How to Remove Oil Stains on Driveways
Oil stains on driveways look bad, and tarnish your home exterior, even if the oil stains are still fairly new. Try to avoid oil stains on your home’s driveway, sidewalks and in your garage whenever possible, and try to eliminate those stains right away, before they really set in.
If the oil stain has been there for a while, like from before you purchased the house, you may need the help of a local driveway cleaning service in Fort Lauderdale that has the ability to eliminate even the most set-in oil stains.
Where Do Concrete Oil Stains Come From?
Mainly, oil from vehicles is the reason for oil-stained concrete. This could be oil, gasoline or transmission fluid – or a combination of engine fluids. Some of the common ways concrete gets stained are from:
- Servicing your own car
- Filling up the lawn mower
- A leak that needs to be checked out by a mechanic
But, of course, there are a lot of other things that can cause an ugly oil stain on concrete. So let’s consider a few 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 stains 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 recommended 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 pets and nearby wildlife don’t eat it and get sick from it.
Next you can follow up with one of the following do-it-yourself cleaning techniques.
COCA-COLA FOR OIL STAINS
You might have heard urban legends about accident clean-up crews using Coke to clean the roads, but, rest assured, that is a myth. That said, Coke does have strong cleaning properties when it comes to oily stains, in part due to its carbonated bubbles, but mainly because of the phosphoric acid in the soda.
Pour a generous amount of Coke on top of 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 popular home cleaning remedy ingredient.
To eliminate an oil stain on a driveway, you’ll first want to cover the stain with baking soda and let it sit for a little bit, anywhere from 20 minutes to two or three hours. This should absorb a lot of the oil and allow the baking soda to penetrate the porous surface.
Then, add that famous blue dishwashing soap and water and scrub hard until there is a thick paste. Again, let this sit for maximum penetration, or continue to scrub in a circular motion, then rinse.
Just like the Coke 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 getting rid of 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 dry mixture sit on the oil stain for an hour or more, then add water to make a paste, scrub and rinse.
This is more of a gentle cleaning method, so it might be necessary to repeat the process two or three times. But there is a possibility it will work!
DRIVEWAY CLEANING IN Fort Lauderdale
Some oil stains on a driveway are too difficult for 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 yourself to save a few dollars. You can cause significant damage that is extremely complicated to repair if you don’t know what you’re doing. The high pressure water stream can break and loosen concrete, and it can create streaks on a driveway that look almost as bad as the oil stains.
Calling Fort Lauderdale Pressure Washing is definitely the smart choice. Our technicians know the best methods to clean concrete without harming it, including:
- The right PSI and GPM settings to use
- Which nozzle will penetrate concrete without damaging it
- The optimal distance to spray the concrete from
- Solutions that can help lighten stains
Fort Lauderdale Pressure Washing also follows all of the steps it takes to clean the concrete– the most effective method. Most homeowners and other companies don’t have enough patience to do it correctly. They want immediate results.
A professional pressure washing company can also provide protective sealing services for driveway so oil stains are less likely to happen again.