How to Remove Oil Stains on Driveways

Oil stains on driveways look bad, and ruin your home exterior, even if the oil stains are still fairly new. Avoid oil stains on your home’s driveway and in your garage if possible, and attempt to get rid of those stains quickly, 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 Laguna Niguel that is able to get rid of the most set-in oil stains.

Where Do Concrete Oil Stains Come From?

Mainly, oil from cars is the reason for stains on concrete. This might be oil, gas or transmission fluid – or a combination. Some of the typical ways concrete gets stained are from:

• Fixing your own car
• Filling up the gas in a lawn mower
• A leak that needs to be checked out by a mechanic

But, there are countless other things that can create an ugly oil spot on concrete. So let’s consider some of the best DIY methods to remove those oil stains!

DIY Oil Stain Removal Tips

CAT LITTER FOR OIL STAINS

Cat litter is a simple first step for new oil stains where there is a lot of oil that needs to be cleaned up.

Sprinkle cat litter all 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 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.

Throw away 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 processes.

COCA-COLA FOR OIL STAINS

You might have heard urban legends about accident clean-up crews using Coke to clean the roads, but, rest assured, that is not true. That said, Coke does have powerful cleaning properties for greasy stains, partly because of its carbonated bubbles, but mostly from the phosphoric acid in the soda.

Pour a good amount of Coke on the oil stain, then cover it with dishwashing detergent (Blue Dawn is widely accepted as the most effective). Scrub hard with a stiff brush, using circular motions throughout.

Rinse and repeat if necessary.

BAKING SODA FOR OIL STAINS

Baking soda is another popular home cleaning remedy ingredient.

To get rid of an oil stain on a driveway, you’ll first want to coat the stain with baking soda and then let it sit for a little bit, somewhere from 15 minutes to a few hours. This should absorb most of the oil and allow the baking soda to penetrate the porous surface.

Then, add that famous blue dishwashing soap 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 pattern, 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 clothes. It’s also a great option for getting rid of tough oil stains on concrete too!

Mix powdered laundry detergent and borax in equal parts according to the size of the oil stain. You want to cover it entirely. Let this mixture sit on the oil stain for an hour or more, then add water to make a paste, scrub and then rinse.

This is more of a gentle cleaning method, 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 Laguna Niguel

Some oil stains on a driveway are just too difficult for DIY home remedies. That’s when it is 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 harm that is complicated to fix if you don’t know what you’re doing. The high pressure water stream can break and loosen concrete, and it can leave streaks on a driveway that look almost as bad as the oil stains.

Hiring Laguna Niguel Pressure Washing is definitely the smart choice. We know the best methods 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 correct distance to spray the concrete from
• Solutions that can help lighten stains

Laguna Niguel Pressure Washing also follows all of the steps it takes to clean the concrete– the most effective method. Most homeowners and other companies don’t have enough patience to do it right. They want immediate results.

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