Oil spot in driveway ?

[bigdog]

My driveways is one year old, and I have an oil spot in front of the garage door.
First of all it's not oil from one of my cars, but most likely a relative @&$^@C% !

The spot is about the size if a saucer plate.
What is the best way to remove this ?

All suggestions appreciated !

[thinkxingu]

I've always just used Speedy Dry or cat litter.

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[Biggd]

Originally Posted by bigdog

My driveways is one year old, and I have an oil spot in front of the garage door.
First of all it's not oil from one of my cars, but most likely a relative @&$^@C% !

The spot is about the size if a saucer plate.
What is the best way to remove this ?

All suggestions appreciated !

Dawn dish washing liquid.
I had a tenant that change his oil in my driveway and spilled it all over the place. He scrubbed it with Dawn and washed it down with the hose and it removed the stain.

[ishoot308]

Originally Posted by Biggd

Dawn dish washing liquid.
I had a tenant that change his oil in my driveway and spilled it all over the place. He scrubbed it with Dawn and washed it down with the hose and it removed the stain.

I have cleaned spots in my driveway this way also. Worked well!

Dan

[bigdog]

Thanks guys !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[ishoot308]

Originally Posted by bigdog

Thanks guys !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The trick is the scrub brush!

[upthesaukee]

Originally Posted by ishoot308

The trick is the scrub brush!

You also need to use grease to get up the oil, elbow grease that is.

Dawn, a good stiff brush, and a fair amount of elbow grease. Amazing how well it works.

Dave

[Biggd]

Dawn is what the use to clean the water fowl when there is an oil spill.

[Geneva Point]

Use WD40 first. Then apply the Dawn.

[The Real BigGuy]

If you have an asphalt driveway, remember that the asphalt emulsion is basically oil. If the stain is new you might have a chance of getting it out but Older stains become part of the asphalt.

The company I used to work for cleaned up many oil/diesel releases from truck accidents using speedi dry, power sweepers, and brooms. Several times we had companies complain that there was still stains in their parking lots. We cautioned that they most likely would not come out but they still hired us to give it a go. A couple thousand dollars later, after a day of high pressure hot water/steam, surfactant, brushing, and more speedi dry the stains were usually still there.


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[jbolty]

soak up as much as possible with cat litter first. Leave it for days, rub it in with your feet and turn it over. It takes a long time but will eventually get most of it. Then clean with dawn or simple green.

[Sinclair]

We were in the exact same situation as the OP -- down to the @&$^@C% relative. We have an asphalt driveway. Here's what worked and what didn't:

First tried Dawn and a ton of elbow grease. Stain was a week old. No result, except that whenever it rains (or we spray the driveway with water) white bubbles still come up.

WD40 also had no impact. We also tried some oil removers suggested by a hardware store (not local), but were a little hesitant as we were concerned the chemicals would damage the asphalt. No luck with these either.

Tried kitty litter next, letting sit for 24 hours. This may have had some impact, but not a lot, and it was incredibly difficult to clean. It had gotten damp overnight, causing it to turn into a sticky mess. It also left white rings around the stains.

Then switched to speedy dry, left for two weeks, drove over it with the car. This worked well. It also left the asphalt bright white where it had been applied, but this was easy to fix by wetting it (after removing all the excess we could) and then scrubbing it with the bristle brush.

We also left some smaller stains as a "control" and noticed that they did fade with time. Perhaps we won't go through the same process for every little stain.

Hope this helps!

[Oldschoolbuilder]

Seal the driveway airport grade asphalt sealer it's cheap driveway look brand new use a squeegee in the field and a brush on the edges

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[Poor Richard]

This article seems to be right up your alley.

[Woody38]

Things I have used in the past. Apply "Comet" and hose off. "SuperClean" degreaser may work well. If using "Dawn" apply the best one.

---------------------------------------------

I am a retired workaholic and continuing aquaholic

[bigdog]

Dawn dish detergent, did the job nicely for me !

[jbolty]

If the stain is serious enough to have softened the asphalt then scrubbing at it will start to dig a hole. That's the reason for all the comments regarding soaking up as much as possible first.

After that any good detergent can do the job of cleaning the remainder

[The Real BigGuy]

In my early days in the haz waste business (1980) we used a product called “Edit” to remove oil & grease stains. It billed at $125/1 lb. box. Turns out it was “Tide” laundry detergent that we were buying wholesale for about $2/box. It worked so I don’t remember hearing any complaints. The Ops Manager went to great lengths to tell me (the sales guy) the chemical formula so that I could provide a very technical description if I was asked.


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[Sinclair]

Originally Posted by Sinclair

We were in the exact same situation as the OP -- down to the @&$^@C% relative. We have an asphalt driveway. Here's what worked and what didn't:

First tried Dawn and a ton of elbow grease. Stain was a week old. No result, except that whenever it rains (or we spray the driveway with water) white bubbles still come up.

WD40 also had no impact. We also tried some oil removers suggested by a hardware store (not local), but were a little hesitant as we were concerned the chemicals would damage the asphalt. No luck with these either.

Tried kitty litter next, letting sit for 24 hours. This may have had some impact, but not a lot, and it was incredibly difficult to clean. It had gotten damp overnight, causing it to turn into a sticky mess. It also left white rings around the stains.

Then switched to speedy dry, left for two weeks, drove over it with the car. This worked well. It also left the asphalt bright white where it had been applied, but this was easy to fix by wetting it (after removing all the excess we could) and then scrubbing it with the bristle brush.

We also left some smaller stains as a "control" and noticed that they did fade with time. Perhaps we won't go through the same process for every little stain.

Hope this helps!

Quick update on this: better than leaving a pile of speedy dry is to put a small amount on the stain (more of a dusting) and rub it into the asphalt with a broom or bristle brush. The result just looks like some sand or salt has been left on the driveway - you can leave it for rain or wash it away. Works remarkably well and is time efficient.