OLD Motor Oil Stains on Concrete Driveway

[Kevin Herber]

I have some old motor oil stains on my concrete driveway. They are a few years old and so have gone through a few Texan summers. They are thoroughly baked on. Any ideas how to remove them? The oil is synthetic if that makes any difference.

Thanks -- Kevin

[Don Baer]

I use Meriodic (sp?) Acid. It the same stuff used to balance the ph in swimming pools.You can buy it at the borg. Works great, just don't get it on yourself. pour a little on scrub it with a brush and hose it off.

[Mark Rios]

Well, If I were to try doing it to my place I would thoroughly soak it with brake cleaner 5 or 6 times or more. Being very, very careful of course about any kids, pets and the like in the area. I'd doo it when it was the coolest time of the day to minimize the volotiles flashing off before getting a chance to disolve the oil. Then maybe a few more soakings. After that, I'd get my pressure washer with some concrete cleaner and give it a good jet wash, starting with the widest tip and gradually trying smaller tips until it did the job that I wanted it to. If you start with too small a tip you could end up actually etching grooves in your driveway.

BTW, If you are successful in cleaning any of the spots by whatever method you choose, bear in mind that you now will have a regular colored driveway with some very clean spots. So, unless you paln to attempt to clean the whole drive in some sort of even way, you may just want to leave the spots alone.

Just two cents worth.

[Dan Stuewe]

I use Meriodic (sp?) Acid. It the same stuff used to balance the ph in swimming pools.You can buy it at the borg. Works great, just don't get it on yourself. pour a little on scrub it with a brush and hose it off.

I think the correct spelling is "Muriatic" acid.

[Don Baer]

I think the correct spelling is "Muriatic" acid.

There you go. Thanks
:D

[Steve Clardy]

Grab a bag of portland cement and a 2x4 block.
Cover with portland, scrub with the block.
This only works on concrete that is smooth.

[Chuck Wintle]

What about ordinary dishwashing detergent? It is very good at cutting grease.

[harry strasil]

Dawn Dish Washing Soap, half and half with water, let soak then scrub.

[Cecil Arnold]

Simple Green.

[John Shuk]

I use Meriodic (sp?) Acid. It the same stuff used to balance the ph in swimming pools.You can buy it at the borg. Works great, just don't get it on yourself. pour a little on scrub it with a brush and hose it off.
Wasn't Meriodic one of the Hobbitts in Lord of the Rings?

[Hal Flynt]

If Simple Green or the other ideas don't do it...

I would give TIDE a try, not the liquid and not another brand. I can't tell you why this is. A few years back while a member of the Power Washer equivalent of Sawmill Creek, Tide was the trick and I keep a box of the powder for those occasions.

First get as much of the lose stuff off as will come off, even power washing. Then mix a thick paste with the Tide and water and let it sit on there for weeks or until a big rain. I have one stain left after treating about 6 successfully and this works the best even though it may take more than one treatment.

As a preventative I keep a big bag of OIL DRY handy and sometimes mix it with the Tide powder.

I have no affiliation with Tide.

[Al Killian]

There are two things that work for me, battery acid or powderd car wash soap from NAPA. These are what we used at the truck stop to clen the shop floor at the end of the week.

[Randy Meijer]

I have read that trisodiumphosphate will do a good job although have never used it myself. Fancy name; but all of the borgs should have it.

I just cleaned up a 15 year old driveway with a pressure washer..... looks brand new; but would you believe there were no oil stains to start out with!! I'm guessing a pressure washer would be a big help.

On the other hand, I tried the PW on some 5 year old paint overspray and it didn't touch it. Had to apply paint stripper for a half hour, first, and then the power washer......no more paint !!!

[sandy jacklin]

I have tried many products in the past to remove such ugly oil stains off my driveway, but none of them made any difference. I finally found an oil stain remover that worked for me when my friend told me about OIL GONE EASY HOME & DRIVEWAY S-200. This eco-friendly product can remove any oil stain from any surface.You can learn more about this product at oilgoneeasy.com (http://oilgoneeasy.com)

[Lee Schierer]

Go to the local auto parts store and buy a can of Gunk or other spray engine cleaner. Spray the cleaner on the oil stain wait about 20 minutes and come back with your hose or pressure washer and rinse it off. You may need to repeat the process once the concrete dries out. It works even better if you can rinse with hot water.

