When it comes to building a patio, driveway, walkway or other similar projects in a client’s yard, pavers make an excellent choice. They can be shaped in a variety of styles and colors, and are incredibly easy to work with. One of the perils of building a paved stone or concrete driveway, however, is the possibility of oil stains.
There are a million and one reasons why you might end up with oil stains on your client’s pavers. Oil or grease from a variety of different tools or pieces of equipment could easily drip onto them during the building process.
If you don’t catch them quickly and remove them, you could end up with permanently stained pavers that require complete replacement. Oil stains are a very likely occurrence when installing pavers in or around a client’s home.
In order to get you up to speed on how to remove oil stains from pavers, let’s take a look at a few ways you can remove them quickly and efficiently so they don’t settle in and ruin your client’s pavers.
How to Remove Oil Stains from Driveway Pavers
If you want to know how to remove oil stains from brick pavers, the best way is by doing an inspection every so often during the building process, especially after working with any type of grease or oil. The faster you get to an oil spill, the easier the question of how to remove oil stains from pavers is to answer.
The first step you should take after discovering an oil stain on pavers is to grab some rags, paper towels, and oil-absorbent granular material. You should have all of these materials handy. If the stain is fresh, blot the area with rags or paper towels, being careful not to scrub the stain in.
Then, apply laundry detergent or liquid dish soap on the stain and let it sit there for anywhere from 20-30 minutes. Next, scrub the area with a nylon bristle brush. Rinse with hot water after you’re done and repeat scrubbing and rinsing as needed until the stain is gone.
If the oil stain on the pavers has settled in and dried a bit before you discovered it, spread some granular material over the stain and let it sit there for about 6 hours. Sweep the material up and use the above cleaning method if necessary.
How to remove oil stains from concrete pavers with cleaning products
In the event that an oil stain has settled in, or you just want to assure the highest possible level of success when it comes to removing oil stains from your client’s pavers, you might need to take more drastic measures. Opting for a professional cleaning solution is your best bet in this scenario.
This product is exceptional at pulling out stubborn grease and oil stains out of pavers. It’s a poultice cleaner, meaning all you have to do is spread it out over the stain and wait a certain amount of time for it to work. This oil & grease remover works effectively on brick, tile, block, concrete and stone pavers. It’s able to soak up food grease, power-steering fluid, cooking oils, hydraulic fluids, antifreeze and motor oil as well.
Even deeply-set, old stains will be completely removed by this product. You don’t need to mix anything or do any scrubbing, as this product is simple to use. Just lay the material out over the stain and wait 5 to 8 hours for the mix of powder, solvents and batter-thick surfactants to dry up the stain completely.
How to remove oil stains from pavers without using messy cleaners
When it comes to removing oil stains from the pavers of a client’s home, you have a few options. If the stain is relatively fresh, you might be able to get it out with a simple bucket and brush method. By blotting the stain with paper towels or rags, then scrubbing it with detergent or soap, you can rinse it away without having to resort to a more intensive cleaning method.
If the stain has settled in, however, you might need something stronger. Some types of oil removers have harmful chemicals in them which could kill nearby plants or otherwise contaminate the area.
Others oil & grease remover work just as well without the added threat of contamination. Since this product is a poultice cleaner, all you need to do is spread it out over the stain and wait for a period of anywhere from 5 to 8 hours. After a maximum waiting period of 8 hours, the stain will have been completely pulled out of the pavers, leaving you with a simple sweeping job to complete the cleaning process.