You’re walking out to get the mail and you spot the ugly, greasy stain that is discoloring your otherwise lovely driveway. Maybe your car is leaking oil. Maybe liquids leaked from your garbage can as thrown-out leftovers settled.
It’s important to remove driveway stains as quickly as possible. The porous nature of concrete means that once a stain has really settled in almost nothing can be done, but as long as it’s relatively fresh you should be able to get rid of the blemish.
Try out any of the following methods based on what you have sitting around the house. With vigilance, elbow grease, and just a sliver of luck your driveway should look brand new in no time.
Table of Contents:
Best Ways to Remove Grease Stains on Your Driveway
The Coca-Cola Technique
You can use several sodas for this method, but Coke is probably the best. As a child, you may have left a penny in a cup of Coke overnight as a science experiment to find a gleaming copper surface the next day. This method is similar. Simply mop up excess oil and pour a few cans of soda on the stain, then wait a day and rinse. The properties present in the soda should gobble up the oil and leave the concrete clean.
The WD-40 Technique
It’s not just for squeaky hinges. Simply spray a generous amount of the lubricant on the stain and wait a few minutes, then rinse.
The Kitty Litter Technique
Mop up any excess oil and put down a layer of cheap clay kitty litter. The clay will soak up the oil and a day later most of the stain should be gone. Simply sweep or vacuum the area to clear the litter.
The Baking Soda Technique
If you have a box of baking soda, pour it liberally over the stain and scrub it heavily with a wire brush. Keep at it for a few minutes, and then let the baking soda sit on the stain for half an hour before rinsing the area with a hose.
The Detergent Technique
The important thing here is that you use powdered and not liquid laundry detergent. Add a bit of water to the detergent that you pour on the stain and scrub the area heavily with a wire brush. As with the baking soda, let it sit for half an hour before rinsing.
Driveway stains can be an ugly blight on your property for years to come. Stay on top of things and you hopefully will never have to see one for more than a few hours.
Professional Cleaning Services from Molly Maid
While we don’t clean driveways, we do provide professional house cleaning services! Molly Maid offers one time, occasional, recurring, special event, eco-friendly cleaning, and more.
Contact your local Molly Maid to learn more about our flexible cleaning programs and request a free estimate! You can discuss a custom cleaning plan that meets your schedule, budget and cleaning needs.
