How to Remove Oil Stains from a Driveway
 

Daox, may he find the Golden Aero, asked what people use and people said kitty litter, Oil-Dri, diesel, and non-chlorinated brake cleaner.

I think that I have tried brake cleaner.

I don't think it did anything.

Then again, soap hasn't seemed to do anything, either.

The Donut Boys tried Tide, Rustoleum, and BacKrete. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1e3CgSz9Mow The BacKrete didn't seem to do anything, but they said it must be designed for fresh oil spills, so if you apply it immediately it should work like a charm.

The Tide did something, but the guy who used it swore by it saying that his parents didn't let him stop cleaning until the stain was gone.

The Rustoleum worked better, but they still used a pressure washer.

This guy apparently whispered because he fixed his motorcycle at a stranger's house while they were away and he didn't want anyone realizing he was there. He said that Tide doesn't work well because it is designed to break up everything but oil.
He used Cascade dishwashing detergent and it seemed to work perfectly with tons of scrubbing.

I used Cascade dishwashing detergent and my power scrubber and it didn't work well! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YvgFwKxFwJI

This guy used blue Dawn platinum, Coke, and lots of scrubbing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TbGcMXP3-Xw It may have worked as well as the Rustoleum. It would definitely be cheaper, but he sure did a lot of scrubbing, and he used more water than any other method which I have seen, which would not be ideal in a garage.

BuzzFeed cosigned on the Coke, but it worked completely for them: https://youtu.be/lNFpGClQyAU I am waiting to be impressed: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=swb14AJ4baU This guy tried Goof Off, Tide, and Clorox Toilet Bowl Cleaner, and Goof Off worked the best, but I still didn't feel impressed: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4q8vUPi1vYo

This guy used toilet bowl cleaner and it left the concrete lighter than the rest! Who do I believe?! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C1R5osFVVBs This guy used a quart of Goof Off and said he probably should have used two, but it got most of his big stain: https://youtu.be/7ISXk0a5eAU

This guy tried Zep and muriatic acid--he said he already used a pressure washer!

He used a full chemical-resistant suit and respirator and kept saying that the muriatic acid will do horrible things to you if you don't protect yourself.

It seemed to work completely, but he didn't let it dry before ending the video! :D https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QcAHHg7kT-U This redneck said he spent hours the day before cleaning an old stain he just made and then today he tried gasoline and overpriced kitty litter.

He was outside, but he used a lot of gasoline!

I still worry about the fumes!

If you think that is bad, he then used a torch next to the house! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kDUWBm30tWE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R98ySMVIQ6Q He said he tried a bunch of stuff yesterday, but this does seem to make it go away completely.

The redneck said to not do that with a big stain because it would heat the concrete so much it would crack.

Slowly go over all of it, never staying in one place too long? :)

This guy talked too much too slowly, needed to wear sunglasses, tried Crud Cutter and Zep and then told us to tell him which worked better. Nobody seemed to think either worked: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UIFLpM5UKNQ There is a channel called Forever Alone that runs a professional pressure-washing business. They recommend Dynamite Degreaser, $36 a gallon. This guy used Purple Power, brake cleaner, and acetone, and none of them worked very well: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gi0jZpe2cHc

This guy put down brown kitty litter, removed it, and tried WD40, TSP, and Drylock Etch, then kitty litter to absorb it. The WD40 just got it wet, the TSP worked pretty well, and then he used Drylock Etch over where he tried the WD40 and TSP, not the section he had not attempted to clean, and while he filmed himself using the first two methods, he only got video donning PPE and making stupid faces.

I had not heard of Drylock Etch and it does not seem like a complete solution: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=65jYtUMLl2E Sweet Project Cars says to use lacquer thinner and a brass brush: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CBcmqflVDgg Here is a post on Hagerty where a guy tried Dawn, Oil Vanish Stain Remover, and Bix Driveway Cleaner & Degreaser without significant effect.

Motor Biscuit summarized some of these sources, but didn't test any of them. They put less work into this than I did! :)

ChatGPT used 6 sources, but wrote something much shorter than Motor Biscuit. I don't know what to think! :)

In summary:
Donut Media said BacKrete only works on fresh oil, Tide worked okay, Rustoleum worked better, but none worked great.

The oil stain whisperer said that Cascade dishwashing detergent worked perfectly, although I did not have the same experience.

Scott's Garage said that Coke and blue Dawn work well, but not completely.

North Georgia Cleaning tried Goof Off, Tide, and Clorox Toilet Bowl Cleaner, and Goof Off worked the best, but not completely.

Aksmaniyak had better results with toilet bowl cleaner, it left the concrete lighter than the rest!

DIY Man had similar results with Goof Off as North Georgia.

Speedokote had good results with Zep and a pressure washer and chemical suit, but he said the muriatic acid and pressure washer removed all of the oil.

Kelly's Country Life used gasoline and kitty litter with good results and then a torch to get the rest.

Carquestions completely removed the oil with a torch.

The Brothers Bam tried Crud Cutter and Zep, but did not use a pressure washer, and neither worked well.

Forever Alone removed most of the oil stains accumulated at a gas station over 6 months using Dynamite Degreaser.

FurSpheria used Purple Power, brake cleaner, and acetone, and none of them worked very well.

Sweet Project Cars says to use lacquer thinner and a brass brush, but didn't show the final result.

Someone on Hagerty didn't have success with Dawn, Oil Vanish Stain Remover, or Bix Driveway Cleaner & Degreaser.

Fails: BacKrete (on absorbed oil), Crud Cutter, Zep, Purple Power, Brake Cleaner, acetone, Dawn, Oil Vanish Stain Remover, or Bix Driveway Cleaner & Degreaser.

Partial success: Rustoleum and lacquer thinner?

Mostly successful: Coke and Blue Dawn, gasoline and kitty litter, lacquer thinner and a brass brush?

Successful? Cascade, muriatic acid, a pressure washer, and full PPE; a torch Dynamite Degreaser and a professional pressure washer.

Partial results are subjective and there were 14 people giving their opinions.

What works for you?

What works for me is putting down cardboard to catch any drips when I'm working on the car and using a good oil catch pan.

I haven't found anything that will take oil stains out of concrete and leave it looking the same as the surrounding area. Especially on a rough and porous driveway concrete.

Garage floors with a smoother surface are easier to clean. I generally use simple green and a wire brush immediately after the spill.

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Mu 208cc gasoline powered pressure washer gets it enough for me.
The little electric one barely touches them.

All those Youtubers, and not one tried a yard-square fresnel lens and solar power.