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Edit: Will a Mod please change/correct the spelling of "suggestions" in the title?
I'm not sure if this is the right forum for this question, and I apologize if it's not the right place to be posting this, but I'm in desperate need of some help with cleaning some motor oil stains and also power steering stains on concrete. I am going to be moving within the next week and I would really like to try to get all/most of my deposit back, so I'm hoping to be able to do a good job of cleaning up the stains that my 2 vehicles have left on the concrete out back of my apartment over the last two years.
I have already searched Google for ideas and there seem to be some good/effective methods, but I was hoping to get some specific suggestions for how to clean up/remove/cover up both motor oil and power steering fluid from concrete, as I have have stains from both to try to clean up.
I'm also hoping to get some suggestions about specific cleaning supplies and solutions that seem to work well? And, should I try some sort of cleaning fluid to remove/lighten the stains, or powder that covers up the stains, or both?
Also, does anyone know if I will likely need or benefit from renting a power washer? Or will I probably just need to use some sort of concrete cleaning solutions and a scrub brush and my garden hose?
As always, any and all helpful replies will be genuinely appreciated!
Last edited by BillyJackAz; 09-23-2015 at 11:54 PM..
Reason: Because I'm a moron.
Let's see if I can do this again. Here should be some pictures of the stains that I'm wanting to clean:
The Power Steering Fluid stains (and debris that has stuck to it while my car was not there) on the concrete where I park my car.
and another view of the power steering fluid stains:
And this is a picture of some of the oil stains. These have actually been accumulating over the course of the past 24 months, and while I did lay down a fairly large oil pan and some cat litter where I park after a couple weeks, someone rode their bike across it within a few days and bent it, and it also rained several times while my vehicle was not there, and I eventually got discouraged and just left it as-is and hoped that I parked over the pan and prevented the oil that leaked while my car was parked from getting on the concrete more than it already had.
Also, as mentioned, this oil pan and cat litter was originally put there almost two years ago, so there is also dirt/mud that has accumulated on it along with the cat litter, and that's why it looks this way.
another view of the oil stains and dirt/cat litter-covered oil pan.
and a side view of the oil stains and dirt/cat litter-covered oil pan.
Sweep up the dirt and crap.
Get a gallon of lacquer thinner and a bag of NON clumping kitty litter. The cheap stuff
Pour lacquer thinner straight n the stain. Scrub with a stiff floor brush. Pour litter ver the area. Sweep up
The lacquer thinner penetrates and lifts the oil. The kitty litter absorbs it. I've successfully used this tactic. It may take a few applications if it's really embedded
Sweep up the dirt and crap.
Get a gallon of lacquer thinner and a bag of NON clumping kitty litter. The cheap stuff
Pour lacquer thinner straight n the stain. Scrub with a stiff floor brush. Pour litter ver the area. Sweep up
The lacquer thinner penetrates and lifts the oil. The kitty litter absorbs it. I've successfully used this tactic. It may take a few applications if it's really embedded
Why is your Ford leaking so bad?
Thank you very much for replying and for the information! I originally poured cat litter all over the oil pan that I placed underneath my Explorer, after it was suggested to me as a way to absorb the oil that would leak. Then, about 3 weeks ago, I had a mechanic (who does side-jobs and has worked on both of my vehicles) replace the power steering high pressure hose on my Accord and it had leaked a little power steering fluid on his driveway while he was working on it, and when I went to pick up my car from him, he was actually pouring cat litter (or something similar that looked just like it) and then grinding it in to the concrete in his driveway over the fluid that had leaked. So, I definitely intend on trying out this cat litter-grinding method, but I also want to try to get as much potentially useful information as I can, so that I can be prepared to try it out to get rid of/cover up the stains while I'm preparing to move out next week, if one method may work better for my particular situations/stains.
As for the oil leak on my Explorer, it had the leak when I bought it, but I had not realized it. I actually bought it for $1,000 almost exactly 3 years ago, while I was in a major bind and in desperate need of a vehicle to get me and my family's two cats and all of my possessions from Florida back home to Arizona. And it was a good-size SUV, in my price range, and the guy actually brought it to my home (since I did not have a vehicle at the time), so I did not thoroughly check it out when I bought it. And even if I had checked it out and noticed the leak, I was not in a position to turn it away. I was literally being evicted and I had lost my job about 5 months prior and was stuck out on Florida by myself, after my family had all come back home to Arizona.
And, honestly, I don't recall when I even noticed the leak, but it got worse/more-noticeable over time after I bought it. However, it got me and my family's cats safely back home to Arizona from Florida and was my daily driver for almost two and-a-half years (up until march of this year) and it still runs, so I have to say that I absolutely got my money's worth with this vehicle!
As for the leak, I do recall someone mentioning it to me while changing the oil that it was some sort of a seal or gasket (around the oil filter, I think - sorry, I'm not a very knowledgeable car/truck/SUV guy) that needed to be replace. But it would have been like $400-$600 or somewhere in that range to replace the parts and I was not in a position to pay it at the time, or many times at all over the past 2-3 years.
I actually have not driven my Explorer (or even started it) since March (so, for over 6 months now), as the alternator went out 3 different times (twice, after buying a used one from a salvage yard and getting a replacement part from them), so I'm hoping that it will actually start and be able to drive when I plan on moving it within the next week. I am planning on buying another used alternator (approx. $45) and used battery ($25) and putting in a couple quarts of motor oil, in hopes of being able to start it up and drive it to my new home.
In the meantime, though, I am also hoping to be able to do a god job of cleaning up these oil stains, as my landlord had mentioned/complained about them several times. And I can understand why; but seeing as the stains were already there and my vehicles were still going to be parked there, I did not see the point in putting forth much effort before I was ready to move out. But, that's where I am now and why I started this thread!
Btw, I did try this 'Purple Power' stain-cleaning fluid that comes in the same type of bottle that anti-freeze comes in, and it was around $10, but it did not do a very good job of removing/deep-cleaning the oil stains. I have not tried it on the power steering stains, though. And I did see online that there is some sort of "Industrial Strength" Purple Power, but I have not bought/tried it.
Sorry for the lengthy posts. OCD is a ************!
ATTENTION: MODERATOR: It looks as though I am no longer able to edit my original post (does this option go away after a certain amount of time since you make a post?), but, besides wanting to change/correct the spelling of "suggestions" in the title, I also wanted to add "old" as the first word in the title.
If possible/convenient, could someone please change the title of this thread to this: Old Motor Oil and Power Steering Fluid stains on concrete - Cleaning/Removal suggestions?
Muriatic acid or aircraft paint remover. Will probably need to do a good scrubbing with a wire brush too, and hose it off afterwards. Power washer might help after the acid or paint remover, but may not be necessary.
Muriatic acid needs to be really diluted or the fumes will mess you up. And you need to do the whole driveway or it bleaches the spot and leaves run off streaks. It's very caustic. And it etches the concrete, leaving it very vulnerable if new oil leaks or stains happen which will be deeper embedded due to the etching action.
Muriatic acid is ok if you plan on sealing or epoxy painting concrete. If you're gonna leave it bare IMO not such great idea
Non clumping kitty litter, followed by Palmolive dish detergent (very good at oily stains). Get it wet enough to cause the detergent to foam, then let it sit for a few minutes. Give it a good scrub with a broom or brush. Rinse, then another treatment with the kitty litter. Worked real well in my garage.
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