How To Clean Transmission Fluid From Concrete Driveway

asphalt driveway repair It can happen to anyone—you're adding more oil to your car, lawnmower or snowblower, and you accidentally spill some on your driveway. Or you order a pizza, and while you're paying the delivery person, their car leaks oil on your pavement. Now what?

There are ways to remove fresh oil spills and set-in stains from asphalt and concrete driveways. To keep your driveway looking new and clean, follow our removal tips as soon as you notice a stain on your driveway. Keep reading to learn how to clean asphalt and concrete pavement.

Tools for Cleaning Your Driveway

First, get started by collecting the tools and materials you'll need to remove tough stains from your driveway's pavement, including:

Kitty litter, baking soda or cornstarch
Stiff-bristle brush
Broom
Biodegradable oven cleaner or diatomaceous earth
Garden hose

How to Clean Asphalt Driveways

If you have a motor oil, gasoline or transmission fluid stain on your asphalt, soak up as much of the fresh spill as possible with an absorbent product—try kitty litter, baking soda or cornstarch. Allow the product to absorb the stain for a few hours, then sweep up the excess and discard it.

While kitty litter or baking soda removes strong odors and fresh spills, it may not completely remove oil that has soaked into the asphalt. If a stain persists, use a stiff brush to scrub a mixture of liquid dishwashing soap, baking soda and water into the stain. Use a garden hose on the highest setting to rinse the area.

How to Clean Concrete Driveways

While asphalt's dark color hides dirt and stains well—concrete is different. Both light in color and porous, concrete has tiny holes that easily soak up spills. To remove an oil or solvent stain on concrete pavement, use an oven cleaning product. Alternately, for large spills, you may want to apply diatomaceous earth.

Spray the oven cleaner or cover the stain with diatomaceous earth and scrub the area with a stiff-bristle brush. Allow the solution to soak up the stain for 30 minutes. Finally, use a garden hose to rinse the area. If the stain remains, allow the area to dry and repeat the process.

What to Do With Tricky Asphalt Driveway Stains

Luckily, many driveway stains aren't permanent. The quicker you spot a stain, the easier it will be to remove. However, old paint or grease stains may be tricky to remove completely. For these stains, try sealing your asphalt driveway with INTEGRA-SEAL® asphalt sealer for a fresh, black finish.

Browse our products to learn more.