How to remove fresh oil stains from concrete

Motor and Hydraulic oils can easily stain concrete driveways and floors. You can get excellent clean up results if you act immediately however! Older stains are harder to get rid of.

Pour cat litter, sawdust, or powdered drywall gypsum onto the oil stain immediately. This will absorb the fresh oil on the driveway and prevent it from spreading across any more of your concrete.

Scoop up the cat litter, sawdust, or powdered drywall gypsum with a dustpan or shovel and throw it out.

Squirt some liquid dish soap onto the stain and add water. Wet down the surrounding concrete as well to prevent oil from making a bigger stain as you clean. I have done this before. You want to add enough water to really make the soap lather up when you scrub it.

Scrub the stain with your nylon scrub brush. DO NOT USE A WIRE BRUSH to scrub the concrete, as this will scratch the finish of the concrete and destroy the surface. Use a standard nylon bristle scrub brush. You should start to see the oil lift out of the concrete due to the properties of the liquid dish soap.
Use a paper towel to blot up the soap suds and the oil that is getting lifted out of the concrete.

If you still have a stubborn stain that is deep in the concrete, continue to repeat Steps 3-5 until it lifts out completely. If you still can not get it out, consider using Kerosene on the stain to lift it out. BE CAREFUL USING SOLVENTS - the fumes are toxic and they are dangerous to work with.

If you think that you will have continuous staining problems, you can use an oil pan under the vehicle that is causing the stain, or you can treat the clean concrete to help minimize the penetration of oil and water that contains dirt and pigments. Some of the best products are clear water and oil repellent that contain silane and siloxane ingredients. These chemical solids help block the tiny pores in concrete to stop water from entering and soaking into the concrete. These clear repellents are easy to apply and dry clear.