How to Remove Oil Stains From Your Driveway
Make those oil stains disappear
Oil stains on your driveway can be an eyesore — and leaks and spills can happen to anyone. Luckily, there are many ways to remove oil stains from driveways, whether it’s motor oil, gasoline, or another fluid. Here's how to remove oil stains from driveways with household products you probably already have at home.
Types of Oils that Stain Your Driveway
Various fluids can stain your driveway, especially if it's made of concrete. While you can never completely avoid spills and stains, knowing what fluids can stain your driveway and how to identify them will allow you to clean the stains up more efficiently.
Common oils and fluids that stain your driveway are:
Gas
Transmission fluid
Engine oil
Also, ice-melt products and rocksalt will also leave stains on your driveway after melting the snow.
Gas
If you find gas stains under your car, go to your mechanics immediately. You may have a leaking fuel tank. However, gas doesn’t just come from your vehicle. Use a good funnel when filling up anything gas-powered, such as a lawn mower. Because gas is flammable and easily evaporates, it should be cleaned up as soon as possible.
Transmission fluid
Transmission fluid usually shows up as red stains. The longer it sits, the harder it is to be removed from your driveway. Again, if you notice fluids under your transmission tank, take your car to a mechanic for an inspection.
Engine Oil
Engine oil leaks are common and happen more often than you think. Fortunately, it’s fairly easy to remove engine oil from a driveway. If you ever do an oil change yourself, make sure you lay down tarps to catch any oil drips.
Why Remove Oil Stains From Your Driveway?
It's important to remove oil stains from your driveway as soon as possible — ideally while the area is still wet — to avoid deep-set stains that are difficult to remove. Concrete and pavers are porous materials that absorb oil and dyes over time. You can still treat an oil stain if it’s dry, but you may need to repeat steps and put in a little more elbow grease.
No matter what, a clean, well-maintained driveway boosts curb appeal and helps maintain the value of your home.
How Much Does It Cost to Remove Stains from a Driveway?
It costs less than $10 to clean driveway stains yourself using household products. If you’re not able to remove the stain or want to have a power washing pro clean your driveway, expect to pay between $100 to $250 on average. The cost to pressure wash a driveway depends on the size and condition of your driveway, as well as the cost of labor in your area.
How to Remove Oil Stains from Driveway
You can remove oil stains from your driveway with many household products. If the oil stain is still wet, you should apply an absorbent material to soak up the oil first, then clean the surface. To remove old oil stains from the driveway, you'll need to apply a cleaner, scrub, and rinse the area. You may need to repeat the process a few times to draw out the stain.
1. Vinegar, Bleach, or TSP
Vinegar and TSP are safe cleaning products for all types of driveways. You can also use bleach if you have a concrete driveway.
Soak up the spill with an absorbent product, such as sawdust, baking soda, or cat litter.
Let it sit for 60 minutes then scoop up and dispose of the material.
Pour on a cleaning solution:
1/2 cup bleach per 1/2 gallon of water
1 cup white vinegar per 1 cup of water
1/2 cup TSP per 1/2 gallon of water
Let it soak for 15 minutes.
Scrub the area with a stiff-bristled brush.
Rinse the area with a pressure washer or garden hose with a spray nozzle.
Be mindful that if you use vinegar repeatedly on a single area of concrete, it can weaken the concrete over time.
2. Baking Soda
Grab a box of baking soda from your kitchen cabinet. Baking soda isn't just great for getting rid of fridge odors, it can also absorb liquid spills, such as motor oil or gasoline.
1. Sprinkle baking soda on the stain until it is completely covered.
2. Allow it to sit for at least 30 minutes.
3. Sweep up the baking soda and put it in your trash.
4. Rinse the area with a hose or pressure washer.
5. Repeat if necessary, this time scrubbing the area after you sweep up the baking soda.
3. Cat Litter
A clay-based cat litter does a tremendous job absorbing liquids, including oil spills. If you or a neighbor has cat litter on hand, put it to use when an oil spill happens.