[Sean Troy]

I have some old motor oil stains on my concrete driveway. They are a few years old and so have gone through a few Texan summers. They are thoroughly baked on. Any ideas how to remove them? The oil is synthetic if that makes any difference.

Thanks -- Kevin
Here's an old trick I used to use years ago when repairing/removing stains from Granite and marble for customers. If it's an oil based stain, you use minerial spirits, for other stains , you use peroxide, the kind you get at beauty supply stores, not the weak solution type you purchase at big box stores. Make a dam around the stain with pool filter material, the white sand looking stuff( diatomaceous earth ) pour the mineral spirits on the stain and cover that with more material. It should be paste like, cover and seal good with plastic and let sit for 24 hrs. Remove the plastic, sweep up the earth and the stain should be gone.

[Steve Rozmiarek]

I have read that trisodiumphosphate will do a good job although have never used it myself. Fancy name; but all of the borgs should have it.



Yep, called TSP on the box. It's the best there is for removing oil from concrete.

[Gene Howe]

If Simple Green or the other ideas don't do it...

I would give TIDE a try, not the liquid and not another brand. I can't tell you why this is. A few years back while a member of the Power Washer equivalent of Sawmill Creek, Tide was the trick and I keep a box of the powder for those occasions.

First get as much of the lose stuff off as will come off, even power washing. Then mix a thick paste with the Tide and water and let it sit on there for weeks or until a big rain. I have one stain left after treating about 6 successfully and this works the best even though it may take more than one treatment.

As a preventative I keep a big bag of OIL DRY handy and sometimes mix it with the Tide powder.

I have no affiliation with Tide.

It's a darned good paint stripper, too.

[Jim Rimmer]

I would be VERY CAREFUL with muriatic acid. The fumes are dangerous and I'm not sure how you would handle the refuse once you are done. Don't know if it is harmful to grass, etc but my guess is yes. Also, you don't want to let it go down the storm drains.

I used it once (had it on hand because I had a hot tub) and never will again. Be prepared to have a spot that is as clean as brand new concrete.

I think I would try some of the other suggestions and stay away from the acid.

[Rich Engelhardt]

Hello,
I've also had decent luck with the poltice method Sean mentions.

A couple of shovels of plain old dirt, pour on some mineral spirits, cover it with plastic and let it sit a day or two or three.
Uncover it and let it air out and dry.

Takes a few applications, but eventually it wicks out most of the stain.

[Alfred J Sevitski]

Try cat litter. pour it on the stain then scuff it with your foot. leave it there for a while, then sweep it off.

[Pat Germain]

Very good suggestions. I have a large oil stain in my driveway and I'm going to have to give a few of these methods a try.

FYI, it shouldn't matter if the oil is synthetic. Synthetic oil is made from the same stuff as conventional oil; petroleum. Synthetic oil is modified (synthesized). The molecules in synthetic oil are smaller than conventional oil. This is why it's more likely to leak in an older engine. Perhaps the synthetic oil molecules penetrate concrete a little more deeply? Otherwise, I don't think there would be any difference.

[James Jaragosky]

Try cat litter. pour it on the stain then scuff it with your foot. leave it there for a while, then sweep it off.

+1
When I was in the See-Bees; one day a training session got canceled, so there are 700 guys standing around with nothing to do for the day. Until we get sent to the motor pool, (several Quonset huts with concrete floors). Once there we pull out all the trucks and gear, then dumped several 55 gallon drums of oil dry onto the floor. At this point we were told to heel the oil dry into the concrete. By this they meant grind it into the floor with the heels of our boots. Well the floor was one entire oil stain before we started and when we finished sweeping the last of the oil dry up, the floor looked almost new.
Over the years I used this method to amaze friends and coworkers.

[Steve Rozmiarek]

+1
When I was in the See-Bees; one day a training session got canceled, so there are 700 guys standing around with nothing to do for the day. Until we get sent to the motor pool, (several Quonset huts with concrete floors). Once there we pull out all the trucks and gear, then dumped several 55 gallon drums of oil dry onto the floor. At this point we were told to heel the oil dry into the concrete. By this they meant grind it into the floor with the heels of our boots. Well the floor was one entire oil stain before we started and when we finished sweeping the last of the oil dry up, the floor looked almost new.
Over the years I used this method to amaze friends and coworkers.

Around here we call that the Westco shuffle, as Westco is keen on its employees doing just that each night. They do have nice floors though. Maybe we ought to change the name to See-Bee shuffle...

