Muriatic Acid Oil Stain Concrete

You should see a gray stain.

Muriatic acid oil stain concrete.

Before you remove stains from your driveway make sure to thoroughly protect yourself. While some stains can be rinsed away with a pressure washer tougher stains such as rust require an acid based cleaner like muriatic acid. Mixing ammonia with bleach creates a lethal gas similar to mustard gas. Despite its effectiveness muriatic acid should be used on concrete stains only if you ve tried gentler alternatives to no avail.

Make sure the detergent you use is ammonia free. Always wear a carbon activated mask. Mold rust and other stains can mar the clean beauty of your concrete lessening the visual impact and even the curb appeal of your property. Safer alternatives include trisodium phosphate which still poses risks but is not as strong as muriatic acid and sandblasting which is a manual rather than chemical process.

For many years it has been the standard cleaning method to prepare concrete for coatings installations to remove stains of any type from concrete and to remove concrete slurry or efflorescence from bricks. The most common acids used to clean concrete and bricks are hydrochloric acid muriatic or phosphoric acid. Muriatic acid creates and acidic vapor that can suffocate you quickly. Scrub the gray stain with a solution of 1 cup liquid chlorine bleach 1 cup powdered laundry detergent and 1 gallon of very hot water.

How to use muriatic acid to clean concrete. The center for disease control recommends that you use a respirator specifically designed for hydrochloric acid a chemical resistant suit gloves face shield and goggles.