It is not very uncommon to encounter an undesirable stain on your pavers or driveway. Learn how to remove oil stains from pavers, be it oil from a leaking car, muddled grease from your car repair or even just the oil from your previous backyard cookout.

How to Remove Oil Stains from Pavers

You should, in most incidents, be able to remove the stain with products at your disposal at home or that can be easily gotten at the nearest home care store. When these are not possible, you can either have the stains cleaned by an expert or you can simply change the stained paving stones and have your driveway or patio looking as delightful as it was.

Since pavers are popular for being materials used in simple pool landscaping designs, and pool landscaping ideas for small yards, here is a Do-It-Yourself guide to removing grease and oil stains from your pavers:

How to Remove Grease and Oil

Step 1: If the grease or oil stain is new and still has the liquid on its surface, absorb as much of the oil or grease as possible with an absorbent paper or a rag.

Step 2: If after absorbing the oil or grease stain, you still have a substantial amount of grease or oil on your paving stones, cover the oil stain with conventional kitty litter and gently drive it into the stain. Leave the kitty litter to absorb the liquid, then remove the kitty litter by sweeping it up and getting rid of it. It is important to note that you should not use a steel wire brush for this because it will scuff the pavers.

Step 3: With water, scrub brush (remember to not use a steel wire brush) and a dish soap, clean the grease or oil stain off the stained area. Although, it is much advisable to use natural products when available, dish soap which is proven for cleaning oil and grease also produces a pleasing result. On the other hand, baking soda can be used as an alternative to dish soap especially if the stain is on a smaller area.

Step 4: Apply high pressure on the area of the stain by direct-spraying with a garden hose to clean the area of the oil or grease stain. Although it is possible to use a pressure washer to get the same result, this method might easily damage the paving stone surface.

Usually, these four DIY steps will get rid of the oil or grease stains on your pavers. Nevertheless, if these four steps failed to remove the stains completely, there are a few more alternatives to explore.

Alternative Methods

You could spray an oven cleaner on the stained area and leave it for about 15 – 20 minutes, after which it is rinsed off. However, this method is to be taken with much caution as the oven cleaner contains chemicals that are not good to be breathed into the body system nor to be rinsed into drains, lawns and garden plot.

For exceptionally persistent oil or grease stains, a degreaser specifically made for your paver’s surface may be necessary. To get the best result out of this product, follow the instructions on the product. On the other hand, you can also hire the service of an expert who is familiar with the delicate nature of the paving stones to remove the oil and grease stains.

If after trying all these, the oil and grease stain still remains, you can always change the stained pavers. Ability to change a damaged paver easily and without anyone noticing is one of the advantages of choosing paving stones above stamped or slab concrete. Both stamped and slab concrete are costly to replace and upon replacement, it is always visible as it is not possible to get a matching concrete to the older ones. You can also take this opportunity to integrate some new pool landscaping ideas into your yard.

Frequently Asked Questions and Answers

How do I get oil stains out of a pressure washer driveway?

To get oil stains out of a pressure washer driveway, a medium-to heavy-duty pressure washer can be used to remove or lessen the oil stain especially if it is still fresh.

Applying a commercial grade cleaner to the oil stained area is the first step. After this, clean with a brush or broom. Lastly, add the detergent to the medium to heavy duty pressure washer and start to spray to get oil stains out of a pressure washer driveway.

Does bleach remove oil stains from concrete?

Simply applying a bleaching solution upon an area of interest and then rinse out with hot water will certainly rid the area of mildew, grime and filth. But for old oil stains, applying bleach on the stain will only prepare the oil stained area for a power wash which on most occasions lets bleach remove oil stains from concrete.

Bottom Line

If you don’t know how to remove oil stains from pavers, then you’re in luck. You can follow four simple steps to remove any car grease or oil stains from a backyard cookout with ease. This article also covered alternative methods that you can try to get your pavers looking brand new again. The worst comes to worst, you can always look into brand new backyard pavers that can bring new life to your home.

‍