How do I Clean Power Steering Fluid From a Driveway?

Vehicles with power steering need hydraulic fluid to operate properly.

When changing a vehicle's oil, one fluid that needs to be attended to is the hydraulic fluid, which is also known as power steering fluid. This substance is used by your vehicle's power steering system and helps the power steering pump operate more smoothly. To change this fluid, you need to flush out the old before adding new. If your vehicle has a power steering fluid leak or if you're not careful when changing the fluid, you might end up with a puddle of it on your driveway that will need to be cleaned up.

Things You'll Need

• Cat litter
• Broom
• Powdered laundry detergent
• Water
• Stiff brush

Instructions

1. Pour cat litter over the power steering fluid in your driveway. Cat litter is highly absorbent and will soak up the fluid.

2. Allow the cat litter to sit in the driveway until the majority of the liquid is soaked up. Depending on the quality of the litter and the amount of power steering fluid, this could take several minutes.

3. Use a broom to sweep up all the excess litter from the driveway.

4. Cover the area with powdered laundry detergent if it left a stain. Add water to the detergent until it turns into a paste.

5. Scrub the entire area with a stiff brush to remove the stain. Let the paste sit on the driveway overnight.

6. Add a little more water and scrub the paste again the next day. Rinse thoroughly with clean water.

References

• Car Talk: Oil Changes -- Power Steering Fluid
• Mrs. Clean USA: How to Remove Oil Stains from the Driveway