How Do I Clean Concrete With Oil Stains?

Remove oil stains from driveways quickly for the best result.

Oil stains on your concrete attract dirt, leaving dark, discolored areas on your driveway, sidewalk or patio. Oil stains can't be scrubbed from your concrete, they have to be wicked up by absorbent materials. Concrete with oil stains can be cleaned simply and the sooner you tend to the stains, the more easily they'll be removed using supplies from home and the hardware store.

Things You'll Need

• Cat litter
• Broom
• Dust pan
• Trash bag
• Dry cement
• Trisodium phosphate
• 1-gallon bucket
• Rubber gloves
• Goggles
• Paint stirrer
• Scrub brush
• Hose

Instructions

1. Cover the oil stain on your concrete using cat litter. Make sure you cover the entire stain, then allow the cat litter to sit on the stain overnight. Cat litter is an absorbent material and will absorb much of the oil on your concrete.

2. Sweep up the cat litter with a broom and dustpan. Dispose of it in a trash bag. Spread dry cement over the site of the oil stain on your concrete and leave it on overnight.

3. Remove the dry cement from your concrete with your broom and dustpan. Check to see if any of the oil stain remains. For smaller or very fresh oil stains, this may be enough to remove the stain.

4. 

   Protect your skin with rubber gloves.

   Tackle stubborn or older oil stains on your concrete by mixing 1 cup of trisodium phosphate with 1 gallon of water in a bucket. Wear goggles and rubber gloves to keep the chemical from coming in contact with your skin. Stir the mixture with a paint stirrer.

5. Pour the trisodium phosphate mixture over the remaining oil stain on your concrete. Allow the solution to sit for 20 minutes.

6. 

   A scrub brush works the cleaning agent into the oil stain.

   Scrub the trisodium phosphate solution into the concrete and oil stain using a scrub brush. Follow by rinsing your concrete with a hose to fully remove the chemical cleaning solution. Allow your concrete to air dry.

Tips & Warnings

• Substitute baking soda or cornstarch for cat litter, when needed.

• Rinse trisodium phosphate thoroughly with your garden hose, as it can damage your grass and plants if you don't dilute it enough with the rinse water.

References

• Iloveindia.com: How to Remove Oil Stains From Concrete
• The Family Handyman: Removing Oil, Paint and Other Concrete Stains