How to Get Oil Off Concrete

It is not uncommon to find an oil spot on your concrete driveway or garage. Maybe your car leaked oil, or perhaps you spilled some while filling up the lawn mower. Whatever the case, you likely want the oil stain gone. Unsightly oil stains on your concrete surfaces diminish the appearance of the area. Clean oil from concrete carefully so you do not spread the oil further.

Things You'll Need

• Rags
• Cat litter
• Broom
• Bucket
• 1 oz. trisodium phosphate
• 1 cup baby powder or talcum powder
• Putty knife
• Broom
• Dish soap
• Nylon scrub brush
• Garden hose

Instructions

1. Soak up any puddled oil from the concrete. Use old rags to blot the area or sprinkle the spot with cat litter and let it sit for several hours to dry before sweeping it up with a broom.

2. Pour 1 cup of water into a bucket. Add 1 oz. of trisodium phosphate and mix the ingredients well.

3. Add 1 cup of baby powder, talcum powder or similar absorbent substance. The absorbent substance works to draw the oil out of the concrete. Stir again until a paste forms.

4. Scoop out the paste with a putty knife. Spread it onto the oil stain in about a 3/8-inch thick layer. Let it dry onto the spot for 24 hours.

5. Scrape up the hardened paste from the concrete with a putty knife. Sweep up the remaining powder with a broom.

6. Fill a bucket with 1 gallon of hot water. Add a few squirts of dish soap.

7. Scrub the spot with a nylon scrub brush and the soapy water. Rinse the concrete with water from the garden hose.

Tips & Warnings

• Diatomaceous earth, crushed cat litter and Fuller's Earth are other types of absorbent substances that can be used.

• Wear rubber gloves and protective eyewear when using trisodium phosphate.

References

• The Family Handyman: Removing Oil, Paint and Other Concrete Stains