How to Remove Oil Stains on Driveways
Oil stains on driveways look bad, and age your home exterior, even if the spots are still fairly new. Avoid oil spots on your home’s driveway and in your garage when possible, and try to get rid of those stains quickly, before they really set in.
If the stain has been there for a while, like from before you purchased the home, you may need the help of a local driveway cleaning service in Santa Monica that has the ability to get rid of the most set-in stains.
Where Do Concrete Oil Stains Come From?
Mostly, oil from cars is the reason for stains on concrete driveways. This might be oil, gasoline or transmission fluids – or a combination. 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 mechanic
But, there are several other things that can cause an unsightly oil spot on your 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 excess oil that has to be cleaned up.
Sprinkle the cat litter all over the oil stain, really getting it down into the stain by crushing it with your feet. It’s best to leave the litter on the stain overnight so it absorbs as much as possible. Scoop it up or sweep it off of the driveway the following day and repeat if necessary.
Get rid of used litter so your pets and wildlife don’t eat it and get sick from it.
Then you can follow up with one of the following do-it-yourself concrete cleaning techniques.
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, be assured, that is a myth. That said, Coca-Cola does have powerful cleaning properties when it comes to greasy stains, in part due to its carbonated bubbles, but mainly from the phosphoric acid in the soda.
Pour a good amount of Coca-Cola 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 throughout.
Rinse and repeat if you have to.
BAKING SODA FOR OIL STAINS
Baking soda is another common home cleaning remedy ingredient.
To get rid of 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, anywhere from 30 minutes to two or three hours. This should absorb some of the oil and allow the baking soda to penetrate the porous concrete.
Then, add that famous blue dishwashing liquid and water and scrub hard until there is 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 the Coca-Cola method, you might need to repeat the process.
LAUNDRY DETERGENT FOR OIL STAINS
Many homeowners already use this to eliminate dirty stains on clothes. It’s actually a great option for getting rid of tough oil stains on concrete too!
Combine powdered laundry detergent and borax in equal parts according to the size of the stain. You want to cover it completely. Let this dry mixture stay on the oil stain for an hour or longer, then add water to create 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 Santa Monica
Some concrete 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 thoroughly 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 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 just as bad as the oil stains.
Calling Santa Monica Pressure Washing is definitely the smart choice. We know the best ways to clean concrete without damaging it, including:
- The right PSI and GPM levels to use to remove stains
- Which nozzle tip will penetrate concrete without chipping it
- The optimal distance to spray the concrete from
- Solutions that can help lighten stains
Santa Monica Pressure Washing also follows all of the steps to clean the concrete– the most effective method. Most homeowners don’t have the patience to do it correctly. They want quick results.
A professional pressure washing company in Santa Monica can also provide protective sealing services for your driveway so oil stains are less likely to occur.