How to Clean Grease & Oil Stains From Your Concrete

You can clean up stains from things like motor oil and get your concrete back to like-new condition.

An unblemished concrete patio, driveway, or walkway can feel like a magnet for leaking vechicles and spilled oil, which will pentrate the porous surface of a concrete and leave a lasting stain. That is, if you let it! There are a few ways to tackle oil stains on concrete to restore them to like-new condition.

Clean up oil stains fast

The sooner you get to an oil stain, the better it is for your chances at stain removal. Using an absorbent material like cat litter, saw dust, or a chemical absorbent for use in shops and garages is a good first step. While cat litter and saw dust are okay to use on cooking oil, the chemical type of absorbent that works well on motor oil or other greasy liquids can cause heat during the absorption process that could cause a fire when mixed with organic tile, turpentine, or cleaning products that contain hydrofluoric acid. Even if you don’t get to the spill right away, using an absorbent as a first step is a good idea.

Use a homemade cleanser – Remove as much oil as possible. Then use a stiff bristle scrub brush to scour the affected area with a 50/50 solution of vinegar and water, a mixture of two tablespoons of baking soda to one cup of hot water, or a mixture of one teaspoon of dish detergent to one cup of water

Use a pressure washer with detergent – Wipe up as much oil first. Add a degreaser to the spill before you wash it and allow to soak into the surface for 15 minutes.

Make a solvent paste – If initial stain first doesn’t work, the next step is to try using a poultice. The poultice is made from a solvent like acetone, mineral spirits, or an oil stain remover combined with cat litter, saw dust, diatomaceous earth, or a clay oil absorbent made for shops and garages. Mix the absorbent and solvent together to make a paste. Then apply and leave on for 24 hours. After 24 hours scrub with a stiff bristle brush.