Oak leaf stains on driveway?

[Gleaming the View 14]

Anyone know what to use to remove those oak leaf stains out of concrete?

[Jeff 232]

Anyone know what to use to remove those oak leaf stains out of concrete?

Bleach - 12.5 %

Strong mix will make it disappear

[Camelot 68]

Tim - Jeff is right on as usual...a strong mix of 12.5% works REALLY well. I just used some on a driveway that was badly stained by oak leaves and it worked great.

[Neil_Asheville 114]

A 3% to 5% strength should do ya. If you're feeling real renegade, xjet it straight out of the bucket. Rinse any grass, plants, kids, expensive stuff, etc.

[MMI Enterprises 289]

Same here...The yearly fall here sees them gone in a few minutes on commercial accounts with the 3-5%

[A and J POWERWASHING 64]

I agree most of the time 3-6% will get it , sometime like Jeff said you will need a stronger mix 12%, let it dwell for about 10 -15 min

[Beth n Rod 1,279]

One time we were out cleaning a driveway, and tried bleach. Now bleach works on many things, but it is not always the bullet. Tannin stains can be easily removed with oxalic or citric acid (or a blend thereof). Keep some acid with you, and if the bleach doesn't do it, try your acid.

Beth :cup:

[John Orr 206]

One time we were out cleaning a driveway, and tried bleach. Now bleach works on many things, but it is not always the bullet. Tannin stains can be easily removed with oxalic or citric acid (or a blend thereof). Keep some acid with you, and if the bleach doesn't do it, try your acid.

Beth :cup:

One problem with using acid is that it tends to brighten concrete, so if used on spots, you'll have bright spots. No problem on newer concrete, but could become an issue on anything else. (Unless, of course, you spray the whole drive.)

I have always had great results with downstreaming 12.5%. Give it a few minutes, re-apply if needed, touch-up with stronger if needed.

[James 624]

I use Tanninator with bleach for stone surfaces and Tanninator with acid for wood.

[Beth n Rod 1,279]

One problem with using acid is that it tends to brighten concrete, so if used on spots, you'll have bright spots. No problem on newer concrete, but could become an issue on anything else. (Unless, of course, you spray the whole drive.)

I have always had great results with downstreaming 12.5%. Give it a few minutes, re-apply if needed, touch-up with stronger if needed.

That's a great point, and of course regardless of what you clean with, you can end up with clean vs dirty areas, so evening it out and making sure the whole area looks good should always be the goal. Always give the best results you can for your efforts, and you'll get repeat business. :) Remember you are going for curb appeal, and this is the first area they see when they drive up.

Beth :groovy3:

[Gleaming the View 14]

wow, thanx for all the intel. I really need to step up my game with bleach and the acids but they have always made me nervous for fear of killing plants and grass. sounds like theres going to be no way around it to get the desired result we strive for.