Say goodbye to oil stains: 5 home remedies that actually work!

Oil stains are a common issue faced by homeowners. These stains can be caused by oil leaks from cars or equipment, cooking oil spills, or other oil.

Fortunately, there are several inexpensive ways you can remove oil stains. Believe it or not, you can clean up oil spills with cat litter, baking soda, oven cleaner and laundry detergent.

And, of course, you can buy products in a store specifically designed for oil stain removal.

Cat litter

Cat litter is a highly effective and easy-to-find material that you can use to remove oil stains from concrete or asphalt surfaces.

1. Place a generous amount of cat litter over the stain.

2. Grind it into a fine powder.

3. Allow a few solid hours for the litter to absorb the oil.

4. Sweep away the oil.

5. Follow up with degreasing dish soap and a hot water scrub down. Make sure to create tons of suds.

6. Rinse with boiling water to remove any remaining residue.

Baking soda

You’d be hard-pressed to think of an oil spill home remedy more accessible than baking soda. There are 5 steps to cleaning up an oil stain with this housekeeping mainstay.

1. Lightly wet the stained area.

2. Sprinkle baking soda or powdered dishwashing detergent over it.

3. Let the mixture sit for 10-15 minutes.

4. Pour boiling water over the area.

5. Scrub the area until it is clean.

Oven cleaner

When you think about it, it’s not that surprising that an oven cleaner can effectively remove oil stains. It’s actually made to break down oil and grease in your kitchen. Using it elsewhere is as easy as 1-2-3.

1. Simply spray the oven cleaner on the stain and let it set for an hour or two.

2. Wash it away and then wipe it up.

3. If the stain remains, dry it out, reapply the oven cleaner, and cover the area with plastic to ensure the cleaning chemical is fully concentrated on removing the stain.

Laundry detergent

Laundry detergent is probably a less obvious oil spill cleaner, but it’s still effective.

1. Start by soaking up the excess oil with paper towels.

2. Cover the oil stain with a mound of powdered laundry detergent.

3. Add 1 cup baking soda to the mound, and sprinkle water over the detergent and baking soda until you've created a paste.

4. Spread the laundry detergent and baking soda paste over the oil stain with a scraper and leave it on your driveway overnight.

5. Scrape the paste away from your driveway the next morning.

6. Pour boiling water over the site of the stain to rinse away the detergent paste.

7. Air dry the surface.

In-store products

If you don't have the time or energy to use household products, you can also purchase products specifically designed for oil stain removal.

Prices for these products range from $8 to $45, and they can be found at various big-box hardware stores.

Keep your surfaces clean.

In conclusion, there are various home remedies you can lean on to remove oil stains, including cat litter, baking soda, oven cleaner and laundry detergent. Plus, you can always buy a product from your local retailer in a pinch.

Regardless of the method you choose, it is important to act quickly and prevent a stain from setting in. With the right approach, you can easily remove oil stains and keep your driveway or garage looking clean and new.