How to Remove Oil Stains From Streets

Oil in the streets creates a dirty, dangerous mess.

Many cars leak oil and streets absorb it. This inevitable fact of life has made oil staining a problem anywhere that automobiles meet pavement. Oil staining can be more than a mere aesthetic problem, too; water is heavier than oil and doesn't mix particularly well with it, so a light shower can draw embedded oil to the surface and create a rainbow-colored slick covering the entire road. Removal procedures will vary, depending upon whether you're removing the oil from concrete or asphalt.

Things You'll Need

• Naphtha solvent
• Kerosene
• Old paint can
• Pot lid or cover
• Disposable towels
• Kitty litter with baking soda

Instructions

1. Pour a 50/50 mix of kerosene and naphtha solvent into a metal container. Add about two ounces of dish detergent per gallon of kerosene/naphtha, gently stir the mixture and cover it. An old paint can will work well to contain and seal the mixture, provided that you've thoroughly cleaned the can beforehand. Wait until the hottest part of the day, stir the mixture and pour it over the stain. Continue adding the solvent mixture until the concrete becomes saturated and the solvent pools on the surface.

2. Cover the solvent puddle and oil stain with an old pot lid or paint can. This procedure will not only slow the rate of solvent evaporation, it will help contain heat and help the solvent work. A coating of flat black spray paint on the outside of your cover will allow it to absorb far more heat, to get things moving faster. Allow the cover to stand for an hour and check the stain.

3. Wipe the solvent and any oil away with a few old rags. Place them in a fireproof container, for later disposal at an authorized toxic-waste facility. Repeat steps one and two -- two to three more times. The hotter you get the solvent mixture, and the longer you let it sit, the better it will work. Just make sure that you never allow it to completely evaporate, or you'll just thin and spread the oil stain. Wipe the solvent and oil stain away.

4. Cover what's left of the stain with a one-inch-thick layer of kitty litter that contains baking soda -- and allow it to sit overnight. The solvent that has soaked into the concrete will eventually dissolve and displace the oil. The mixture will slowly sweat from the concrete and soak into the kitty litter. Dispose of the kitty litter in an appropriate manner.

Tips & Warnings

• The above approach will work fine for concrete, but asphalt demands a slightly different approach. The primary issue here is that the tar which binds asphalt together comes from the same hole in the ground as the oil soaked into it, so almost anything you use to dissolve the oil will also dissolve the asphalt. You'll need to soak the stain in a less-aggressive compound like citric acid or acetic acid (vinegar) and then scrub the oil to break it loose. You may need to repeat this procedure two to three times a day before the stain comes up. Don't use any detergent on asphalt: If the tar does dissolve under acid treatment, the detergent may keep it from re-solidifying.

• The recommended solvent mixture will be extremely flammable, so keep it away from any kind of ignition source. Naphtha isn't particularly good for you either, so refrain from contact as much as possible.

• A standard engine de-greaser will work in place of the recommended mixture, but they contain ethylene glycol (antifreeze) and Benzenesulfonic acid -- neither are things that you particularly want leaching from your driveway the next time it rains.

References

• Ask the Builder: Cleaning Concrete Oil Spots
• Cleaning Tips: Removing Oil Stains from Concrete
• Mrs. Clean: How To Remove Oil Stains From The Driveway
• Gunk: Material Safety Data Sheet for Engine Degreaser