Cleaning Diesel Off Stuff - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

bigmaq · #1 12-29-2007, 01:59 PM

Greetings - so how do you clean diesel off the driveway, tools, clothes, etc? It's not like gas, obviously, and I'm having a hard time getting it off the driveway.

Thanks,
bigmaq

TMAllison · #2 12-29-2007, 02:14 PM

Brake Cleaner is a wonderful degreaser for tools and small stains on concrete.

Steam works well on concrete; or if small you could use a poultice of Hydrogen Peroxide mixed with Bonami or Ajax and spread the pancake batter mixture 1/2" thick over the stain and cover with a piece of plastic sealed to the concrete. Leave for a day or two until completly dry. Capillary action penetrates and wets stain then as dries it lifts stain. Wont work if freezing where you are now.

turbobenz · #3 12-29-2007, 02:32 PM

I just let diesel evaporate.

KAdams4458 · #4 12-29-2007, 03:31 PM

Let me share my thoughts and opinions on this...

Diesel on driveways: I just think of this problem as another way that my car marks its territory. It does evaporate eventually, anyway. Without giving it time, I'd suggest muriatic acid, which cleans concrete fairly well. Doing the whole driveway once a year with the acid returns it to an almost new appearance.

Diesel on tools: I'd leave it there as a form of rust prevention, but it does make tools a bit slippery! A little brake cleaner on a rag does wonders for getting them to not be slippery, but not much of anything short of time eliminates the scent.

Diesel on clothes: It honestly takes 3 - 4 Wash cycles for the smell to dissipate. I have special clothing dedicated to working on the car. I wear it proudly, knowing that when someone gets on the elevator with me, they're wondering why it smells like a truck stop.

bustedbenz · #5 12-29-2007, 03:44 PM

Diesel on the driveway: it soaks into the gravel effortlessly. Move somewhere where you have a rock driveway

TMAllison · #6 12-29-2007, 04:22 PM

Muriatic acid won't touch grease/oil. It reacts to calcium and alkaline in the cement; grease and oil is actually used as a protective coating to protect things from acid contact.

KAdams4458 · #7 12-29-2007, 07:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TMAllison

Muriatic acid won't touch grease/oil. It reacts to calcium and alkaline in the cement; grease and oil is actually used as a protective coating to protect things from acid contact.

Then why is it that muriatic acid cleaned up twnety years of oil spills and grease marks off of the cement driveway at the house I lived in a few years ago? The thing looked great afterwards.

Skid Row Joe · #8 12-30-2007, 12:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KAdams4458

Then why is it that muriatic acid cleaned up twnety years of oil spills and grease marks off of the cement driveway at the house I lived in a few years ago? The thing looked great afterwards.

Muriatic acid is an excellent parts cleaner, de-greaser, even cleans dulled chrome parts and paint. They use it at most dealerships around here. A good multi-purpose cleaner.

It's never failed to clean grease, effloresence, paint, whatever, OFF concrete. It etches concrete so badly, there won't be anything left with heavy use. Contractors have used muriatic acid for years, because it works, AND it's cost effective to boot. I'm a believer in it!

Hatterasguy · #9 12-30-2007, 12:37 AM

My dad's going to re-tar the drive way when I get the trans rebuilt in the SDL...this fall when he trades his F150 in on a new truck that will get rid of the other leaker. So by this fall we shouldn't have any vehicals that leak.

We probably should just replace it and start fresh though, the builder screwed it up the first time around.

Thats our oil/diesel removal solution.

TMAllison · #10 12-30-2007, 01:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skid Row Joe

It etches concrete so badly, there won't be anything left with heavy use.

Herein lies the truth. Muriatic acid attacks the cement, removing the top layer and exposing fresh concrete below. You may believe it is removing grease or oil, but it is not. Note that Muriatic should never be used straight (33% solution) as it will severly damage concrete, tile, grout, etc and will continue to do so long after it was applied. A strong cleaning solution that will let you know immdeiately if you have any cuts or nicks on your hands is 20-1.

You may test the effectiveness of Muriatic by coating half of a piece of old metal with vasoline and dunking it in solution.

To attack greasy materials one needs to go to the opposite end of the ph scale and use an alkali.

KAdams4458 · #11 12-30-2007, 06:19 PM

Come to think of it, I actually scrubbed the driveway down with lye before ever using the muriatic acid. That could account for a lot of the grease removal.

Dee8go · #12 12-30-2007, 06:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KAdams4458

Come to think of it, I actually scrubbed the driveway down with lye before ever using the muriatic acid. That could account for a lot of the grease removal.

I don't believe you. I think you're a lye-er!

KAdams4458 · #13 12-30-2007, 07:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dee8go

I don't believe you. I think you're a lye-er!

Ha! Actually the lye worked pretty well. It took a lot of the newer stains out, but didn't really touch the older ones that had spent years soaking in. The only bad part of using the lye was that my shoes and push broom fell apart afterwards. I was expecting that to happen, though.

The trick to the muriatic acid is that it does in fact eat up the concrete. That gets rid of the layer that has absorbed the nasties that make driveways look bad. So, really, I guess it doesn't have much of an effect on the grease and oil directly. I wouldn't use it every year, but it sure can make an old driveway look fantastic before putting the house up for sale.