Cleaning oil from a driveway

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  • twistsol
    Veteran Member
    • Dec 2002
    • 2893
    • Cottage Grove, MN, USA.
    • Ridgid R4512, 2x ShopSmith Mark V 520, 1951 Shopsmith 10ER

    Cleaning oil from a driveway

    Our asphalt driveway is a little bit over a year old. this summer we had a distant relative stay at the house while she completed an internship for college. Her typical college student car leaked oil everywhere it was parked and now I have a number of oil spots on the driveway. Having only had gravel driveways for the past 30 years, I have no idea what is the best / safest way to clean this up.

    I do have a pressure washer and try to be green when possible. What is the best way to clean this without damaging the driveway?
    Chr's
    __________
    An ethical man knows the right thing to do.
    A moral man does it.
  • Jim Frye
    Veteran Member
    • Dec 2002
    • 1051
    • Maumee, OH, USA.
    • Ryobi BT3000 & BT3100

    #2
    Our builder recommended Dawn for oil spots on pavement. He builds his spec. homes with asphalt drives and has to clean up from his subs sometimes. I've had some success with Simple Green. I'd treat the oil spots and let it sit for 24 hours, then scrub with more cleaner and a stiff bristled masonry brush, followed with a stiff water spray. If the oil has seeped into the pavement, it may take more cleaning cycles to get the stain out. Probably a good time time to reseal the asphalt once you have cleaned it as much as possible.
    Jim Frye
    The Nut in the Cellar.
    ”Sawdust Is Man Glitter”

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    • capncarl
      Veteran Member
      • Jan 2007
      • 3564
      • Leesburg Georgia USA
      • SawStop CTS

      #3
      Totally Awsome is my go to for removing oil from surfaces. Caution, it is expensive, $1 a bottle at most stores. IMO it cleans better than simple green and all of the other miracle cleaners. I don’t expect great results from anything cleaning asphalt though, oil softens asphalt.

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      • d_meister
        Established Member
        • Feb 2009
        • 184
        • La Conner, WA.
        • BT3000

        #4
        Since asphalt is essentially sand and gravel in a petroleum binder, it may not be possible to clean the spots without damaging the binder. Perhaps it would be best to top coat the asphalt?
        I show how to apply a driveway sealer. I am using the Henry 532 asphalt resurfacer. This product has a 7 year warranty. I like the rubberized gel formula, it...

        A pressure washer will definitely harm the relatively soft pavement if used too aggressively

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