| Copyright © 2008 Christopher R. Prickett. All rights reserved worldwide |
While there are several different products on the market that claim to do a great job, save your
money. Cleaning up a fresh oil stain can be done with soap and a scrub brush -but you need to act
quickly! The older the stain the less chance you’ll have of removing it completely.
Hose off the area to get it wet. Squirt a liberal amount of dish soap (Dawn is a good choice) onto
the stain. Now start scrubbing.
The action of the soap and scrubbing will lift the stain. The environmentally correct thing to do is
blot up the oil/soap mixture in paper towels and take it to any place that does oil reclamation. Most
auto service stations or oil change shops will dispose of it at no charge.
Use this same method on older stains, but it may take multiple tries, and the results will vary,
depending on the age of the stain and the density of the concrete. Oil stains are tougher to remove
from a driveway than a garage floor. Garage concrete tends to be finished in a way that makes the
surface smoother and more resistant to staining and the finish isn’t constantly exposed to the
weather.
Here are some don’ts:
Don’t use a wire brush or high power pressure washer, unless you want to etch the concrete.
Don’t use harsh chemicals such as Muriatic acid, except as a last resort. Chemical burns can result,
as well as damage to the concrete finish.
While other “experts” recommend kerosene or gasoline as an option, the results aren’t work the risk.
If the soap and scrubbing doesn’t do the trick, you can try Trisodium Phosphate (TSP). It’s available
at most hardware stores. Follow the instructions carefully, and use caution. While not as dangerous
as Muriatic acid, it’s still a harsh chemical.
money. Cleaning up a fresh oil stain can be done with soap and a scrub brush -but you need to act
quickly! The older the stain the less chance you’ll have of removing it completely.
Hose off the area to get it wet. Squirt a liberal amount of dish soap (Dawn is a good choice) onto
the stain. Now start scrubbing.
The action of the soap and scrubbing will lift the stain. The environmentally correct thing to do is
blot up the oil/soap mixture in paper towels and take it to any place that does oil reclamation. Most
auto service stations or oil change shops will dispose of it at no charge.
Use this same method on older stains, but it may take multiple tries, and the results will vary,
depending on the age of the stain and the density of the concrete. Oil stains are tougher to remove
from a driveway than a garage floor. Garage concrete tends to be finished in a way that makes the
surface smoother and more resistant to staining and the finish isn’t constantly exposed to the
weather.
Here are some don’ts:
Don’t use a wire brush or high power pressure washer, unless you want to etch the concrete.
Don’t use harsh chemicals such as Muriatic acid, except as a last resort. Chemical burns can result,
as well as damage to the concrete finish.
While other “experts” recommend kerosene or gasoline as an option, the results aren’t work the risk.
If the soap and scrubbing doesn’t do the trick, you can try Trisodium Phosphate (TSP). It’s available
at most hardware stores. Follow the instructions carefully, and use caution. While not as dangerous
as Muriatic acid, it’s still a harsh chemical.
| Removing Oil Stains from Concrete |