Oil spillage from your vehicle is a normal occurrence, especially if your car or truck is older or if you change your own oil. Unless you park your classic car over cardboard or are obsessively diligent about not spilling when you change your oil, odds are you will get oil stains on your asphalt in Burnsville MN driveway.
Asphalt is a porous material. It absorbs liquids such as oil, leaving stains which are unsightly and degrade the performance of your driveway. Even if you use a sealer annually, the barrier it provides is still not enough to keep oil from staining your asphalt driveway. If you do get oil on your drive, it is fairly easy to remove the stain.
You will need a couple of things to begin: a stiff-bristle broom, a dustpan, a sweeping compound, some liquid detergent (or trisodium phosphate), a garden hose, bleach and protective gloves and eyewear.
Start by throwing down some of the sweeping compound across the oil stain. Give it 20 minutes for the compound to do its’ job of absorbing the oil, then sweep up the compound and throw away.
Next, pour about 2 tablespoons of the trisodium phosphate or liquid detergent on the oil stain and start scrubbing with your stiff-bristle brush or broom. This is where some good elbow grease really comes in hand as you abrase the asphalt in Burnsville MN. As soon as the stain is gone or you break a really good sweat, use your garden hose to wash off the driveway.
Your last step is the final clean up. Put on your rubber gloves and eye-wear. Using a spray bottle, spray bleach over the stains, alternating between more scrubbing and rinsing until the remaining proof of the oil stain is gone. If you are environmentally conscious and don’t want to introduce bleach into the soil, you can create your own natural replacement. Mix a fourth of a cup of lemon juice and a cup of hydrogen peroxide with twelve cups of water, and you have yourself an organic bleach substitute!
It is important to know if you use a store-bought driveway cleaner, make sure the solution is safe for asphalt in Burnsville MN. Concrete cleaners can do damage to an asphalt driveway. When using your bleach spray, tarp off any surrounding vegetation as the bleach will kill plants and grass.
Keep your asphalt in Burnsville MN looking great by keeping it clean from oil and other harmful liquids. You can extend the life of your asphalt in Burnsville MN by hiring a local contractor to come out twice a year to seal it.
