best way to remove oil from concrete???

[Luckydevil]

the driveway outside of my garage is untreated concrete and it has a few oil spots on it. i've tried some of the heavy duty "driveway cleaners" from home depot. they did lighten it, but the spots are still there. what is the best way to remove the oil from the concrete? thanks.

[OH-MAN]

When you first see a new spot use some dry cement, not concrete to sprinkle on it . Let it sit for a day or two . It seems to absorb the oil from the concrete.
If that doesn't get it all use a diluted about 20% muratic acid pool acid and water mix. stand by with a hose to wash / dillute it if it starts getting after the concrete to much.
It should work preyy quick so be ready to hose it down. It will lighten up the color also if that is a problem.
Good Luck :thumbup:

[ultgar]

I have concrete pavers in my driveway and I always freak out when someone leaves a nice oil spot after parking for a short while. I've tried different cleaners and they don't seem to work very well. Fortunately, with time, the sun and rain have removed any spot that I've ever gotten on the pavers. Steve

[Da Bull]

Spray with full strength Simple Green , scrub with a stiff brush, wait about 20 minutes, and powerwash. Always does the trick for me!

[RacermeX]

I have concrete pavers in my driveway and I always freak out when someone leaves a nice oil spot after parking for a short while. I've tried different cleaners and they don't seem to work very well. Fortunately, with time, the sun and rain have removed any spot that I've ever gotten on the pavers. Steve
That would be my fear, with concrete pavers.
So the oil eventually seeps down through the porous pavers?

[1ownerT]

There is a new product out that claims it removes oil stains, I do not recall the name but my brother brought a bottle over and I will get out to the garage and check it out.
It was shown on Two Guys Garage recently, they claim it does the trick. I have not tried it yet so I couldn't say. It did say on the bottle that the temp needs to be 60 degrees, were a long way from that around here. :bounce:

[DARK AGE 53]

Spray some brake cleaner on the spot and see if that will help.

[92SonomaST]

I have found good old carb cleaner to do a good job. It is able to get into the cement and float the oil out.

If you get a spill over large area, wipe up the excess. Then, dish washing detergent, car wash liquid or liquid laundry detergent poured over the area and allowed to soak helps break up the spoaked in oil. I use a broom or scrub brush to work it in. Then hose it off.

[1ownerT]

There is a new product out that claims it removes oil stains, I do not recall the name but my brother brought a bottle over and I will get out to the garage and check it out.
It was shown on Two Guys Garage recently, they claim it does the trick. I have not tried it yet so I couldn't say. It did say on the bottle that the temp needs to be 60 degrees, were a long way from that around here. :bounce:

I have finally made it to the garage, the product is called Pour-N-Restore. As I had mentioned I have not tried it myself. The sample shown on Two Guys Garage was impressive. I will have to wait until things warm a bit before I can try it.

I have tried the brake cleaners, carb cleaners, simple green, bleach and multiple other degreasers with unsatisfactory results.

[sajack]

Comet or Ajax powder works as well as the cement. Let it sit awhile and it will absorb the oil. Then just hose off.

[OHEKK]

I tried that Pour N Restore to try and get an oil stain out of a terazzo floor and was not impressed.

Best so far has been to soak with a degreaser like Simple Green then use a steam cleaner to extract.

[capo72]

Easy-off oven cleaner works good for me. Just don't leave it on too long or it will stain also. Just keep a close eye on it and you'll be ok.

Jeremy

[Concrete Video]

Never tried it, but someone told me once that they use Tide for that.

[crobinso]

Spray with full strength Simple Green , scrub with a stiff brush, wait about 20 minutes, and powerwash. Always does the trick for me!If you don't have a powerwasher, you'll have to scrub with brush broom. But the SG does all of the work.

Charles

[Double Venom]

Haven't tried it myself, but I think I will.
http://www.pour-n-restore.com/oilstain.htm
First one to use it, give us an opinion!

DV.. Diesel engines don't leak, they are just marking their territory! (Paraphased from a great guy!)

[BetterDays]

I will be trying the Pour-n-Restore this summer. The old motor leaked a lot of fluids.

I will post before and after pics for the jury to decide.

Kevin

[Swift]

I use powder laundry soap like Tide with hot water and brush, then I'll add either Simple Green or Sray Nine at the end and brush some more and power wash off. If it's really stained, I'll repeat.

