stains on driveway - DIY Home Improvement, Remodeling & Repair Forum

Christian · 08-17-2009, 09:37 AM

Any way to remove stains on a concrete driveway left by power steering fluid leaks from a vehicle?

My brother's truck is leaking all over my driveway and he's got no money to fix his car. I told him to lay something down under the cradle for now to stop the bleeding in terms of staining my driveway...

Anything I can do to remove those stains?

Thanks!

CraigFL · 08-17-2009, 09:50 AM

The first thing I would try is a pressure washer. Soaking them in Dawn dishwashing detergent may help too.

Nestor_Kelebay · 08-17-2009, 11:14 AM

I spend more time cleaning than anything else.

The standard procedure for removing a dried up liquid or solid stain from a surface is to:

1. Dissolve the dried up liquid or solid in a liquid, and
2. Remove the soiled liquid.

So, the first step would be to dissolve the dried up power steering fluid, and I'd prolly use paint thinner to do that.

The second step would be to remove the soiled paint thinner, and you could do that by placing the end of the vaccuum hose of a wet/dry vaccuum cleaner directly on the concrete.

Alternatively, you could add some detergent to emulsify the soiled paint thinner and then clean up the emulsion with water. Basically, I'd suggest adding Simple Green, scrubbing it into the concrete to full mix the detergent in with the paint thinner. Now add water and scrub again to form an emulsion of paint thinner droplets suspended in water. You can now clean that emulsion off the floor with a sponge and bucket of water.

yesitsconcrete · 08-17-2009, 11:26 AM

franmar makes some good stuff,,, another possibility's making a poultice from diatomaceous earth ( swimming pool supply ) & solvent ( we use maptha )

macro01 · 08-19-2009, 12:57 AM

paint remover is what i use on removing the stains...if you have no paint remover, kerosene would do it as well

yesitsconcrete · 08-19-2009, 05:35 AM

good point - you may find the kerosene residual stain far less annoying

andyrichard01 · 09-02-2009, 02:18 AM

Try a pressure washer to clean. Soaking them in Dawn dishwashing detergent may help too.dissolve the dried up power steering fluid, and I'd prolly use paint thinner.

08-17-2009, 09:37 AM	#1
Christian Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Michigan Posts: 75	stains on driveway Any way to remove stains on a concrete driveway left by power steering fluid leaks from a vehicle? My brother's truck is leaking all over my driveway and he's got no money to fix his car. I told him to lay something down under the cradle for now to stop the bleeding in terms of staining my driveway... Anything I can do to remove those stains? Thanks!

09-02-2009, 02:18 AM	#7
andyrichard01 Junior Member Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: usa Posts: 3	Try a pressure washer to clean. Soaking them in Dawn dishwashing detergent may help too.dissolve the dried up power steering fluid, and I'd prolly use paint thinner. __________________ Compare conservatory prices online withhttp://www.conservatoriesprices.co.uk

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08-17-2009, 09:50 AM	#2
CraigFL Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Panama City, FL Posts: 387	The first thing I would try is a pressure washer. Soaking them in Dawn dishwashing detergent may help too.

08-17-2009, 11:14 AM	#3
Nestor_Kelebay Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Winnipeg Posts: 1,690	I spend more time cleaning than anything else. The standard procedure for removing a dried up liquid or solid stain from a surface is to: 1. Dissolve the dried up liquid or solid in a liquid, and 2. Remove the soiled liquid. So, the first step would be to dissolve the dried up power steering fluid, and I'd prolly use paint thinner to do that. The second step would be to remove the soiled paint thinner, and you could do that by placing the end of the vaccuum hose of a wet/dry vaccuum cleaner directly on the concrete. Alternatively, you could add some detergent to emulsify the soiled paint thinner and then clean up the emulsion with water. Basically, I'd suggest adding Simple Green, scrubbing it into the concrete to full mix the detergent in with the paint thinner. Now add water and scrub again to form an emulsion of paint thinner droplets suspended in water. You can now clean that emulsion off the floor with a sponge and bucket of water.

08-17-2009, 11:26 AM	#4
yesitsconcrete Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: atlanta, ga Posts: 88	franmar makes some good stuff,,, another possibility's making a poultice from diatomaceous earth ( swimming pool supply ) & solvent ( we use maptha )

08-19-2009, 12:57 AM	#5
macro01 Junior Member Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Santa Rosa Posts: 17	paint remover is what i use on removing the stains...if you have no paint remover, kerosene would do it as well

08-19-2009, 05:35 AM	#6
yesitsconcrete Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: atlanta, ga Posts: 88	good point - you may find the kerosene residual stain far less annoying