How to Clean Old Dried Oil Stains from Concrete Driveway 

You are a life saver!!! There was some bar and chain oil that had a hole in it in the back of my truck that spilled all over a customers driveway. We put some dawn dish soap on it asap and tried to scrub it off but it didn't do hardly anything. I contacted several pressure washing guys in the area but only one responded but didn't seem interested in the job. I was trying to hire someone to take care of this issue that we had created for a customer of ours. After many Google searches and mixed reviews I came across this video. I figured I'd give it a try as I couldn't find anyone else to do it. Needless to say after 1 and half cans of the autozone break cleaner you would never even know there was oil on the driveway. I did it exactly how you did. Sprayed and cleaned it up quick with paper towel. Sir I really appreciate you posting this video. I was smiling from ear to ear as the oil just disappeared. The customer could not believe how well it worked and neither could I. Less than 15 minutes of being there and the problem was solved.

Been watching videos all afternoon and no product worked as well or with less steps as what you used. Thank you for posting this.

Thanks for taking the time to make this video, it really works. I followed the exact steps you showed and am amazed! Spray and wipe quick is key

I’m gonna start a business now. By taking oil stains off peoples driveways & cover the can & call it my own magic concoction.

TOMORROW I WON'T BE HOMELESS ANYMORE, YOU SAVED MY LIFE WITH THIS ONE BRO!!!! I OWE YOU RED LOBSTER FOR THIS HACK, THANK YOU!!!!!

Just has my first power washing job today and had very old oil stains and BARRELY LIGHTENED THE SPLAT. Will be trying this on his house first thing in the morning. WOW

Al! I finally did it yesterday!!! OMG what a success!!! I took photos, no video though...I don't know how to load photos, but my original comment was 8 months ago & the oil stain was there even earlier, so this def works on old oil stains. I also rinsed the stain further w/ boiled hot water, then scrubbed stain more w/ a cup of bleach & Dawn Platinum dish liquid. But make no mistake the brake cleaner did the job! 😎🤯❤

Thanks for making this video. I was trying to find out how to remove oil stains from my driveway. I tried this today and it did the job. Thank you.

Fantastic, I looked into so many videos and didn't think it'd be possible to do it so easily with this method, considering my large transmission oil stain was like 2/3 years old. The brake cleaner cleaned 80% of it and the rest isn't that visible as it was before, I do recommend however to just soak up the liquid instead of wiping it as in my case I made some stains larger than they were before by spreading them, so it took longer to clean them

Autozone sells a New Brake Cleaner named Champion..same ingredients for this Discontinued brand..check it out here ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-iTjuJzLpIwg.html

Brake cleaner is expensive right now and this method does work for I guess cleaning heavy spots. You should pressure wash the driveway after using the brake clean to see what it looks like after being washed.

I used acetone on the 70 year old stains in the garage at this house we just bought. Cheaper than brake cleaner. But laundry detergent worked even better. It is very cheap. Just requires about three applications.

Brake cleaner/aerosol degreasers with a nylon brush worked great for me. A+ video! Dawn dish soap and pressure washing do nothing.

I LOVE THIS. I think if I try this, I will set up a lint of kitty litter to catch the oil/brake cleaner. That way you will let the kitty litter do the work of the paper towels and might even end up using less brake cleaner in the process but this is awesome! Thanks for the idea.

What did you use to rub the brake cleaner with?

Autozone change their brake cleaners and has this ShopPro Brake Cleaner and has 3 types. There are NON-VOC, 10% VOC and 45% VOC. Which one of the three should I buy? Please help. Thank you

Would it work to dry the dirt, then pour degreaser on it after?

You’re a lifesaver mate. Tried everything under the fucking sun, apparently all it took was some shite quality brake cleaner and a rag to mop the oil up. Came up straight away lol👏🏼👏🏼

I have done this too and I found if I put some cat litter on the other side of the oil stain and then sprayed it, the litter soaked up the liquid immediately and cut down the spread.

@ Al Young….you deserve a gold medal good man. Thank you for this awesome solution. Worked perfectly!

Does it remove stains fully absorbed. I got the oil up mostly but there is an outline left if that makes sense. How do I removed that? TY!

It's really works omg thanks hoa was on my ass about oil stains in driveway I tried all kinds of stuff nothing worked until this Thank you thank you!!

Once it is loosened up, it floats on water, so pressure wash it afterwords before it has a chance to dry so you have to be quick and do small spots at a time. Great find though man. I have black diesel oil on my driveway and will be trying this as well.

Why not spray around perimeter and push to center of stain rather then pushing it out making larger circle stain? Or dab it up rather then spread it around?

So after I use the rag I use the hose to wash it off?

Does this work on asphalt

Will this work on pavers as well?

This is great. I have heaps of oil stains out the front of my house on asphalt. I’m gonna give the break cleaner a go

What is that you’re using?!

what if the grease deposit is in a garage where you cant just power wash the residue away??

Have the paper towel ready in front of the spray to pick up the oil when it comes lose, spray towards the paper towel.

What brake cleaner is that ?

Cool. Im going to try it. FYI. Use mask. It is not good to inhale it as it damage respiratory system. It can lead to death as worse case scenario. Milder use can also have nauseas, light headed and etc. Microfiber use recommended.

Those look like brand new oil stains…you sure those are old? I used 2 cans of brake cleaner and did the same thing and it didn’t take the stains out (power steering fluid that’s been there for a few months)

Oh wow!! Really want to try this! Does it have to be autozone brand? I see a few from Autozone but not that particular brand.

