How to Remove Oil Stains from a Concrete Driveway

A driveway is the first thing a person sees when arriving at your home. Unfortunately, it gets dirtier faster than just about any part off your homes exterior. Today we will focus on one kid of grime, oil stains.  As maintained as we can keep our own vehicles we cannot always count on others and accidents do happen. Here is a quick fix for those leaks you catch right away and a more comprehensive fix for oil that has had time to sit and sink in.

For a quick fix turn too kitty litter. This is for when oil spills are found relatively quickly.  Simply cover the exposed area with litter, leave overnight and clean up the litter the next morning.  Proceed to rinse with water.  Spills caught early make for a relatively easy clean up.

Moved a car after winter and found that some oil that has been sitting a few months? We’ve got it.  It is fairly easy and doable to remove it.  The best way to remove oil from concrete is to dissolve it and then draw it out.  For this project we recommend cornstarch and liquid TSP.  The cornstarch is used to draw the oil out, the TSP will break down the oil solvent compounds. Mix the cornstarch and TSP into a paste.  Spread the paste over the oil pool.  Use a stiff bristle nylon brush and scrub the mixture over the infected area ensuring the mixture is penetrating the surface of the driveway.  Once a fair amount had absorbed in, leave a layer of the paste covering the surface.  Let dry completely, usually a couple of hours.  Remove the paste with a putty knife the rinse area with a hose or power washer.  Deep stains may take more applications.