[James Jaragosky]

Around here we call that the Westco shuffle, as Westco is keen on its employees doing just that each night. They do have nice floors though. Maybe we ought to change the name to See-Bee shuffle...
I must have been quite a sight the 700 of us looked like were doing some kind of new dance. And I am sure they stole the idea from someone else. The Westco shuffle sounds fine.

[raul segura]

tsp is great stuff if you soak stuff in it for removing paint from sprayers etc. When used to clean surface for painting it actually gives bite for the paint to stick not just cleaning the surface. After your cleanup you can pour some in the bath and soak your skin soft, great for the lady's. There is a more echo ? friendly tsp made now haven't tried it.
Ive used "Muriatic" acid for cement,not much luck for me , but then I didn't try very hard Ive used it to remove fresh mortar from bricks good stuff. I think Id try something a little more mild my self.
Found a site that shows how to dissolve copper into the acid to etch metal with it. kinda cool but nasty too.
Lots of great ideas you guys have come up with.

[John Coloccia]

First you must drain the blood from a chicken. Be careful not to get any blood on yourself. Stuff the chicken with golf balls (they must be Balata covered). Place the chicken directly on the oil spot, and pour the blood in a ring around the chicken.

Now take a teaspoon + a pinch of sugar and mix in exactly one drop of gasoline (regular unleaded is fine). Carefully sprinkle this on the chicken. Let soak overnight.

The next morning, right at sunrise (not a moment earlier, not a moment later), hold the chicken with both hands and rub it all over the oil spot. If a golf ball or two falls out, don't sweat it, but try not to let the balls fall out. Now take the heel of your shoe and grind what's left of the chicken into the oil spot.

That's part one. For part two you're going to need some bark from a live birch tree and two live geese.

Take the geese and.....

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

for other stains , you use peroxide, the kind you get at beauty supply stores, not the weak solution type you purchase at big box stores. .

"Hi Billy Mays here for OXYCLEAN "

Which is all it is: Soap and hydrogen peroxide

[Ken Garlock]

Muriatic Acid is actually Hydrochloric Acid, HCL.

Take a look at Cleaning masonry surfaces with muriatic acid (http://www.naturalhandyman.com/iip/infxtra/infmur.html).

[Jim O'Dell]

Growing up, we always used cement, like Steve suggested. But then again, my Grandad owned a redi-mix concrete plant, Dad worked there, so the cement was free! We always had a small bag around to soak up oil. Jim.

[Mike Henderson]

+1
When I was in the See-Bees; one day a training session got canceled, so there are 700 guys standing around with nothing to do for the day. Until we get sent to the motor pool, (several Quonset huts with concrete floors). Once there we pull out all the trucks and gear, then dumped several 55 gallon drums of oil dry onto the floor. At this point we were told to heel the oil dry into the concrete. By this they meant grind it into the floor with the heels of our boots. Well the floor was one entire oil stain before we started and when we finished sweeping the last of the oil dry up, the floor looked almost new.
Over the years I used this method to amaze friends and coworkers.
Where do you find the 700 seabees for that technique?

Seeing 700 seabees grinding their heels in your garage would amaze anyone.:)

Mike

[James Jaragosky]

Where do you find the 700 seabees for that technique?

Seeing 700 seabees grinding their heels in your garage would amaze anyone.:)

Mike
Well 700 is what was too showed up for a rapid runway project. the CO was trying to set a record,well it started to rain and the CO decided to wait for better weather to set his record. I am sure at least a 1/3 of us ran off; well anyone above a first class. and 700 is or was a full compliment, if we were at that or not I'm not positive. but there were a lot of guys shaking our hips and twisting our feet, and of course, smoking cigarettes. It makes me smile every time I think about it.

[raul segura]

Who are you that is so wise in the ways of science ????
There are some comrades at work that I may use your assistance with, are you well versed in ( fug u ?) Japanese culinary? I was thinking of making my own walking dead, I'm tired of being alone.

Do the geese need to float on water or perhaps just laden with coconuts ?

[Rick Dennington]

get several bags of cat litter. Pour on the litter, and kill the cat!!!

[Pete Schupska]

There are a lot of good ideas here... mostly it will just take time. I did successfully remove a significant amount of power steering fluid with benzine and dishwasher detergent.

http://www.msue.msu.edu/objects/content_revision/download.cfm/revision_id.494739/workspace_id.-4/01500366.html/


And being an alumnus has not at all made me biased towards this link.