StageLeft
No Lifer
- Sep 29, 2000
- 70,150
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I know that in Utah as long as you can't see through the walls and it doesn't leak (badly) when it rains, then the house is considered in good condition, but in the rest of the country a house's worth is the sum of its parts, and an oil-stained driveway is worth less than a clean one.Originally posted by: Electric Amish
Originally posted by: Skoorb
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...
Originally posted by: 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
Just a reminder, if you're going to mix water and acid, pour the acid into the water. DO NOT pour the water into the acid. Wouldn't want any acid splashes.
There's an automotive product specifically called Cat Litter that accomplishes this. We're not talking about the sand that your cat craps in.
JulesMaximus
No Lifer
- Jul 3, 2003
- 74,595
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Originally posted by: MrsSkoorb
Next question:
Who wants to come over and actually clean it?
Well, if you didn't live in the middle of fvcking nowhere I'd do it.
Be careful with the muriatic acid. It actually eats away the concrete. We used it to remove the unwanted cement from bricks and roofs. It desolved the cement and then we could wash it away. Cleaning an oil stain this way is actually removing the stained concrete, the acid doesn't interact with the oil at all. And a power washer isn't really needed. We just used a hose. As for your grass, the acid should be so diluted by the time it gets there, that it shouldn't be any problem.
I would suggest that you use the suggestions that actually removes the oil, rather than removing the concrete. Detergents, paint thinner and the like seems to be the better choices.
a big fat deck brush and the powdered detergent should help... if you leave it sitting there overnight it will work better than just putting it on and rinsing it off in a few hours. Hey, if you can, do it every night for a few weeks. Put some down, scrub as hard as you can, then clean it up. Put some more down, leave it for a LOOONGGG time, then clean it up and start over.
You might want to consider a pressure washer, too. It should be able to get most of it as long as they aren't years old.
Don't use a steal brush though, doing this a few times will leave a lovely little scar on your driveway. If you can find a brush with nylon bristles... excellent.
You should also try getting it soaked before you do this. Just like a stain on a shirt can be treated by soaking it, so should concrete stains. Something's gotta penetrate the concrete down to where the stain is, and solids aren't that good at getting in those tiny ridges.
You might want to consider a pressure washer, too. It should be able to get most of it as long as they aren't years old.
Don't use a steal brush though, doing this a few times will leave a lovely little scar on your driveway. If you can find a brush with nylon bristles... excellent.
You should also try getting it soaked before you do this. Just like a stain on a shirt can be treated by soaking it, so should concrete stains. Something's gotta penetrate the concrete down to where the stain is, and solids aren't that good at getting in those tiny ridges.
Of all the methods, I am betting Rogers will work best, and is the easiest.
Concrete is porous. The oil soaks in. You need something that will dissolve the oil(paint thinner), and something that will soak it up through capilary action(cat litter).
Unless the oil is nice and fresh, soap isn't going to do much.. at least, not without a lot of work.
Concrete is porous. The oil soaks in. You need something that will dissolve the oil(paint thinner), and something that will soak it up through capilary action(cat litter).
Unless the oil is nice and fresh, soap isn't going to do much.. at least, not without a lot of work.
Originally posted by: MrsSkoorb
Next question:
Who wants to come over and actually clean it?
come and pick me up! i got my powerwasher and a jug of acid in the garage
lol.. When I came in here I thought this was a linux question...
I use dollar store cat litter. Don't buy the expensive stuff, the cheap stuff works A LOT BETTER.
I use dollar store cat litter. Don't buy the expensive stuff, the cheap stuff works A LOT BETTER.
Demon-Xanth
Lifer
- Feb 15, 2000
- 20,551
- 2
- 81
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