Oil stains on paved driveway

andre_xs

Hi All,
Do you have tips how to best remove oil stains from a paved driveway (red bricks, pretty standard)? I've already tried a couple of oil stain removers from Amazon, all with a lot of good reviews, and while they do help somewhat, the stains are still clearly visible. And it's a lot of work, scrubbing etc

Would a pressure washer be useful for something like this?

Best wishes,

Andre

grumbler

Try white spirit or petrol - big amount. Both dissolve oil.

OR

Paint the entire driveway with the same oil

Silvertabby

Stainz-r-out - Concentrated Stain Remover

Got ours from e-bay, but others may stock it.  Not cheap (£19.99) but works and lasts for ages.

Tip for next time - throw clumping cat litter on fresh oil.  It aborbs the puddle, and makes it easier to clean the residue.

Ebe_Scrooge

Oil stains can be a right pain, especially if they've soaked in.  The previous suggestions are all worth a try.  You could also try scrubbing with washing-up liquid, rinse off, sprinkle salt over it to try and draw more of it out.  It'll fade over time, and eventually will become less noticeable.

Another option is to remove the soiled bricks and re-lay them upside down.  Or replace them if they're commonly available.  They'll look odd initially as they'll be a stronger colour than the surrounding ones, but again they'll weather over time and blend in.

andre_xs

Thanks to all, I'll look into these suggestions.
Because the bricks are porous, would a pressure washer (like a Kärcher) make sense to get it out from the deeper "pores"?

Maybe not spraying water but pure petrol with the pressure washer  (just kidding...)

It's not too much oil (no puddles) and often we notice this only after a couple of days, in particular now (when leaving and coming home in the dark...)

Exchanging/turning bricks: We have thought about this as well, but it'll be the last resort, because I'm just afraid they won't fit in that neatly anymore and may create a somewhat uneven surface (driveway is now 6 years old and still nicely even).

On the picture, you can see some new stains, and some old ones I tried to get rid off (using oil stain remover for driveways  )

[Deleted User]

Hi,

maybe you could try newspaper and a hot iron to soak it up.

Soda crystals and vinegar mix, let it soak, then attack with stiff bristle brush.

If you can't get oil leak fixed, shove a tray underneath when parked.

FreeBear

Ebe_Scrooge said: Another option is to remove the soiled bricks and re-lay them upside down.

If they are anything like the Marshal Brindle blocks I used for my driveway, flipping them over isn't going to work too well. The top surface has a beveled profile around the edge. This is missing on the bottom surface.

I have used Clarke Traffic Film Remover (available from Machinemart) before now to remove oil stains. It did a fair job (didn't get all of it out). I suspect the formulation will have changed, so it may not be as effective.

andre_xs

We don't necessarily need to flip over, we could buy new bricks, that wouldn't be a dealbreaker.

And yes, once we notice it's leaking, we put something under it and get it repaired. Car is getting a little old now and the defects are lining up...