How to Remove Oil Stains on Driveways
Oil stains on driveways look awful, and ruin your home exterior, even if the oil spots are relatively new. Try to avoid oil spots on your home’s driveway and in your garage whenever possible, and try to eliminate those stains fast, 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 Oxnard that is able to eliminate the most set-in oil stains on concrete.
Where Do Concrete Oil Stains Come From?
Mostly, oil from vehicles is the reason for stains on concrete. This could be oil, gas or transmission fluid – or a combination of fluids. Some of the common ways your concrete gets stained are from:
- Servicing your own car
- Filling up the gas in a lawn mower
- A leak that should be checked out by a auto mechanic
But, of course, there are several other things that can create 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 new oil spots where there is a lot of oil that needs to be dried up.
Sprinkle cat litter over the oil, getting it down into the stain by stomping on it with your feet. It’s recommended to leave the litter on the oil stain for 24 hours so it can absorb as much as possible. Scrape it up or sweep it off the following day and repeat as 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 cleaning techniques.
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 powerful cleaning properties when it comes to greasy stains, partly because of its carbonated bubbles, but mostly from the phosphoric acid in the soda.
Pour a generous 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 needed.
BAKING SODA FOR OIL STAINS
Baking soda is another common home cleaning remedy product.
To eliminate 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 30 minutes to a few hours. This should absorb most of the oil and allow the baking soda to penetrate the porous surface.
Next, add blue dishwashing liquid and some water and scrub hard until there is 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.
LAUNDRY DETERGENT FOR OIL STAINS
Most homeowners already use this to clean off bad stains on clothing. 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 want to cover it completely. Let this dry mixture stay on the oil stain for an hour or more, then add some water to make a paste, scrub and then 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 Oxnard
Some oil stains on a driveway are too tough for home remedies to remove. That’s when it may be time to call a professional pressure washing company to clean your home’s concrete surfaces.
We don’t recommend pressure washing your driveway yourself to save a a little money. You can cause significant damage that is difficult to repair 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 almost as bad as the oil stains.
Hiring Oxnard Pressure Washing is definitely the best choice. Our technicians know the best ways to clean concrete without ruining it, such as:
- The right PSI and GPM settings to use
- Which nozzle will penetrate concrete without chipping it
- The correct distance to spray the concrete from
- Products that can help lighten stains
Oxnard 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 quick results.
A professional pressure washing company in Oxnard can also offer protective sealing services for your driveway so oil stains are less likely in the future.