Need some "man" help please!

[MomAndSkoorbaby]

Heh heh. Since Skoorb is at work, I thought I would go ahead and post this!

Susie has left her mark. Where she was parked in our driveway, she has left oil. Not a whole lot, but enough that it looks rather nasty. I bought some spray stuff, called "Purple Power" to remove it and it touched it a little, but no real noticeable changes. Then, I tried clothes detergent as I once read that it can remove oil from concrete....

Any other ideas? Anyone use some really mankly powerful oil on concrete remover?

TIA!

MrsSkoorbie

 

[stev0]

muriatic acid and a power washer

 

[MomAndSkoorbaby]

Originally posted by: stev0
muriatic acid and a power washer

Yikes, where would one buy that acid? Sounds like something Skoorb will use and not my pregnant self. Me stay away from that!

 

[Hoober]

Cat litter.

 

[StageLeft]

I will add that we do have a lawn somewhat close to the oil, so we don't want to have a large patch of death, should some of this stuff happen to land on the grass

 

[MomAndSkoorbaby]

Originally posted by: Hoober
Cat litter.

Really? On OLD oil stains? I heard that on fresh ones it works well....that's safe to use too!

 

[skypilot]

lots of bleach... debatable legality though

 

[SarcasticDwarf]

gasoline will bleach it white and leave a small ring, but I suppose that is illiegal.

 

Home made driveway cleaner;



Paint thinner
Cat litter

Pour paint thinner from the can onto driveway spots. Saturate the spots and an area about 12 inches beyond them. Spread a thick layer of NEW cat litter over the entire treated area so that none of the driveway surface is visible. Let the cat litter stand about one hour to absorb the greasy stains. Use a stiff-bristle push broom to sweep up the soiled cat litter. You may need to repeat the process.


DO NOT let the paint thinner come into contact with your skin, I would not like to see your child born with three eyes

 

[Hoober]

Originally posted by: MrsSkoorb

Originally posted by: Hoober
Cat litter.

Really? On OLD oil stains? I heard that on fresh ones it works well....that's safe to use too!

How old is it?

 

[stev0]

Originally posted by: Hoober
Cat litter.

that would take any of the oil that is sitting on the surface, and not the oil that is down in the concrete.

I've bought that particular acid at marine supplie stores, it's commonly used to clean hulls and lower units on boats. You might also be able to find it at larger hardware stores or chemical supply stores. It is nasty stuff (ie: would be a good idea to wear a resperator and have no exposed skin) but it does the trick and makes your driveway look like new

 

[MomAndSkoorbaby]

Originally posted by: DeathByAnts
gasoline will bleach it white and leave a small ring, but I suppose that is illiegal.

What kinda ring?

Nothing to kill my grass remember!

 

[stev0]

Originally posted by: Skoorb
I will add that we do have a lawn somewhat close to the oil, so we don't want to have a large patch of death, should some of this stuff happen to land on the grass

never had a problem with the acid killing grass. you don't put it on in full strength, a 50:1 water:acid mix would be plenty. pour some on the stain, brush with a old broom, let sit, get the power washer and spray away

 

[MomAndSkoorbaby]

Originally posted by: Roger
Home made driveway cleaner;



Paint thinner
Cat litter

Pour paint thinner from the can onto driveway spots. Saturate the spots and an area about 12 inches beyond them. Spread a thick layer of NEW cat litter over the entire treated area so that none of the driveway surface is visible. Let the cat litter stand about one hour to absorb the greasy stains. Use a stiff-bristle push broom to sweep up the soiled cat litter. You may need to repeat the process.


DO NOT let the paint thinner come into contact with your skin, I would not like to see your child born with three eyes

That sounds pretty good to me...Skoorb is going to do whatever we decide anyhow as I want this child intact!

 

[Electric Amish]

Why do you care?

Driveways were meant to have oil on them....

 

[Drakkon]

I did that at my old apt (left an oil stain on driveway)...They sell stuff at walmart/pepboys/etc that cleans it off...even on old stains for me that worked rather well...took a bit of scribing with a wire bush and a good power wash, but at least landlord didnt kill me for leaving oil stains

 

[NuclearNed]

The only thing I have ever done that worked on this problem is something you already tried: laundry detergent.

Put a little powdered detergent on the spot, wet it a little, and scrub it thoroughly with a stiff bristled brush. Let sit for a few minutes, rinse off. Repeat if necessary.

I wonder if dishwasher liquid/powder might work? It's pretty strong stuff and generally designed to break up oils/grease.

 

[StageLeft]

Originally posted by: Electric Amish
Why do you care?

Driveways were meant to have oil on them....

Looks ugly & lowers property value.

Thanks for the ideas, folks

 

[FoBoT]

you can buy muratic acid at home depot , lowes
it even says it is for cleaning concrete on the bottle

i have about 3/4 of a gallon at home if someone wants some extra

or maybe i'll clean my driveway with it sometime

i bought it to clean a concrete basement floor, but the ventilation was poor and i didn't want to die

 

I wonder if dishwasher liquid/powder might work? It's pretty strong stuff and generally designed to break up oils/grease.

You call that strong ?

Castrol Super Clean, now that's strong stuff, even this will not remove soaked in stains.

 

[Electric Amish]

Originally posted by: Skoorb

Originally posted by: Electric Amish
Why do you care?

Driveways were meant to have oil on them....

Looks ugly & lowers property value.

Thanks for the ideas, folks

Bullshit!

Yeah, I can see it now....

BUYER: I LOVE this house. It's the house of my dreams. I'd buy it if it weren't for the oil stain on the driveway...

jesus christ....

I'd be more worried about removing the stench of back-bacon and Labatt's from the carpet and drapes...

 

[NikPreviousAcct]

Usually the same kind of hand soap that goes into the dispensers at restaurants and businesses (some sort of industrial supplied crap) will work. I used to do that when working for a facilities department. Squeeze drops of it about six inches apart and let it sit. Rinse it off about a hour later and voila.

 

[Kelemvor]

Cat litter will help soak up a lot of it if there's some left on the surface area to soak up. Otherwise I'd rent a power washer and blast the crap out of it. But the longer you wait, the more permanent it becomes....

 

[MomAndSkoorbaby]

Originally posted by: Electric Amish

Originally posted by: Skoorb

Originally posted by: Electric Amish
Why do you care?

Driveways were meant to have oil on them....

Looks ugly & lowers property value.

Thanks for the ideas, folks

Bullshit!

Yeah, I can see it now....

BUYER: I LOVE this house. It's the house of my dreams. I'd buy it if it weren't for the oil stain on the driveway...

jesus christ....

I'd be more worried about removing the stench of back-bacon and Labatt's from the carpet and drapes...

Just call it "wanting my property to look nice!"

 

[MomAndSkoorbaby]

Next question:

Who wants to come over and actually clean it?