How to Remove Oil Stains on Driveways
Oil stains on driveways look awful, and tarnish your home exterior, even if the stains are relatively new. Avoid oil stains on your home’s driveway and in your garage when possible, and try to get rid of those stains right away, before they set in.
If the stain has been there for a long time, like from before purchasing the home, you might need the help of a local driveway cleaning service in Santa Ana that has the ability to get rid of even the most set-in stains.
Where Do Concrete Oil Stains Come From?
Mainly, oil from vehicles is the cause for stains on concrete driveways. This might be oil, gasoline or transmission fluid – or a combination. Some of the typical ways your concrete gets stained are from:
- Fixing your own car
- Filling up the lawn mower
- A leak that needs to be checked out by a auto mechanic
But, of course, there are countless other things that can leave an ugly oil stain on your concrete. So let’s look at a few of the best DIY ways to remove those stains!
DIY Oil Stain Removal Tips
CAT LITTER FOR OIL STAINS
Cat litter is a easy first step for fresh oil stains where there is a lot of oil that needs to be dried up.
Sprinkle cat litter 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 will absorb as much as possible. Scrape it up or sweep it off of the driveway the next day and repeat as necessary.
Throw away used litter so your pets and nearby wildlife don’t eat it and get sick.
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 Coca-Cola to clean the roads, but, rest assured, that is not true. But, Coca-Cola does have strong cleaning properties for greasy 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 accepted as the most effective). Scrub hard with a stiff brush, using circular motions.
Rinse and repeat if necessary.
BAKING SODA FOR OIL STAINS
Baking soda is a common home cleaning remedy ingredient.
To get rid of an oil stain on a driveway, you’ll first need to coat the stain with 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 surface.
Next, add that famous blue dishwashing liquid and some 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 with the Coca-Cola method, you might have to repeat the process one or two times.
LAUNDRY DETERGENT FOR OIL STAINS
Most homeowners already use this to eliminate tough stains on clothing. It’s also a great option for getting rid of tough oil stains on concrete as well!
Stir powdered laundry detergent and borax in equal parts according to the size of the stain. You want to cover it entirely. Let this mixture sit on the oil stain for an hour or more, then add some water to create a paste, scrub and then rinse.
This is a gentle cleaning process, so it may be necessary to repeat the process two or three times. But there is a good chance it will work!
DRIVEWAY CLEANING IN Santa Ana
Some oil stains on a driveway are just 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 yourself 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 can break and loosen concrete, and it can create streaks on a driveway that look just as bad as the oil stains.
Calling Santa Ana Pressure Washing is definitely the safe choice. Our technicians know the best ways to clean concrete without harming it, such as:
- The right PSI and GPM settings to use to remove stains
- Which nozzle tip will penetrate concrete without chipping it
- The best distance to spray the concrete from
- Products that can help lighten stains
Santa Ana Pressure Washing also follows all of the steps it takes to clean the concrete– the most effective process. Most homeowners don’t have the patience to do it right. They want immediate results.
A professional pressure washing company in Santa Ana can also offer protective sealing services for your driveway so oil stains are less likely to occur.