My husband’s truck had an oil leakage and stained the asphalt, and the cement on the entrance of the driveway is so bad that the association wrote us a letter. I was told, to use muriatic acid. I hired a handyman to do the job. Now when I look at those stains, the asphalt looks worst than before, I don't know what to do to fix it. I'm going right now to the store to buy what you are recommending to use on the driveway. I will be back with my upcoming results.

Does that work on asphalt. I used oil lift from Canadian Tire, didn't really help much. Do you think this will work on asphalt

I tried this 1n 2022 works pretty good but if you got really big spots better get a case cause I had probably 30 40 drops of oil used an easy 2 cans

Thanks for showing us. Now all it needs is a good water pressure

You're an absolute legend mate I really appreciate it

Great job. The brake fluid seems to displace the oil but the towels are spreading it. Would it be better to use kitty liter or other absorbent to remove the oil instead of spreading a portion of it

You saved my butt man! I recently took on a project car and my wife has been at my neck about the stains and this worked great man. Appreciate it a lot. Also, you’re 100% right about the autozone brand working worlds better than the others. Still haven’t really figured out what it is about it because the cans just about read the same.

Cover it with kitty litter immediately. The litter absorbs the brake cleaner and oil right away. Then sweep it up. Takes just few minutes.

I tried this on asphalt and it was a really dumb idea. Anyone know how to clean a brake cleaner stain from asphalt?

Needed a cheap way to get stains off my driveway. I'm surprised there aren't more videos of people trying this

Maybe place some rags in the direction of the flow so it collects more in the rag, spreading less.

Man I have an old oil stain on my driveway that just will not come out. I've tried numerous methods and cleaners and the best I've been able to do is to make it fade a little bit, but not come out. I've had oils stains before that I've been able to remove with Purple Power degreaser (my usual go-to product for driveway oil spills - works like a champ most of the time) but this one just won't budge. Then I used the brake cleaner, and.. boom! Gone in like three minutes. I've spent hours on that spot before, with very little success.

Unfortunately this brand is impossible to find or order in Canada. Options are Motomaster, Certified, or CRC. Some are non-chlorinated. Any recommendations you can provide on alternative brands and chlorination or not would be SO appreciated! Also, is this safe to do inside of an apartment parkade (i.e., not outside)? Thank you! Hoping I can use this magic on very old stains.

😎 Thx a lot for this video! I'm gonna try today on a smaller oil stain & see how it goes. I'm hoping for the same results as u!

900 Likes 😄😄😄. Nice job man! This video will definitely help me. Thanks!

Will this work on asphalt?

The break cleaner works nice. The best way is to use a propane torch and try to not get oil on your concrete.

Best I've seen!

Will this work against synthetic oil?

A kind of bracke cleaner did you use

What if you pressure washed after??

Can you wash the break cleaner away with water, after you spray? Or does it have to be wiped with a cloth?

Excellent job! Thank you for sharing the video.

I watched this and will be trying it on a horrible oil spot that someone made in my driveway that’s making my house look like a crack house. I will comment a testimonial if it works for me or not.

I can't believe that works

Nice!!!

Why are you wiping against the grain?

Although it is AutoZone cleaver, does it matter on the type of cleaner? Or does any AutoZone brake cleaner do the trick? Maybe a better question would he what one did you exactly use?😂

Bruh. Good shit!

Man i have cooking oil from our BBQ on my entertaining area, concrete. And ive tried everything! Oil eater, wD40, vinegar, now i need to try brake cleaner …. Hope it works 🥺🥺🥺

You can use CRC oil fighter. To save you time and money

I used a microfiber cloth, it works better.

I tried this - did not work. Used the same auto zone brake cleaner. Sprayed the entire can on it. Barely made a difference.

this didn’t work for me and i only used the break cleaner nothing else🥺

Thanks

This has not worked at all on the oil stain on my driveway.

Im trying to start a pressure washing business, have the equipment and all, bought pool grade bleach, "good" degreaser and nothing is working for these stains ive tried, spent the last 2 days buying and trying things. And now I see this dude use brake cleaner and some fucking napkins😂😂.

Great

My wife if bustin my ass to clean the oil off the driveway, I wish I could have gotten a dog instead

Thx 💯🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾

This worked wonders on a huge oil spot in our driveway

were these old or new oil stains?

Nice! Now pressure wash your driveway bro! 😹 Update... It didn't work on old oil stains on my driveway (older than 3yrs old).

Will WD40 works?

Kitty litter to absorb the brake cleaner will leave no trace of oil

maybe after you spray the stain with the brake cleaner...immediately put saw dust on it...maybe much better

But you could have shown before and after to show the major difference

Would it not be easier to spray from the outside in instead of pushing the oil farther done this use less cleaner also it's not that cheap you would save alot more for the next time yes I have

kitten letter for clean after the brake cleaner

What is this guy......Einstein oor somethannnnnn.......‽

Gasoline works great on concrete, do not use on asphalt, will only loosen and spread much worse

What brand

Someone in the side with a pressure washer would be even better.

All it did to my driveway was to make the stains spread out.

Wet the oil stain. Sprinkle Tide soap for clothes on it. Lightly scrub in with stiff brush. Come back the next day and wash off. It will look like new concrete, cheaper and much less work than this.

Good video. I think you are over spraying the brake cleaner. Work area with less. You're making oil soup.

Respectfully it will take too long, too much brake cleaner to get rid of the size of oil stain you have. Brake cleaner might be an ok first step for dried oil stains, but a lot of follow up is needed.

No doubt it works ... but way too expensive..

Wtf is he using omg!!! He never said!!! Looks like break cleaner tho. Or maybe wd 40? Had to edit to add that last part

Well that’s one expensive way to do it

3:42

Why can I smell this video

You could speak a little louder

Didn’t work for me

Difficult to understand,mumbling. Thank you