How Can You Remove An Oil Stain From A Driveway Effectively?

How Can You Remove An Oil Stain From A Driveway Effectively?

Many of us will have had an oil leak from our car at some point. Often your first concern is for your car – do you need to take it to the garage? Will it be a costly repair? But once you’ve got that part sorted out, you might notice an unsightly oil stain on your driveway. 

At this point, your attention is likely to turn from the vehicle to the driveway and how you can clean it. 

If you take steps to clean the oil stain up when you first notice it and ideally before it has dried, you will find that it’s a much easier job. One top tip is to sprinkle cat litter or sawdust on the oil to absorb as much of the fluid as possible and prevent it from seeping into your driveway’s surface. 

However, many of us aren’t that proactive or quick thinking, which means we’re left with a stain that’s set. There are ways to remove these stains though, so don’t panic. How you go about this will vary depending on what surface your driveway has. We’ll cover resin and concrete or Tarmac here.

Removing oil from a concrete driveway

Because concrete is a porous material, the longer an oil spill is left on the surface, the deeper it will penetrate into the driveway.

If the stain is relatively new, you can often remove it with a combination of a commercial-grade cleaner and a pressure washer filled with detergent. Start with the commercial-grade cleaner and put some elbow grease into the process by scrubbing the stain with a brush.

Step two is to add the detergent to your pressure washer and spray the affected area. This will work best if the pressure washer you’re using is medium to heavy-duty. 

Removing oil from a resin driveway

Similar to concrete, resin driveways are also relatively porous surfaces. This is especially true if you’ve opted for a resin bound driveway. The advice here is to clean the oil spill using a mild detergent as soon as possible. 

Of course, you don’t want to damage the surface of your driveway in the process, so if you’re unsure of how best to approach removing an oil stain, it’s best to call in professionals with experience of driveway cleaning. 

They will not only know what products to use for the job, but will also have all the necessary equipment to get your driveway clean in no time.