[plepper]

Ok heres the scoop on Muriatic acid IT WILL NOT REMOVE OIL STAINS! It will etch your concrete and make future cleaning harder and leave a pourous area where it is used. THink about it oil is a petro product and the acid comes in a plastic bottle also a petro product. If this method seems to have worked it was just the scrubbibg action that does the cleaning just use the Simple Green cleaner and scrub!

[Wile1Coyote]

Just used the simple green thing and it worked pretty well. Thanks to the original poster.

[Paul K]

Now don't quote me on this, as I've never tried it myself, but...

I hear that if you get a piece of drywall and break it up into a white powder it will absorb the oil.

Sounds feasible.

Cheers!

Paul.

[brendamw]

A little kitty litter and a block of 2x4 wood, and scrub. works great for removing oil stains.

[krooser]

Sprinkle some cat litter/oil dry onto the spot then grind it into the stain with your shoe, a brick, your mother-in-laws head or whatever...then sweep it up. By "grinding" it into the surface, you will pick-up most of the residual oil...and the leftover absorbent will help lighten the appearance if the stain....

[Rickster]

I have found Gumout spray carb cleaner works the best. Spray it on and work it in with a wire brush for the really tough stains, then hose it down.

[kartracer55]

powdered tide!!!

It removes tranny fluid, brake fluid and motor oil.


Dump a pretty good amount on the spot, and lightly spray with water, and scrub with apush broom for a little while.

When you rinse it (it will take a little while lol), your niehgborhood will smell nice and clean.

Jim

[plepper]

DO NOT use acid it WILL NOT remove the stain oil is a petro product and the plastic bottle the acid is petro does it eat the bottle? It WILL eat the concrete that the stain is on but will leave the concrete pitted. I've been a bricklayer for 30 years and we used muratic acid back in the day. Now we use detergents with a very low acid content. The most used product is VANATROL and should be available from local masonry supply/ brick yard. I use simple green with good results. Also remember to use a drip pan!

[booshan]

Instead of tinkering with saw dust and kitty litter, I suggest that you try out OIL GONE EASY HOME & DRIVEWAY S-200. It is the easiest way of getting rid of oil stains on concrete floors. The product works pretty well on other surfaces too You can learn more about this product at Oil Gone Easy (http://oilgoneeasy.com)

[moose knuckle]

LOL..... This thead is 4 yrs old....:lol_hitti

[73ragtop]

LOL..... This thead is 4 yrs old....:lol_hitti

Yes, but oil is millions of years old, so this thread is ... "Priceless."

[tcianci]

I agree that the acid will not remove the oil. As stated, a good detergent is your best approach,as it not only cuts the grease but holds it in suspension so it can be rinsed away. It is common for stains in absorbent materials to look pretty good after it is immediately cleaned but the stain seems to come back. The reason for this is that you have removed the soiling material from the top-most layer of the concrete and the remaining oil deeper in the concrete will re-absorb into the cleaned concrete. For that reason, treating the floor with cement, kitty litter, baking soda, talcum powder etc. gives the oil another substrate to absorb into. A combination of the detergents and the powder will probably yield the best result.

[johnboy94]

Just plain old gasoline will remove oil stains. Soak the stain in gas, do not smoke, wait for gas to evaporate. Laquer thinner (same thing as carb cleaner) will work as well.

Johnboy

[rsanter]

several things have worked for me

orange hand cleaner
rub it in and let it sit a while then use a wire brush to scrub it in. wash off

carb cleaner
spray it on with the little tube close to the ground
let it sit in a bit and then wash off

bob

[70redbee]

I've had good luck with engine degreaser,spray it on,let it sit for about 15 minutes and hose off.

[thegarageguy]

The only chemical I know that works, from experience is "Poultice"

http://www.prosoco.com/ProductDetail.asp?ID={0CC3DC8F-0BA4-439F-BC2A-D7ED696B32B4}

[6806goats]

Just bought a place with a 32x48 shop and tried to pressure wash the heavy black oil stain. Probably a leaking diesel like my old car. When I get back I'll try the Simple green approach. I was originally thinking some kind of acid to etch the concrete to put down epoxy master and was hoping it would remove the oil. Doesn't sound like it now but I bet it's be a good prep for the epoxy.

[Gregg K]

Johnny Cat. Kitty litter. I take a handful, drop it on the floor, walk on it, and brush it off.

It may not be perfect, but it seems to have worked for me.

[walrus]

We used to use the cheapest laundry detergent we could get. wet the floor, sprinkle on detergent, rub in with stiff broom, let it sit for awhile, wash it off. Worked great