Not Baking Soda: The Popular Cleaner That Can Remove Oil Stains From Your Driveway

Your driveway should add curb appeal, not take away from it. And if your driveway has a huge oil stain right in the middle of it, that's bad news for your home's curb appeal. Maybe the old car you've been meaning to fix up has a slow leak, or a clumsy delivery truck parked there while dropping off a package. Either way, that oily spot is an eyesore. If you've looked online for answers, you've probably seen the same advice over and over again: Just use baking soda. Sure, baking soda is amazing at absorbing fresh or surface-level oil spills. However, sometimes a stain might be too old and set into the porous concrete for baking soda to be able to get it completely out. That's when you need a tougher and more capable product to step in: Goof Off.

While the name sounds silly, this popular cleaner is serious about cleaning. Goof Off's Concrete Cleaner & Oil Stain Remover is specially engineered to work wonders on driveway stains caused by oil, grease, and dirt. It's a concentrated cleaner designed to break down oil stains on concrete instead of just trying to soak them up like a sponge (sorry, baking soda). Goof Off does the heavy lifting for you and gets the job done well, so your driveway can look nice and spotless once again.

Before you begin, sweep your driveway to clear away any debris, and put on some thick rubber gloves, as Goof Off contains harsh chemicals that will harm your skin. The product notes that, for general cleaning (and lighter stains), dilute 1.5 ounces of the degreaser with a gallon of water and put it into a pump-up sprayer. For tougher stains, though, pour Goof Off right onto the stained driveway patch. You can give it a few minutes to seep in and break down that old motor oil if you want, but it isn't required. However, for more intense stains, Goof Off recommends letting it sit for anywhere from 5 to 8 hours in that case.

Either way, the next step is to grab a brush or broom and scrub the area to lift the loosened grease out of the concrete. As Goof Off works, it dries into a convenient powder once it's all done. From there, just sweep the powder up and toss it into the trash. Cleaning driveway oil stains is one of many simple cleaning hacks to keep your property tidy, especially if they tend to happen fairly often. With a little patience, that ugly spot on your driveway will become a distant memory, and your property will look much better.