How to Clean up an Oil Spill in Your Driveway

Oil spills can occur during a routine oil change.

Driveway oil spills are unsightly and dangerous due to their slickness and toxicity. These spills can be caused by a recent oil change or a car that leaks small amounts of oil. Because of its dense, sticky consistency, oil is difficult to clean up. Oil does not mix with water and, therefore, cannot be easily wiped up with a damp cloth like other types of spills. Luckily, there are a number of techniques to help you remove oil from your driveway safely and easily.

Things You'll Need

• 1 bag of kitty litter
• Trash bags
• Shovel
• Stiff-bristle brush
• Powder laundry detergent
• Garden hose

Instructions

1. Pour kitty litter over the oil spill. Cover the entire spill so that none of it is showing under the kitty litter.

2. Using an old broom, press the kitty litter firmly into the ground where the spill is located and move it around in small circular motions so that dry parts of the kitty litter can soak up the remaining oil.

3. Using a shovel, place the oil-soaked kitty litter into a garbage bag and tie it tight. If the back is straining under the kitty litter's weight, put it inside another garbage bag to prevent spilling.

4. Dispose of the bag of kitty litter. Many counties require oil to be disposed of differently than ordinary trash. If you are unsure of where to take the bag, call your local trash collection agency to ask where you should take it.

5. Pour a small amount of powder laundry detergent onto the area where the oil leak was located.

6. Using a damp stiff-bristled cleaning brush, scrub the area in small, circular strokes.

7. Rinse the laundry detergent off the driveway with a garden hose.

Tips & Warnings

• If your driveway is asphalt, not concrete, know that asphalt itself is fairly oily. Be careful not to leach the oil from the asphalt. You don't want to leave a "clean spot" instead of the oily one!

• Do NOT use brake cleaner. It's dangerous to handle in this way and won't really do what you need. The same is true for gasoline and kerosene, though this last may work somewhat.

References

• Preferred Consumer; Oil Leaks Messing Up Your Driveway?; Teresa Ambord

Resources

• Read this Article in Spanish