Best way remove motor oil from pavement blocks?

[-=Alex=-]

Hello guys,

I had new looking pavement blocks just few months ago, but due to leaking crankshaft oil seal and few other things now it looks like sh1t. Large spill over 1m2.
I tried various things including:
Pressure washer
Swarfega Oil & Grease Remover from Screwfix
Hard plastic brush
Wire brush on angle grinder
Brake cleaner
High pressure air with washing liquids
Steam cleaner

All that kind of helps, but i think it simply spreads oil around and it becomes one large black spot rather than 100 small...
I read somewhere that glycerin is a good thing to try, but I have none left.
What can you suggest?

Cheers,
Alex

[rustic]

If you can get most off, then the sun and weathering over a long period breaks it down.

I have tarmac, so certain solvents are a no no, but when my Dad visited in his Discovery, it left the 5 or six tell tale signs that it had been there. A sort of Land Rover Calling card...:doh:doh:doh

Within the hour, I covered the oil spots with neat washing up liquid, used a scrubbing brush worked it in.

Left it a couple of hours, but lightly damped it down in between to stop it drying out.
Then out with the hose pipe to rinse it out.

This removed 95% of the oil slick, and 3 months later of our British summer did the rest.

You have done most things that I would have tried on brick, or are they concrete blocks...?

My next attempt would be caustic soda, like drain cleaner.


Glycerine.. :nenau maybe Nitro Glycerine... :eek: now that would work, but would leave a crater in your drive.:doh


Rustic

[rayf3262]

cat litter (fullers earth) is pretty good at absorbing most things, cheap enough to give it a go...

[firebobby]

Bio washing power will remove the oil.

[Paff]

What about Cillit Bang!

[AlexD333]

I use truckwash. Its amazing stuff. :thumb2

[trophymick]

I've seen cement dust used for soaking oil up.:nenau

[rustic]

You are on the wrong 4x4 forum for such a question...


Go to the Land Rover forum, they must face this problem every day lol...


:lol:lol:lol

[Paff]

You are on the wrong 4x4 forum for such a question...


Go to the Land Rover forum, they must face this problem every day lol...


:lol:lol:lol


:lol :lol :lol :augie

[-=Alex=-]

Other options I found:
Baking soda. Spread, spray with water, wait, scrub with broom.
Dry cement (I think it's for immediate application after spilling)
Petrol

[arcascomp]

It's not Gylcerin you need, but the Glyc by product from making biodiesel - that stuff is pretty good at cleaning most things off. Know any bio makers nearby - see you've been asking the same over on VOD forum too.

I seem to recall being told that Listerine is very good at cleaning off oil spills too, I guess there are other mouthwash brands! :D

[Sweety]

I use washing up liquid, bleach & some washing powder, scrub it in with a stiff brush then attack it with the jet wash:augie It doesn't shift it all but really lightens the marks & let the sun's uv's do the rest:thumbs got a concrete drive so any oil spills etc really stand out but after 6 months it's hard to tell where the oil was. Often have to do it as the Son is dreadful for spilling oil on my drive:doh My disco used to drip oil so put 1/2 a brick in a metal tray so it wouldn't blow away & put it under the truck stopped the drive getting marked:thumb2

[frosty]

You are on the wrong 4x4 forum for such a question...


Go to the Land Rover forum, they must face this problem every day lol...


:lol:lol:lol

Yep i can vouch for that, my lads got one and he has to keep a piece of carpet under it to catch the oil it drops

[John B]

Turn the slab upside down ??

[Adz]

Carpet under the engine stops it from staining the pavings :augie

As ya know my parents place is all block paved & not a stain in site :D

[firebobby]

Use shake and vac...it put the freshness back :augie:augie

[rustic]

Use shake and vac...it put the freshness back :augie:augie

Damn.. you got me singing that in my head now....:doh:doh

[macabethiel]

Hello guys,

I had new looking pavement blocks just few months ago, but due to leaking crankshaft oil seal and few other things now it looks like sh1t. Large spill over 1m2.
I tried various things including:
Pressure washer
Swarfega Oil & Grease Remover from Screwfix
Hard plastic brush
Wire brush on angle grinder
Brake cleaner
High pressure air with washing liquids
Steam cleaner

All that kind of helps, but i think it simply spreads oil around and it becomes one large black spot rather than 100 small...
I read somewhere that glycerin is a good thing to try, but I have none left.
What can you suggest?

Cheers,
Alex
I had the same issue from my Santa Fe before I fixed the sump leak.
I used Gunk soaking the block completely using a brush left it for half an hour then jet washed the area. Repeated a few times after pavers had dried out.
Was left with a lighter patch so used a solution of biological washing powder and now three months later .................................................. .................................................. .................................................. .................................................. ................... still have a stain but its reduced by about 80 % from what it was. Give it a couple of years and it will have gone!!

[firebobby]

Damn.. you got me singing that in my head now....:doh:doh

I was a red blooded teenager when that advert was out and I thought she was fit :augie

[Paff]

I was a red blooded teenager when that advert was out and I thought she was fit :augie

:eek:

[AlexD333]

I was a red blooded teenager when that advert was out and I thought she was fit :augie

Ahaha I can see why :augie

[firebobby]

Ahaha I can see why :augie

OMG, there she is :naughty:naughty

So you wouldn't then Paff ??

[RJL Services]

you could try some brick cleaning acid from builder merchants may work:thumb2

[-=Alex=-]

I use washing up liquid, bleach & some washing powder, scrub it in with a stiff brush then attack it with the jet wash:augie It doesn't shift it all but really lightens the marks & let the sun's uv's do the rest:thumbs got a concrete drive so any oil spills etc really stand out but after 6 months it's hard to tell where the oil was. Often have to do it as the Son is dreadful for spilling oil on my drive:doh My disco used to drip oil so put 1/2 a brick in a metal tray so it wouldn't blow away & put it under the truck stopped the drive getting marked:thumb2

Thried this today. Indeed, does not remove everything completely, but definitely makes oil spots less visible.

[jims-terrano]

Will try this myself seen as my 05 plate is making like a landrover:doh

[Sweety]

Thried this today. Indeed, does not remove everything completely, but definitely makes oil spots less visible.

Let the sun get at it now & it'll start to fade away quiet quickly in this weather:thumb2