jason_200pxDo you have unsightly oil or grease stains on your asphalt driveway? It happens to all of us eventually. Our cars get a leak and then our driveway gets a stain; it’s nearly unavoidable. Everyone wants to keep their driveway looking neat and clean, but some people aren’t sure how to get the stain out of their asphalt driveway. It is pretty simple but we are going to tell you how.

The first thing you need to do is try to clean the stain as quickly as possible. The longer it sits on the asphalt the harder it is going to be to get out.

  • First use a mop or anything absorbent to remove the excess oil or grease on the top.
  • Next you can use virtually any cleaner you have lying around in the house. Dish soap, floor cleaner, laundry detergent, and vinegar.
  • Rinse the area off thoroughly with water and then apply your cleaning solution.
  • Take a hard and stiff bristled brush or broom to scrub the area. After a little bit of elbow grease it should come up. If the stain is old it may need more than one scrubbing.

If you don’t want to do tons of scrubbing and hard work there are a few nifty solutions you can use instead.

  • Cat litter will work wonders for your oil and grease stains.
  • Rinse the area off and then pour the cat litter on the stained area.
  • Stomp on the cat litter and jump on it to make sure it gets ground down into the asphalt.
  • Leave it there overnight and in the morning rinse away the cat litter and the stain should be gone. If the stain is old try scrubbing with soap and a brush first and then use the cat litter. That should take care of the problem.

Another Option

  • Good old Coca-Cola. It was really used as a cleaning agent way back before it was a beverage.
  • Rinse the area first and then pour one or two cans of coke on the stain and let it sit overnight.
  • The next morning rinse it off and stain will be gone.

It’s really easy to do this yourself and you don’t need a professional to do it. That is one of the many perks of choosing asphalt.

In the event that you have a stain that you simply cannot get rid of on your own, please call us and we will attempt to remove the stain. We have methods to cover the stain if we cannot remove it in its entirety. We will be able to make your driveway or parking lot look as good as new, even if we have to cover it with new asphalt.

We are located in Franklin Park, IL and serve most of the greater Chicago area. Please give us a call any time you are in need of new asphalt, or asphalt repair. We’ll schedule an appointment to address your concerns as quickly as possible.