How To Clean Oil Spill On Concrete Driveway

How to Remove Oil Stains From Concrete: Best Methods

Jennifer L. Betts

Jennifer worked for five years as a housekeeper in a large hotel chain. In that capacity, she learned how to clean just about anything.

Professional Cleaner

Knowing how to remove oil stains from concrete isn't something everyone knows. However, if you have a car and a concrete drive, the odds of never having an oil spill are not in your favor. Learn DIY hacks to remove oil from your concrete using baking soda, cat litter, and even cola.

Removing Excess Oil With Cat Litter

Before you try to remove the stain from your concrete, it's pivotal to remove the excess oil from your concrete. Cat litter is perfect for this job.

Sprinkle an abundant amount of cat litter on the fresh oil
Use your feet to grind it into the stain.
Allow it to sit overnight or as long as possible.
Use the shovel to scoop up the cat litter and throw it away.

Depending on how fresh the stain was, cat litter could be enough to get rid of the stain for you. However, if you still have stains, move on to these other oil fighting tricks.

How to Remove Oil Stains From Concrete With Coke

Coke isn't just for drinking. It's also good for cleaning oil from concrete and getting the rust off your toilet. Who knew? For this oil busting recipe, grab the Coke and Dawn.

Coat the entire stain in Coke.
Add an abundant amount of Dawn.
Use the brush to scrub in circular motions.
Rinse with water.
Repeat as needed.

Remove Oil From Concrete With Baking Soda

Baking soda is another great cleaner for fresh oil stains. After removing the oil with a bit of cat litter, grab the baking soda and Dawn.

Sprinkle the baking soda on the stain. A big stain requires the whole box.
Let it sit for about 15 minutes.
Add several squirts of Dawn and enough water to make a paste.
Scrub with the brush in circular motions for several minutes.
Rinse with water.
Repeat as needed for deep stains.

How to Remove Oil Stains From Concrete Driveway

Don't have Dawn? Not to worry. Grab your powdered detergent and head to the driveway.

Cover the entire stain in powdered detergent.
Add a bit of water for it to become a paste.
Using circular motions, scrub the stain with the brush.
Let it sit for an hour or two.
Rinse and repeat until the stain is gone.

How to Remove Old Oil Stains From a Garage Floor

Old or deep oil stains that don't respond to the home methods, it's time to break out the big guns. However, the big guns come with risks so before using TSP, grab your gloves and goggles.

In a container, mix a cup of TSP with a gallon of water.
Pour the mixture on the stain.
Let it sit for 30 minutes.
Scrub with your brush in circular motions for a few minutes.
Rinse and repeat as needed.

Does WD-40 Remove Oil Stains?

WD-40 is an effective grease stain remover. In some cases, WD-40 can remove oil stains from concrete. However, it isn't as effective as other methods and depends on how old the stain is. If you have it on hand, you can give it a try by spraying it on the stain and letting it sit for 30 minutes. Scrub it around with your brush, then soak it up with the cat litter.

Cleaning Your Concrete of Engine Oil

If engine oil drips on your concrete driveway, you aren't stuck with it. Rather than spending a bunch of money on commercial cleaners dive into your pantry.