Concrete cleaning advice?

Kinja'd!!! "Birddog" (maintmgt)
04/03/2016 at 20:16 • Filed to: None

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I have (quite) a few spots like this to deal with. I have two pressure washers but I don’t think just water is going to do the trick.

I’ve toyed with a few concrete chemicals at work but was always left a little unimpressed.

Any recommendations?


DISCUSSION (19)


Kinja'd!!! Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > Birddog
04/03/2016 at 20:23

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I have that bumpy, lumpy, looks like small rocks glued together 1980s driveway. I got quite a bit of oil on it from our previous leaky cars. Anyway, I was surprised to see that just a pressure washer got rid of quite a lot of it. Thing is, it’s darker to begin with and has infinite crests and valleys so it’s also less noticeable.

Yes, enough about me again — I read that pool cleaner does amazing work if used correctly (and safely). Never tried it, though.


Kinja'd!!! Master Cylinder > Birddog
04/03/2016 at 20:24

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I have had OK results with Simple Green and just plain Dawn detergent with a stiff-bristled brush. I’ve never been able to get concrete stains out completely, though.


Kinja'd!!! HammerheadFistpunch > Birddog
04/03/2016 at 20:26

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Dry laundry detergent, bristle brush, then powerwash


Kinja'd!!! Birddog > HammerheadFistpunch
04/03/2016 at 20:30

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I just saw that on a Harley forum! I have a 200lb sack of that in the shop we’re not doing anything with. First experiment!


Kinja'd!!! Birddog > Master Cylinder
04/03/2016 at 20:32

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I doubt I’ll get rid of them completely. I’m going for a slightly less neglected look so anything is an improvement.


Kinja'd!!! Birddog > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
04/03/2016 at 20:33

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Hey, at least the stuff you have to say is interesting!


Kinja'd!!! Urambo Tauro > Birddog
04/03/2016 at 20:36

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Definitely start by cleaning up the bulk with some absorbent compound first. You’ve probably heard of using kitty litter as an alternative, but honestly, a 40-lb bag of Oil-Dri is cheaper.

I recently tried out the Zep “Instant Spill Absorber” from Home Depot. It works really well, but I was surprised at how powdery it is. Even a light wind will blow it around.


Kinja'd!!! blacktruck18 > Birddog
04/03/2016 at 20:42

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My old driveway is on the right, compared to my neighbors on the left. That was done with Dawn, a hard bristle deck brush and a shitty electric power washer. Unfortunately, the hose wasn’t long enough to reach the whole driveway.


Kinja'd!!! ranwhenparked > Birddog
04/03/2016 at 20:42

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I’ve had good luck with Pour ‘N Restore. It won’t get them totally out, but it will take care of like 90+% of the problem, which is better than most else I’ve tried.

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Kinja'd!!! OpposResidentLexusGuy - USE20, XF20, XU30 and Press Cars > Birddog
04/03/2016 at 20:44

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I imagine purple power and pressure wash would do the trick nicely. We have aggregate here but at the shop it worked pretty nicely.


Kinja'd!!! Birddog > blacktruck18
04/03/2016 at 20:45

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Damn! That’s a heck of a difference.


Kinja'd!!! Urambo Tauro > blacktruck18
04/03/2016 at 20:46

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Hey, if it looks noticeably clean from space, it’s good enough for me.


Kinja'd!!! TheRealBicycleBuck > Birddog
04/03/2016 at 20:47

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If you can get your hands on one of these, it will make all the difference in your concrete pressure-washing efforts. Also keep in mind that any chemicals that you place on your driveway will go to the street, the storm drain, and then to your local stream and/or pond, lake, etc. Fishies don’t like your chemicals any more than you would if you had to breathe them.


Kinja'd!!! LOREM IPSUM > Birddog
04/03/2016 at 21:41

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Soak effected areas with straight Simple Green. Let it soak for hours, reapply as needed to keep it wet, let it soak s’more, then hit it with the h20.

Worked after I parked a 67 chevy with a slow oil leak on a brick driveway for a few years. No one thought that stain could ever be removed, but it was completely gone by the time I was done.


Kinja'd!!! 6Cylinder > Birddog
04/03/2016 at 22:02

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Look into renting a hot water pressure washer with a PSI around 4000. Works damn good on oil stains and heavy machinery.


Kinja'd!!! uofime-2 > Birddog
04/04/2016 at 11:08

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You’ll have to cover it with a tarp or something weighted down to keep it from blowing away, but oil-dry will actually pull stains out of concrete when left to sit on it for a day or two.


Kinja'd!!! John > Birddog
04/04/2016 at 11:57

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Sounds super dumb, but before you do any of the wet work, detergent and power wash etc... try kitty liter and a brick ....

I know it sounds dumb, but when you grind the kitty litter into the oil stain with a brick, it turns into super fine powder that gets deep in the concrete and adsorbs a good amount of the oil, even if its old. Hose it away, then clean with detergent and it will be gone.

Ive done the whole routine several times because I work on an ld crap motorcycle all the time on my patio and I live in a small 4 unit apartment complex and cannot leave stains. Its a little more work but it really makes the stains GONE.


Kinja'd!!! DirtyBird > Birddog
04/04/2016 at 15:44

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purple power poured straight on and scrubbed in with a brush.. let sit awhile then rinse off. did wonders for a friends garage


Kinja'd!!! Dingers Ghost, Champion Jockey > Birddog
04/04/2016 at 21:37

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At work I have used stuff called Krud Kutter to help clean the oil stains in the garage bays. I usually pour it straight on the stains and then pour more around for good measure, let it sit for roughly five minutes, scrub the ever living snot out of it with a good stiff broom, and hose it off. Sometimes the stubborn stains get hit twice but if I’m really determined it does pretty good. I’ve tried using the same stuff through a pressure washer with not much luck though.