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Kitty litter (or oil absorbent). Grind it into the stain with your foot, several times if necessary. Sweep up, and then try "Dawn" dishwashing soap on it, at least to begin with. Cheap and probably the most environmentally-friendly solution. Concrete is porous, leave the solution on there a while to wick it out, then use another dose of Oil-Dri. You can always move to paint thinner later, after the nature-friendly stuff doesn't work (but I bet it will).
Good advise. Agree about Dawn, it works great on oil products. I'd also use a pressure washer
I've always used a shovel of dirt, sweep it back and forth and then off to the trash.
Leave some dirt on to keep absorbing the oil, repeat the process and it keeps disappearing.
Works wonderfully if you have dry dirt. I live in a place where that isn't common
I've always used muriatic acid, a combination of hydrochloric and other things. You can get it at swimming pool supply places. Maybe also some hardware stores.
Dissolves the oil stains right out. Be careful with it, though, it's pretty powerful. Can harm the concrete if you leave it on too long. Can also harm YOU if you get it on your skin. And God help you if you get it in your eyes.
Put it on for maybe ten minutes. Then wash off with extended use of a garden hose.
I was an owner/operator of a janitorial service. Had to do grease parking spots for people on a regular basis with other cars around them so I had to be very careful. Muriatic acid works great, scary stuff though. Plus I’ve had to take the patina off the driveway. Takes it almost down to freshly laid cement status. Which means if you do a spot it’s gonna look very obvious that you did a spot.
I really like this rustoleum product, it was easy to use, and it was pretty gentle. If it splashed onto another car didn’t take the paint off. It was a little more work because it’s a liquid. But you wet the cement, you pour on the product, you leave it sit, but swish it around with a broom to make sure the product stays on the spot. Swish it for five or 10 minutes, and then rinse. This stuff never failed me.
I’ve done a lot of garage parking spots including one that had a total engine failure where the car was towed out and the oil and other fluids were all over the parking space and down the drive lane.
__________________ Solly says — Be nice!
Last edited by Tallysmom; 04-08-2021 at 12:17 PM..
I have Engine Oil spill in my concrete, what can dissolve it? Are their any frugal alternatives that actually works like COCA COLA I was told or laundry powder, or do I have to break down and go to Home Depot/Auto parts store and use their stuff?
Let’s start with a very important statement- water and oil don’t mix!
Removing oil from concrete is about absorption. Any material that is designed to absorb oil is “the” removal process. How well it removes the oil is dependent on how it can be employed and/or how absorbent the concrete is.
If you’re past this point, for the most part, you’re done. Removing the “stain” from the oil is next to impossible. There is the possibility of minimizing the visual appearance with a good dose of a detergent. Detergent/soap can be beneficial to a certain degree, their ability to “work” is dependent on the surfactant that is in the soap. One of the most common is Sodium stearate. The amount of this surfactant will determine the effectiveness of the detergent.
Bottom line- the chances of removing the stain completely is an exercise in futility!
And as a side note- Coke-a-cola is used by police depts for removing blood. And it works quite well; for that!
I saw a home improvement show in which they used baking soda and Coca Cola to get oil out of a driveway.
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Solly says — Be nice!
