# How do I remove those nasty oil and grease stains from my Driveway?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-remove-those-nasty-oil-and-grease-stains-from-my-driveway/370995
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [August 31, 2006, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-remove-those-nasty-oil-and-grease-stains-from-my-driveway/370995 "2006-08-31T22:26:08Z")
**Posts on this page:** 10
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Phlosphr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phlosphr)
#### Post date: [August 31, 2006, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-remove-those-nasty-oil-and-grease-stains-from-my-driveway/370995/1 "2006-08-31T22:26:08Z")
Unfortunately the new house we live in has a few things that have yet to be desired. I don’t have a [cool treehouse](http://www.freespiritspheres.com/eve_pics/entrance.jpg) yet at this location or a [Hobbit Hole](http://www.tolkien-movies.com/images/archive/moviesets/official-hobbiton1.jpg) for that matter but I’m starting slow this time with redoing things around the yard. But one thing I really do need right now are these horrid oil and grease stains taken out of the driveway… Can they be powerwashed out? Sand Blasted? Is there something that will soak them up perhaps? Cat litter? What can I do? Any help would be greatly appreciated.
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### Author:  [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)
#### Post date: [August 31, 2006, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-remove-those-nasty-oil-and-grease-stains-from-my-driveway/370995/2 "2006-08-31T22:30:27Z")
Clumping cat litter works well to absorb the excess oil, but won’t do anything for the stain itself. Dump the cat litter on, let it clump, and then sweep it up.
For the stain, some people use dishsoap or powdered laundry detergent and a scrub brush. My mom made me use oven cleaner (with rubber gloves!) and a scrub brush, and it worked pretty well.
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### Author:  [@daffyduck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/daffyduck)
#### Post date: [August 31, 2006, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-remove-those-nasty-oil-and-grease-stains-from-my-driveway/370995/3 "2006-08-31T22:57:03Z")
Any auto parts store will have commercial products made for this such as:
[http://www.pour-n-restore.com/oilstain.htm](http://www.pour-n-restore.com/oilstain.htm)
I’ve used clenser like Ajax to good effect. Wet the stain with water and dust it with Ajax and let it sit over night. Then scrub in the morning and let it dry.
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### Author:  [@FormerMarineGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FormerMarineGuy)
#### Post date: [August 31, 2006, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-remove-those-nasty-oil-and-grease-stains-from-my-driveway/370995/4 "2006-08-31T23:23:18Z")
Buy some brake parts cleaner from an auto parts store. It is the way to go.
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### Author:  [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)
#### Post date: [September 1, 2006, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-remove-those-nasty-oil-and-grease-stains-from-my-driveway/370995/5 "2006-09-01T00:07:24Z")
> [@FormerMarineGuy](#):
>
> Buy some brake parts cleaner from an auto parts store. It is the way to go.
Unless the stain is tiny, you would go broke buying brake clean. Not to mention this stuff is way bad for the enviroment.
I will second using a strong detergent. When I used to work in the gas station we used powered Tide. Wet the drive, sprinkle on the Tide, and work in with a broom. Rinse.
There are other stronger cleaners out there.
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### Author:  [@Carnac\_the\_Magnificent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carnac_the_Magnificent)
#### Post date: [September 1, 2006, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-remove-those-nasty-oil-and-grease-stains-from-my-driveway/370995/6 "2006-09-01T00:12:53Z")
A super-clean surface is a critical first step prior to coating a garage floor with a one- or two-step epoxy paint.
Although you want to clean your driveway, it’s all concrete. Look in the paint section of your Home Depot or Lowe’s. The concrete cleaners should be located next to the garage floor epoxy paints.
What I do know is simply pressure washing these stains won’t do the job, not without powerful cleaners.
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### Author:  [@SusanStoHelit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SusanStoHelit)
#### Post date: [September 1, 2006, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-remove-those-nasty-oil-and-grease-stains-from-my-driveway/370995/7 "2006-09-01T02:34:22Z")
> [@Rick](#):
>
> Unless the stain is tiny, you would go broke buying brake clean. Not to mention this stuff is way bad for the enviroment.
> I will second using a strong detergent. When I used to work in the gas station we used powered Tide. Wet the drive, sprinkle on the Tide, and work in with a broom. Rinse.
> There are other stronger cleaners out there.
I’ll third that. I spilled a whole jug of liquid laundry detergent (don’t remember which kind - maybe Sun?) in my garage about 3 months ago. By the time we got it all cleaned up that whole area was 10x whiter then the rest of the garage.
also, when you have clothing with grease stains and laundry detergent isn’t cutting it, dish soap works really well.
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### Author:  [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)
#### Post date: [September 1, 2006, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-remove-those-nasty-oil-and-grease-stains-from-my-driveway/370995/8 "2006-09-01T13:00:24Z")
Get some Arm & Hammer Washing Soda in the laundry aisle. It’s cheap and good on greasy stains.
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### Author:  [@Philster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Philster)
#### Post date: [September 1, 2006, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-remove-those-nasty-oil-and-grease-stains-from-my-driveway/370995/9 "2006-09-01T14:04:48Z")
Easy Off oven cleaner, or a product that contains the same ingredient but in a liquid form (Greased Lightning) will take grease off just about anything, but I am not able to comment on the environmental impact.
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### Author:  [@kittenblue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kittenblue)
#### Post date: [September 1, 2006, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-remove-those-nasty-oil-and-grease-stains-from-my-driveway/370995/10 "2006-09-01T14:19:53Z")
I bought a product at Wal-Mart in the automotive section that worked great. It was in a cardboard, giant milk carton-type box, but I have no idea what it is called. Dumped it on the stain, scrubbed it in with a stiff-bristled broom, and swept it up. Took a couple applications,but it worked great, and was fairly inexpensive.