Banish Oil Stains From Your Patio Concrete With This Household Cleaner

Since your home's patio and driveway can be very visible to neighbors, it's easy to feel embarrassed if these spaces are not looking their best. Not to mention, the appearance of your patio's concrete can negatively impact your curb appeal. Oil stains are common and could appear when you park vehicles on your driveway. However, you don't just have to live with them. It's easier to clean up oil stains in your driveway or patio than expected. All that may be needed is a common household cleaning product: powdered laundry detergent. With the help of a bit of water and a scrub brush, this household cleaning product can help you remove driveway and patio concrete oil stains quickly.

Although there are other products that could help, laundry detergent is often enough for the job. However, it may not be strong enough to remove deeper stains. Laundry detergent works best for superficial stains on the surface of the concrete. If the stain is deeper, it may initially go away but reappear after a few days. Keep in mind that laundry detergent also has the potential to etch the surface of concrete and will require a good bit of physical effort to get results. 

To get started with this oil stain removal method, grab some laundry detergent powder and sprinkle it on the oil stain. Then, you'll need to add some warm water to the powder to make a paste. Next, grab a scrub brush and scrub the area for two to three minutes before letting it sit for a total of 15 minutes. Once you've let the laundry detergent paste sit for the allotted time, scrub it again and then finish by rinsing the area thoroughly with water. If all has gone well, your oil stain will lift from the concrete. However, this method doesn't always work, particularly if the stain is deep. If it fails, you may want to repeat the same process to see if you can get better results. 

Otherwise, you may want to try using hydrogen peroxide to remove the oil stains on your driveway. Additionally, this WD-40 hack to get oil spots off your driveway is also well worth trying. And if you need a gentler alternative, you can substitute laundry detergent for dishwashing liquid. You may want to use dishwashing soap for patio areas that are a bit more decorative since it won't be as harsh on the concrete as laundry detergent.