Cleaning oil from drive

HenryGregory · 3 May 2019

Hi there,
My car has been poorly and has been dripping quite substantial amounts of oil on my drive. I put down sand for the past month and a half to help soak it up, but it doesn't seem to have done too well.

I am doing my best to replace the car, but this takes time, so likely to still get oil.

Can anyone tell me what I can use to remove this?

I bought this stuff, and poured three lots on, scrubbing with a hand brush, but it has not helped much at all.

Also tried bleach in a bucket of water and scrubbed again, but still no joy.

foxhole · 3 May 2019

Jizer or washing powder , wet and allow powder to soak , scrub and rinse .Will take a few attempts as it looks bad .

scbk · 4 May 2019

And lay down an old sheet of plywood or something to catch the new drips.

JohnD · 4 May 2019

A plastic spotboard is even better, because it is impervious, has a raised lip round the edges, and won't mind if you drive over it.

also called a mixing tray. About £18

Burnerman · 5 May 2019

Concentrated traffic film remover, left for a while and then washed off with a pressure washer......best I've found by a mile.
John

HenryGregory · 5 May 2019

Burnerman said:
Concentrated traffic film remover, left for a while and then washed off with a pressure washer......best I've found by a mile.
John

Thanks everyone.
That collection tray is ideal and I had been looking at those, but, all being well, the car is going next week for a shiny new one, so I won't need to worry about any more oil drips.

Will see if I can get my hands on some concentrated traffic film remover or Jizer. The only thing I don't have is a pressure washer, so will see if any neighbours will let me borrow theirs for a few minutes.

HenryGregory · 8 May 2019

I had a go this morning with a pressure washer I bought from work. It has been raining all morning, but once it has dried a little, I will reassess the situation.

I also now have a wire brush from work which may well. Help.
Updates to follow!

JohnD · 8 May 2019

an oil patch remover like your Swarfega product will eventually fade it. It's a detergent so it will wash away the oil that holds the dirt particles in place. Then they will weather away.

Brush it in with a stiff brush, preferably in dull or drizzly weather so it will not dry out before it soaks in. Hose it off later. Keep doing that. I may have used half a dozen or more applications, I poured a bit on each time I was going to get the hose out to wash the car.

It doesn't matter if you leave some detergent on the concrete, because it will eventually wash away with rain, and is biodegradeable.

HERTS P&D · 8 May 2019

Try using a blow torch but don't keep it in one place to long.

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=blow+torch+on+oil+stain

Andy

Minatoar · 8 May 2019

I swear by this stuff. https://www.screwfix.com/p/no-nonsense-heavy-duty-degreaser-5ltr/88668
Just read through the reviews of people who have used it to clean their driveways.

HenryGregory · 9 May 2019

Thank guys, both really good suggestions. The drive was dry this morning as it had not rained over night and I am almost there with it. I will have another go at weekend with pressure washer and rest of the cleaner I have. If this doesn't quite do it, I will go and collect some of the Screw Fix stuff you recommend and see if any friends have a blowtorch I can borrow.

Will let you know how it goes, but it is already looking better. Thanks everyone for your suggestions and help on this.

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Cleaning oil from drive

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