Sometime within the last several days someone sprayed sunscreen on our concrete patio. It left a goopy, dark, tacky stain and is over a fairly large area; maybe covering an area 3 x 5 feet. It is very unsightly and feels terrible to walk over - sort of sticky, but I also fear it will be slippery with wet feet.

Does anyone have any suggestions for how to remove this residue? I tried scrubbing dish detergent and Goo Gone, then hosing it off, but no success. If it matters, the concrete is tinted - the kind of tint that goes in the mix, not applied afterward, and the stained area is fairly close to the house.

I'd try a pressure washer. Start using it from a distance then move the tip a little closer till you find the distance that removes the stain best.

This might work for you.
http://www.orange-sol.com/contractors/index.html

Another possible cleaner is trisodium phosphate (the real stuff, not substitutes).

DuPont's StoneTech division has several good cleaners.

http://www2.dupont.com/Stone_Tech_Profe ... clean.html

Thanks, all. I tried the bleach route and it appears to be a no-go but will know better in the morning when it is completely dry. I'll look for some of the orange stuff James suggested, and call the concrete guy in the morning to see if they have any suggestions. I am not wild about the look of the sunscreen stain on my one year old covered patio, but I could get over that if the stickyness would go away.

if you have plain untreated concrete you can use a concrete grime and oil residue wash from a reputable provider, you should not have any major problems if it is just sun cream. if it something else and it has penetrated deep into a non sealed surface you can try an acid wash on a small section and if it works which it should then use that, now if it is sealed and or colored then you have to mark out a complete section that fits in with any pattern and carefully wash the area then use a similar acid wash very carefully and use the same color hardener that matches the pattern and mix with water into a creamy paste and brush over the area pattern that has been acid washed. then re-seal with a little of the pigmented color hardener within the seal and spray evenly over coat after coat waiting for each coat to dry out fully. hope this helps, any problems send me a pic and i'll help you out!

brit -- thank you! i will post some photos, but likely not today. company in town and spent night in ER with my six year old daughter - but when things slow down and the concrete is back on top of the list of things to do, i will definitely post some photos -- cuz it still does not look terrific.

this stuff removes ANYTHING. asphalt, tar, bugs, oil, grease, on and on. and its biodegradable and smells good. cleans my driveway beautifully.