Remove Oils, Fats and Grease Stains from Concrete or Cementitious Substrates
By V-SEAL & the TARA Group
To remove oil, fats and grease from un-sealed substrates such as concrete, you should usually use a degreaser or surfactant concrete cleaner specific to these stains and blemishes to initiate the emulsification process. V-Scrub HD is good here. When the stain is suspended then the extraction process can begin (occasionally repetition of degreaser or surfactant may need to be repeated). With unsealed concrete you may find it very difficult to remove all stains because of mavericks like burnt hydrocarbons that have infiltrated into the matrix of the concrete fibers thus making them inert (a material that will not react to a chemical cleaning compound). Of course these stains can be removed intentionally through disitegration or accidentally by corosion by chemicals, but this is usually not recommended as a great alternative, especially from the customer's viewpoint. If top coating or thin set is in the repair you are on the right track.
Often times a good call for removal of difficult hydrocarbon stains is V-Krete, or dry concrete powder cleaner. This uses an enzyme action to emulsify and has a very easy application. Basically you spread DRY powder around with a broom and walk away. The enzyme goes to work immediately to dissolve oil stains. This is a GREAT call when you can't use water because of EPA or other issues and leaves concrete looking new.
The absolute best answer is to SEAL the concrete with V-SEAL... a deep penetrating chemical reactive fusion sealer that cannot be re-solubilized in the substrate. This synergism (when 2 or more chemicals are combined and the effect of the chemical reaction is greater than either acting independently) is what makes V-SEAL superior than other sealer claims. V-SEAL will keep stains and impurities up on top of the substrate (cement paste) and making them a great deal more manageable. Stains deeply embedded into the concrete can usually only be diminished and rarely eradicated. You must change the response of the concrete when intruded with impurities to effectively protect it. Will all the stains come out? Depends on where-when-why and how all these variables fall into place. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure!
Bottom Line: Oils, fats & grease are unforgiving concrete adversaries. Never buy the line from contractors " I can get anything out ". Maybe so, but at your expense, usually substrate or surface damage that doesn't appear until a later date. The good news is sealing your concrete is your first best line of defense, knowing how to treat inevitable stains will give you an effective upper hand. Be pro-active, not re-active... Hey, that's a good idea!
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