Oil stains aren’t uncommon on your driveway or the garage floor, for that matter. While they aren’t uncommon, they certainly aren’t aesthetically appealing either. In fact, it might leave a pretty bad impression on your guests. Fortunately, you don’t have to live with oil stains because you can get rid of them with a little hard work and the correct technique.

In this article, we’ll examine a few methods you can use to get rid of oil stains on your driveway or garage floor.

Removing Small Oil Stains or Spots

Relatively new and often small oil spots can be removed with some hot water and detergent, which is then scrubbed with a steel brush. Add detergent to the spot, scrub it, clean with some water, and continue to do this until the spot or stain disappears.

Removing Large Oil Stains

Larger and often more stubborn soil stains will require the use of a degreaser. A degreaser for those who don’t know is a powerful and highly concentrated cleaner meant to remove oil, dirt and grease deposits. It can, in fact, remove many types of automotive fluid stains without damaging the surface of your garage door driveway. Most of all, it works with relatively less effort.

However, make sure that you follow the instructions that come with the degreaser. More importantly, make sure to wear protective gear like goggles and gloves.

Steps for Removing Oil Stains Using A Degreaser

While using a degreaser to clean oil stains is pretty straightforward, but if you’ve not done it before, please follow the steps below:

  • Step no. 1 – Start by applying the recommended (what’s on the bottle) amount on the oil stain. If you want to engage in lighter duty cleaning, perhaps dilute the product with five parts of water. However, unless you have a good reason to dilute the solution, we think you shouldn’t.
  • Step no. 2 – Leave the degreaser on the stain for around 1-3 minutes. However, if your driveway is heavily soiled, then leave it for longer before washing it away. But you don’t want the degreaser to dry entirely.
  • Step no. 3 – Use a steel brush or a stiff nylon brush to scrub vigorously.
  • Step no. 4 – Leave it for around 5-10 minutes.
  • Final step – Wash the driveway or garage floor with water.

Important note: Any oil that may have penetrated the substrate will re-surface within a 24-hour window after cleaning. If you see stains after cleaning, you will need to repeat the above-mentioned process.

 

A Better Way to Get Rid of Oil Stains

While we’ve discussed a few DIY methods of cleaning oil stains from your driveway, as noted, they may not always work. Also, cleaning oil off your driveway or garage floor is highly laborious. Alternatively, you’ll want to hire a company that uses a pressure washer.

Professional pressure washing is a lot more efficient, less time-consuming and laborious. Furthermore, it does an excellent job of removing oil, dirt, and many other stains from the floor. Give the experts at Pressure Cleaning Guys a call for a professional driveway pressure clean today.