My old car had leaked oil on the driveway over a period of 2 yrs. How do i remove the oil stains without getting a costly power washer? Are there household detergents or solvents i can use. The stain is about 3 long and 2 feet wide. Thanks.
Wait for some dry days, then: First spread 1/2 inch of cat litter (clay granule type) or special litter sold at auto parts stores, over the stain, then walk around on it to pound it fine. A tamper or other heavy flat tool may be used to crush the litter, so fine material filters down to the oil. Once crushed down, let it sit for several days to a week. Sweep up the litter, and apply again if some oil is still left. For the remainder, I either use a power washer or waste paint thinner to dissolve the residue, then apply more litter to soak the now-thinned oil up. A stiff brush and dish detergent and warm water can get the oil/thinner film off the concrete. Roger
Hi,
I had some oil in my concrete basement floor. I removed most of it, it is better but not all gone, by using a concrete stain remover.
It came in a jug and is a viscous liquid. Pour on the floor and let it dry. It sort of sucks out the oil. Then scrape off the dry material which has absorbed the oil. Drying time is I think overnight.
I got the stuff from Home Depot, but the name escapes me.
Best, Mike.
A minor change to the recommendation above. Spread a thin layer of kitty litter (just enough to cover the stain area). Then take a brick and grind the clay HARD into the stain. The more hand pressure, the better. With a stain this size, it may take abit of time. But this gets the clay ground up into fine dust and pushed into the itty bitty pores of the concrete. Let stand...at least for a few days so don't so this when rain is expected. Either let it blow away on its own or sweep up after a few days. The stain will be almost gone.
--Jeff
There was a thread about this a little while ago where the recommendation was to use thinner, then cover the thinner with the kitty litter. I followed this rec and it worked, although I had to do it a couple of times.
Get engine cleaner at any auto parts store, Gunk is a common brand. Spray it on the stains, let sit for awhile then wire brush. It will now wash off with water, or you can cover it with kitty litter and soak it up.
In the past, I have used pool acid and a wire brush. Kinda etches the concrete finish a bit though. And you don't want to take too deep a breath of those acid fumes either.
Jerry
For spills, Costco sell large buckets of laundry detergent for about $12 that will do a great job. Directions for use are printed right on the bucket.
For 2 year old stains... you're going to have a really hard time. I'm not sure you'll ever get rid of them completely. And be careful with solvents -- aside from the safety issues you might find they just spread the stain and make matters worse.
Fix the car and wait 5 years for the rain, snow, and sunlight to do their thing... very inexpensive ;-)
Thanks everyone. The car has been fixed for several months. I just received a letter from my HOA to remove the stains yesterday.
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See JohnnyC's post. I make a poultice from kitty litter and mineral spirits/paint thinner; spread over the stain (~1/4 inch thick); then sweep up the oil and litter when it dries. I will position a fan to blow over the surface of the poultice to speed things up if conditions warrant.
This is somewhat dangerous (flammability problem) so make certain the vapors can't collect in enclosed spaces.
It also helps to put dry kitty litter at the edges to collect any seepage which might spread some of the stain.
Mineral spirits/paint thinner work better on oil stains. I have used acetone (very, very flammable, and toxic) on transmission fluid stains.
-J
I tried the kitty litter with little success. I tried some grease remover with little success. The fact that it has been sitting for 2 yrs is probably why. Is it possible to use bleach to at least get the dark stains out. I believe that if i use bleach at least the dark stains will be gone, though i do think discoloration will occur, but i can deal with that later. I just need to show some improvement. The only thing i need to know is if bleaching will remove or destroy the concrete itself. Thanks.
Dawn dishwashing detergent will get most of a (fresh) oil stain out. Allow the detergent to work for 20 minutes before rinsing. But, for what remains try
" snipped-for-privacy@yahoo.com" wrote on 17 Jan 2008 in group alt.home.repair:
Bleach will have no effect on oil. Use a solvent like the commercial ones recommended by other posters, or just use paint thinner.
The commercial products have pretty much the same ingredients as paint thinner, but they are thickened to keep it from running off and evaporating too fast. I've had good luck with the jelly-type paint strippers. Don't get them on your skin or breathe the fumes. You need to keep your liver.
There are cleaners available at the home centers specifically made to remove oil form concrete and similar. Look in the sections where they sell driveway sealer products, paints, and concrete products.
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