How to Remove Oil Stains on Driveways

Oil stains on driveways look awful, and age your home exterior, even if the oil spots are still fairly new. Avoid oil spots on your home’s driveway and in your garage if possible, and try to get rid of those stains fast, before they set in.

If the oil stain has been there for a while, like from before you purchased the house, you might need the help of a local driveway cleaning service in Davie that can get rid of even the most set-in oil stains.

Where Do Concrete Oil Stains Come From?

Mostly, oil from vehicles is the cause for oil-stained concrete driveways. This could be oil, gas or transmission fluid – or a combination of engine fluids. Some of the typical ways concrete gets stained are from:

• Fixing your own car
• Filling up the lawn mower
• A leak that should be checked out by a auto mechanic

But, of course, there are several other things that can cause an ugly oil stain on concrete. So let’s look at a few 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 has to be dried up.

Sprinkle cat litter over the oil, getting it down into the stain by crushing it with your feet. It’s recommended to leave the litter on the oil stain for 24 hours so it absorbs as much as possible. Scoop it up or sweep it off of the driveway the next day and repeat if necessary.

Get rid of used litter so pets and 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 up the roads, but, be assured, that is not true. However, Coke does have powerful cleaning properties when it comes to greasy stains, in part due to 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 soap (Blue Dawn is widely accepted as the most effective). Scrub with a stiff brush, using circular motions.

Rinse and repeat if needed.

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 then let it sit for a while, somewhere from 30 minutes to a few hours. This should absorb some of the oil and allow the baking soda to penetrate the porous concrete.

Next, add blue dishwashing detergent and some water and scrub until there is a thick paste. Again, you can let this sit for maximum penetration, or you can continue to scrub in a circular motion, then rinse.

Just like with the Coke method, you might need to repeat the process.

LAUNDRY DETERGENT FOR OIL STAINS

Many homeowners already use this to wash off tough stains on clothing. It’s also a great product for removing bad oil stains from concrete as well!

Stir powdered laundry detergent and borax in equal parts according to the size of the oil stain. You will want to cover it completely. Let this mixture sit on the oil stain for an hour or longer, then add some water to make 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 Davie

Some oil stains on a driveway are too difficult for DIY home remedies. 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 few dollars. You can cause significant harm that is complicated to repair if you don’t know what you’re doing. The high pressure water can break and loosen concrete, and it can leave streaks that look almost as bad as the oil stains.

Hiring Davie Pressure Washing is definitely the safe choice. Our technicians know the best ways to clean concrete without ruining it, including:

• The right PSI and GPM levels to use to remove stains
• Which nozzle will penetrate concrete without damaging it
• The optimal distance to spray the concrete from
• Products that can help lighten stains

Davie Pressure Washing also follows all of the steps to clean the concrete– the most effective method. Most homeowners don’t have enough patience to do it right. They want quick results.

A professional pressure washing company can also provide protective sealing services for driveway so oil stains are less likely to occur.