Clean Oil Stains Off Your Driveway

LESLIE: Matthew in Texas listens to The Money Pit on KGKL. And you’ve got something that spilled on your driveway. Tell us about it.

MATTHEW: I have motor oil on my driveway. I’d like to know how do I get it out.

TOM: Well, there’s a good trick of the trade for that and it’s called trisodiumphosphate; it’s TSP.

LESLIE: (overlapping voices) TSP.

TOM: TSP.

MATTHEW: OK.

TOM: It’s a great cleaner and it …

LESLIE: You can find it in the paint aisle of your home improvement center. That’s where they usually keep it.

TOM: And you mix it up like a paste. Make it pretty thick. And then brush it on that motor oil stain and you will find that it does a really good job of cleaning up those nasty stains. In some cases, it does such a good job that it’s going to be brighter than the dirty concrete that’s around it.

LESLIE: (overlapping voices) Yeah, it’s going to clean it too well.

TOM: And of course – I probably don’t need to tell you this but the quickest way to stop that concrete from getting stained is to catch that motor oil when it’s fresh. And you can do that with sawdust or cat litter. But assuming, in this case, that it’s not fresh – it’s old – a paste of TSP is probably the best way to go. And it’s very inexpensive and it’s very easy to do.

MATTHEW: OK. And if I use it in my garage, can I paint after I use the …?

TOM: Yes. Absolutely. Once you’re done, it’ll wash away. It gets very soapy. Dry it really well, apply a primer, and then you can paint it. And fix that leaky oil can, too, will you, Matt?

MATTHEW: Sure, sure, sure.

TOM: (chuckling) Alright.

MATTHEW: Thank you so much.

TOM: You’re welcome. Thanks again for calling us at 1-888-MONEY-PIT.