Oil stains are not only a nightmare on clothes but also on driveways and patios.
While most people will be happy to accept a little bit of dirt now and again, oil stains are a whole different story.
Not only do they look pretty unpleasant but they can also affect the integrity of the driveway itself – and they can’t be removed with just a hose.
But don’t despair as removing oil stains isn’t an impossible task after all and you can even get the job done using common household products, according to the experts at Terraform Driveways.
They claimed that laundry detergent “works the best” for removing oil stains because it “contains surfactants and often a mild alkali”.
These are molecules that increase the ability of water and other substances to mix which makes it “effective at dissolving dirt as well as oil quickly”.
They added: “Remember that oil is hydrophobic so a surfactant can help to lift it even when it wouldn’t naturally.”
For those using powdered laundry detergent, they should mix it with warm water to create a paste which they can then apply to the oil stain.
Leave it to sit for 30 minutes and then scrub it with a stiff wire or nylon brush to remove any remaining residue.
For those using a liquid laundry detergent, they can directly pour the solution onto the stain and then go through the same scrubbing process with a bristle brush.
Finally, they should rinse the excess oil and laundry detergent with a hose. Once it’s dry, they’ll be able to see if there is any oil residue left and whether they need to treat the oil stain again.
A second household staple the experts recommend using is baking soda as it has “ultra-absorbent” properties. This method will prove more effective for “oil leaks that are still wet”.
Baking soda is a go-to for getting rid of oil stains from clothing but it can also be an “effective method” of removing oil from a concrete surface.
The first thing that you need to do is create a paste of baking soda and warm water and apply it to the oil stain. Leave it for 30 minutes or let it sit overnight if it is a particularly large stain, then get in there with a stiff brush and some dish soap or even laundry detergent and scrub it.
Households may need to put in some elbow grease in to remove the stains from their driveway but if they do catch it soon enough and it’s a fresh stain, it “shouldn’t be too difficult”. Finally, rinse with clean water.
