cleaning up drive way stains

[E4Marty]

I'm sure given the age of the Comanche; i'm not the only one leaving oil stains of one type or another on the driveway. Whats a good store bought or home brewed cleaner to make the driveway like new again. Stains don't bother me none, but the lady on the other hand..

[Pete M]

I borrow a decent gas powered power washer. :D works fantastic!

[Automan2164]

Grinding in some kitty litter with my shoes or rolling over it with the floor jack always pulls a ton of the majority of the oil out of the driveway. I would think some general degreaser and some scrubbing with a stiff brush would do wonders too.

 

Rob

[skidoo_j]

I usually pull up large with kitty litter. sweep it off. Then i'll mix a 50/50 dawn with water and make kind of a moat and let it sit on it. Then wash it off in a few hours. it's important for the water to be 1/2" thick on it kinda hard to accomplish, but works crazy well.

 

after i did all this i sealed the concrete (etched it first) now its really just a quick wipe.

[HOrnbrod]

Easy way - power washer, kitty litter, etc. etc. and live with it.

 

Best way - fix the fluid leaks on your rig. Then no more worries. Cake.

[mjeff87]

I use a three step approach:

 

1. grind in some kitty litter/oil-dry product and let it sit for a day (helps if you do this as soon as the spot happens. Brush it all up.

 

2. Mix up a paste of powdered laundry detergent and water, peanut-butter like consistency, and smear it over top, and let it sit for another day. Try to keep it moist (you can cover large spots with a plastic bag and weight it down). Scrape it all off.

 

3. Hit what's left with a degreaser and a stiff brush.

 

Afterward, the spot will still probably be a bit visible, but after a week or so it'll fade into the rest of the concrete.

 

I will be sealing my driveway and walkway like skidoo_j did here in a couple weeks. I have to line up a pressure washer first, right after I finish resealing my deck.....if it ever stops raining up here every weekend :(

 

Jeff

[dakal]

park it in the garage. work on it in the garage. when i'm painting, put a tarp down.

 

fixing the oil leaks is good idea. hadn't thought of it.

[HOrnbrod]

I have to line up a pressure washer first, right after I finish resealing my deck.....if it ever stops raining up here every weekend :( Jeff

 

:hijack: Just finished a deck out back. Jeff (or anyone else with experience), what product have you found that works the best on a treated wood deck and lasts the longest? I've tried Thompson's and a few others and wasn't satisfied with the results. I'd like to do it once then forget about it. Such a product?

[mjeff87]

I've yet to find a one-time-and-fuggeda-boutit product, but I've had good success with Flood CWF (clear wood finish) products. They contain UV inhibitors, and come in clear (natural) finish and cedar finish. I usually use the cedar on horizontal and deck structure surfaces and the clear on the rail spindles. I recoat about every three years or so, depending on the amount of weathering.....although my deck only gets moring/early afternoon sun, not all-day sun.

 

I'm sure you'll get plenty of other opinions on product preference, though :yes:

 

Jeff

[skidoo_j]

I have to line up a pressure washer first, right after I finish resealing my deck.....if it ever stops raining up here every weekend :( Jeff

 

:hijack: Just finished a deck out back. Jeff (or anyone else with experience), what product have you found that works the best on a treated wood deck and lasts the longest? I've tried Thompson's and a few others and wasn't satisfied with the results. I'd like to do it once then forget about it. Such a product?

 

 

Concrete :)

 

 

I don't think there is any product that will last for ever that's a wood treatment for outside(not that HomeDepot or Ace sells). The longest I remember was 10 years... And that wasn't Thompson's. Rustoleum came out with a deck finish, but if i recall it's only an 8 year finish, and ends up looking like paint, more of a "restore".

 

I always suggested people get one that didnt require stripping prior to reapplication and just reapply every 2-3 years. As some of them require stripping and etching before a re-application. it's also very critical that the wood is going to absorb the treatment. So the wood needs to be dry there's somthing they do with throwing water on it to decide if it's ready or will accept the sealer.

[skidoo_j]

here's the stuff I was thinking of. http://www.readyseal.com/readyseal-advantage.html

 

had the longest life when i was selling it at depot, and can be reapplied every few years with out striping

[Harley]

Powder Tide with bleach

[jimoshel]

I haven't found anything yet that will do a better or quicker clean-up than just regular kitchen dish washing detergent. Powdered Tide or liquid Dawn.

[johnj92131]

I'm sure given the age of the Comanche; i'm not the only one leaving oil stains of one type or another on the driveway. Whats a good store bought or home brewed cleaner to make the driveway like new again. Stains don't bother me none, but the lady on the other hand..

 

Costco sells a very good product called "Oil Eater". 2.5 gallons for 13.95 or so. Used it for years, spray on, let sit a little while, brush, then wipe it up. New house has bad, old driveway stains. Oil Eater and a brass brush has lightend them up considerably.

[johnj92131]

I have to line up a pressure washer first, right after I finish resealing my deck.....if it ever stops raining up here every weekend :( Jeff

 

:hijack: Just finished a deck out back. Jeff (or anyone else with experience), what product have you found that works the best on a treated wood deck and lasts the longest? I've tried Thompson's and a few others and wasn't satisfied with the results. I'd like to do it once then forget about it. Such a product?

 

 

Would love to find such a product also. Maybe we both should check Consumer Reports? Wood needs to be taken care of, even Redwood neets to be restained every few years.

 

If you want a near maintenance free wood like product, try Trex. Have seen some benches at my old condo that are 15 years old and have had ZERO care over the years. Still there and OK. Trex has a few down sides, like everything else.

[Dirteatr717]

Spilled brake fluid all over my friends driveway when we were doing his brakelines and we sprayed purple power all over the stains and it did a decent job! :nuts:

[danbyrambler]

vmjeff87's advice on making a paste with powdered laundry detergent is dead on - Also works great under the hood, wheels or anywhere - brush or scrub on-let set & hose off - been doing it since the 60's - - - - - - Wood Treatment - - - - IIRC & what worked for me - CWF is/was better than Thompsons, BUT for the last 20-22 years I've been using a 50/50 mix of spar/Marine varnish & penetrol - Penetrols been around for a long time & is a snake oil that pretty much does what the label claims - At least it does here in the mid west - Came up with this mixture after talking to a chemist friend whose company made industrial coatings - I also use penetrol straight on equipment that stays outside a lot, battery terminals & lots of other things - good stuff. :smart:

[E4Marty]

Fixing the leaks is a great idea. The Comanche doesn't leak anymore once I fixed the the pinion seal, but it left a few pints of lube on driveway.

Kitty litter seems to be a popular one.

My F150 has left numerous stains of tranny fluid and motor oil. Bad seal I think and valve cover gasket.

[jimoshel]

Five years ago I finished a deck and treated it with Olympic wood treatment. was looking at it today and it's ready for another treatment. Five years may not seem long but consider that there's no roof so it catches the full benefit of the sun and weather. Also doesn't need scraping. Just apply over the old.