How to Remove Oil Stains on Driveways
Oil stains on driveways look terrible, and age your home exterior, even if the spots are fairly new. Avoid oil spots on your home’s driveway and in your garage whenever possible, and attempt to remove those stains quickly, before they set in.
If the 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 Norman that has the ability to remove even the most set-in stains.
Where Do Concrete Oil Stains Come From?
Mostly, oil from cars is the cause for oil-stained concrete driveways. This might be oil, gas or transmission fluid – or a combination. Some of the typical 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, there are countless other things that can cause an ugly oil stain on concrete. So let’s explore a few of the best DIY methods to remove those stains!
DIY Oil Stain Removal Tips
CAT LITTER FOR OIL STAINS
Cat litter is a simple first step for fresh oil spots where there is a lot of oil that has to be dried up.
Sprinkle cat litter all over the oil stain, getting it down into the stain by stomping on it with your feet. It’s best to leave the litter on the stain overnight so it absorbs as much as possible. Scrape it up or sweep it off the next day and repeat if necessary.
Throw away used litter so 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’ve probably heard urban legends about accident clean-up crews using Coca-Cola to clean the roads, but, be assured, that is not true. However, Coca-Cola does have powerful cleaning properties for oily 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 detergent (Blue Dawn is widely considered the most effective). Scrub hard with a stiff brush, using circular motions throughout.
Rinse and repeat if needed.
BAKING SODA FOR OIL STAINS
Baking soda is a common home cleaning remedy ingredient.
To remove an oil stain on a driveway, you’ll first need to cover the stain with baking soda and then let it sit for a little bit, somewhere from 30 minutes to a few hours. This should absorb most of the oil and allow the baking soda to penetrate the porous concrete.
Then, add that famous blue dishwashing detergent and water and scrub hard until there is 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.
LAUNDRY DETERGENT FOR OIL STAINS
Most homeowners already use this to get rid of bad stains on clothes. It’s also a great option for removing tough oil stains from concrete too!
Stir powdered laundry detergent and borax in equal parts based on the size of the stain. You want to cover it entirely. 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 might be necessary to repeat the process one or two times. But there is a possibility it will work!
DRIVEWAY CLEANING IN Norman
Some oil stains on a driveway are just too tough 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 on your own to save a little money. You can cause major damage that is extremely difficult to fix if you don’t know what you’re doing. The high pressure water stream can break and loosen concrete, and it can create streaks that look just as bad as the oil stains.
Calling Norman Pressure Washing is definitely the safe choice. We know the best ways to clean concrete without destroying it, including:
- The right PSI and GPM levels to use
- Which nozzle will penetrate concrete without damaging it
- The correct distance to spray the concrete from
- Solutions that can help lighten stains
Norman Pressure Washing also follows all of the steps it takes to clean the concrete little by little – the most effective method. Most homeowners and other companies don’t have the patience to do it right. They want quick results.
A professional pressure washing company in Norman can also offer protective sealing services for driveway so oil stains are less likely in the future.