5 Ways To Remove Olive Stains From Concrete Driveway or Pathway

If your olive trees grow nearby your pathway, patio, or driveway, you probably have noticed olive fruits often falling to the ground and crash. This can cause olives to leave marks and stains on your concrete pathway and driveway because olive contains a certain type of fat which can get absorbed into concrete pretty fast.

This may lead to a question: how to remove olive stains from concrete driveway or pathway? Removing olive stains from the concrete can be quite tricky. This is because olive juice or olive oil has a high viscosity and tends to stick and spread over an area easily. Thus, you can use one of the following ingredients to remove olive stains from concrete:

• Pressure Washing
• Baking Soda and Lime
• Ethyl Alcohol
• Trisodium Phosphate (TSP)
• A Can of Coke

Another thing to note, over time olive marks on concrete tends to absorb grease and dirt, and turn darker in color. Thus, timely action should be taken when you are dealing with olive stains.

For this reason, we have prepared a guide for you on how to remove olive oil stains from concrete in your driveway, patio, or pathway by applying 5 different approaches.

Pressure Washing

With sufficient and well-calibrated water pressure, it is possible to clean fresh olive stains from concrete with only the pressure of the water. Also, pressure washing is a great alternative to synthesized cleaning products.

For instance, if the concrete is badly darkened or stained with olive juice and mildew, wash with a cleaning solution that includes sodium hydroxide can help brighten it.

Baking Soda and Lime

Mostly in every household, you can find baking soda and lime which are effective ingredients to remove olive oil stains from concrete. And here is how you can do it:

1. You will need 1 cup of baking soda and 1 gallon (3.8 liters) of hot water.
2. Pour the baking soda into the hot water and mix it well.
3. Cut 1 lime in halves and add it to the mixture.
4. Then stir it well.
5. Take a scrubber brush with you and gently wring it in the mixture.
6. Scrub olive stain from your concrete.
7. The lime and soda mixture will help to get rid of any stains that are left on your concrete.
8. For stubborn stains, you can pour a little bit of the solution over the blemish and let it sit for 5 min.
9. Then scrub it with the brush you have and remove the concrete stains.
10. Finally, blast the spot with your garden hose set to the highest pressure.

Ethyl Alcohol (Ethanol)

Using denatured ethyl alcohol (ethanol) is a great option to remove any kind of stains from your concrete. Ethyl alcohol is a strong solvent and can help you to deal with a large area covered. You can find it in any chemist store or online.  

1. You can opt to buy the liquid solution or even the spray.
2. Pour ethyl alcohol over the blemish.
3. Scrub it with a brush you have (ideally, with a stiff nylon brush).
4. Finally, blast the spot with a garden hose set to the highest pressure.
5. Olive stains will be gone in no time!

Note: this method is not suitable if the concrete is painted. The ethyl alcohol will rub off any paint job that you might have. So be careful while using this method to remove olive tree stains from your pathway or driveway.

Trisodium Phosphate (TSP)

Especially for deep-set olive stains, trisodium phosphate (TSP) can be the perfect treatment. Trisodium phosphate is a nonorganic compound and used as a cleaning agent, degreaser, and stain remover. Moreover, it has a proven track record of cleaning stubborn, grimy areas around the home.

1. Mix 1 cup of trisodium phosphate (TSP) in 1 gallon (3.8 liters) of hot water
2. Then pour the solution over the olive marks.
3. Let it soak in for at least 30 minutes, and then scrub with a stiff nylon brush.
4. Finally, blast the spot with your hose set to the highest pressure.

Always follow product instructions and apply safety precautions when using heavy-duty cleaners such as TSP. Use eye protection and waterproof gloves when handling or cleaning with any cleaners.

In fact, TSP often succeeds where other solutions fail to do the trick with the most stubborn olive oil stains built up over time. Though for difficult areas, a second cleaning with TSP is required. 

By the way, some manufacturers of TSP products have been banned due to general concerns about the environment as it contains phosphates, so they offer TSP substitutes.

A Can of Coke

If you can’t find around your home any one of the items mentioned above, you can always try a coke! Coke is all the treatment you may need to clean olive oil from concrete before it permanently settles into it. Who would know?

1. Pour a can or two of Cola or a similar brand of Cola onto the olive stains.
2. Let it sit overnight before cleaning further.
3. Next day use dish soap or baking soda for cleaning.
4. You will notice the olive marks fading away from the concrete.

Also, homeowners who grow olive trees have reported that coke works very well with painted concrete also.

Essentials You May Need to Clean Concrete

• Pressure Washer
• Baking Soda
• Stiff Nylon Brush

Last update on 2024-04-12 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

• Ethyl Alcohol (Ethanol)
• Trisodium Phosphate (TSP)
• TSP Substitute/ Stain Removal

Last update on 2024-04-12 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

Conclusion on How to Remove Olive Stains from Concrete

Removing olive stains from your concrete can be an easy job if you do it regularly, let’s say straight after every olive harvest. In that case, the olive stains will remain fresh and will be much easier to remove them.

As well, important to choose the correct solutions and ingredients in order not to end up making more mess than what existed in the first place.

I believe this article gave you some great ideas on how to remove olive stains from concrete around your house. And now you do not have to worry about dropping olives every fall and leaving these pesky stains again.

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