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...

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


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.

[trophymick]

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

[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...

[Paff]

Originally Posted by 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...

[-=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!

[Sweety]

I use washing up liquid, bleach & some washing powder, scrub it in with a stiff brush then attack it with the jet wash It doesn't shift it all but really lightens the marks & let the sun's uv's do the rest 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 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

[frosty]

Originally Posted by 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...

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

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