1. Apply cat litter to the spill, making sure to cover the entire area thoroughly.
2. Let the litter sit for 30 minutes for a small stain, and at least 6 hours for a large stain.
3. Sweep up the litter and place it in the trash.
4. Squirt several drops of dish soap on the stain and brush it with a stiff-bristled brush.
5. Rinse the area with a garden hose or pressure washer.
6. Repeat the steps if needed.
4. Sawdust
Sawdust absorbs liquid, making it great to throw on an oil spill. Afterward, scrub the surface with dish soap.
1. Sprinkle a thorough amount of sawdust on the spill.
2. Let it sit for 30 minutes.
3. Sweep the excess sawdust into the trash.
4. Squirt several drops of liquid dish soap on the area.
5. Scrub with a stiff-bristled brush.
6. Rinse with a garden hose or pressure washer.
7. Repeat the steps if the stain persists.
5. Laundry Detergent or Dish Soap
The grease-fighting components of liquid detergent come into play for oil spills too. A few drops of liquid dish soap or laundry detergent can help ease the oil in your concrete.
1. Pour dish soap or laundry detergent on the spill to cover it.
2. Scrub the area with a stiff-bristled brush.
3. Allow the detergent to sit for 60 minutes
4. Rinse with a garden hose or pressure washer.
5. Repeat if needed.
6. WD-40
WD-40 is a a multi-purpose solvent and can help remove oil without harming the surface of your driveway. After absorbing the liquid from the spill, you can apply WD-40 to remove the remaining aspects.
1. Apply an absorbent product such as baking soda, sawdust, or cat litter to the oil spill.
2. Let it sit for 30 minutes, then sweep up the excess in the trash.
3. Apply WD-40 to the stain to cover the area.
4. Scrub the area with a stiff-bristled brush.
5. Rinse with a garden hose or pressure washer.
7. Oven Cleaner
An oven cleaner product is essentially a degreaser, meaning it works well to break down oil spills on your driveway, too.
1. Apply oven cleaner to the spill.
2. Let it sit for 15 minutes.
3. Scrub the area with a stiff-bristled brush.
4. Rinse with a hose or pressure washer.
5. Repeat as needed.
8. Concrete Cleaner
If your oil stain won't come up with household products, consider a commercial concrete cleaner. As a concentrated alkaline soap, it loosens the oil's grip on your driveway. Choose a product that's compatible with your driveway surface, such as pavers or concrete.
1. Apply concrete cleaner to the stain per the manufacturer's instructions, usually letting it sit for 30 minutes.
2. Scrub the area with a stiff-bristled broom.
3. Rinse the area with a garden hose or pressure washer.
4. Repeat if necessary.
How to Prevent Oil Stains on Your Driveway
You can protect your driveway from oil stains and other eyesores by maintaining your driveway and preventing spills.
Clean up spills as soon as possible, ideally when they're still wet, as old stains can be hard to remove.
Lay down cardboard underneath your vehicle while it’s parked to soak up any oil drips.
Maintain and service your vehicles to keep spills and leaks at bay.
Clean your driveway once a year to ensure the surface remains strong and pristine.
Refill your lawn mower and other gas-powered tools with care to avoid spills.
Seal your driveway every five to seven years if concrete, and every three to five years if asphalt. The sealant prevents stains from sinking deep into the surface material.
DIY vs. Hiring a Pro
You can remove oil stains from your driveway with household products and a little elbow grease. If the stain is deep set and doesn't come out after DIY tactics, hire a local power washing pro to remove stains and get your driveway looking pristine again.
Jenna Jonaitis contributed to this piece.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, you can remove oil stains from your driveway by applying an absorbent material such as baking soda, sawdust, or cat litter, pouring on a liquid detergent such as dish soap, scrubbing the area, and rinsing with water. You can also use a diluted bleach solution, white vinegar, or TSP solution on concrete.
Oil can permanently stain a concrete driveway if it fully dries or sits for weeks without cleaning. Concrete is porous and absorbs the oil deeper over time. That’s why it’s best to remove an oil stain when it’s wet by applying an absorbent material, sweeping the area, applying dish soap, scrubbing, and then rinsing.
The best driveway cleaner for oil stains is an absorbent material such as baking soda or cat litter to soak up the oil, followed by scrubbing a white vinegar or liquid detergent cleaning solution into the surface. Rinse the area with a pressure washer or garden hose with a spray nozzle.