the future.