How To Clean Oil Stains From Your Asphalt

You’ve probably got a lot on your mind as you’re absorbing the summer sun. You’ve already taken your boat out on the water, and you had your grill cleaned a while ago while prepping for Memorial Day Weekend. Your next summer project is to do some repairs on that motorcycle that hasn’t seen the light of day for ages.

Before you start rolling it out, though, check your driveway pavement. Is it prepared for oil?

Summer is the prime time for asphalt pavement to acquire oil stains, it being a favorite season for repairing old vehicles. Besides its myriad other benefits, placing a seal coating on your asphalt is an excellent way of preventing oil stains from damaging your driveway. As one of the premier paving companies in Mercer County, NJ, Stanley Paving can help you get your driveway sealed before you start tinkering with that motorcycle.

However, if your asphalt already has oil stains, there are steps you can take to remove them before you have a seal coating done.

Remove residue from asphalt surface. Using a push broom, make sure before anything else to sweep away any leaves, grass, dirt, or other debris that may interfere with the cleaning process.

Soak the asphalt with water. Spray the asphalt with a steady stream of water; this will most easily be done with a garden hose. Saturating the asphalt before you start cleaning can help dislodge the minor residue trapped in the asphalt’s crevices, which will also make the cleaning process go more smoothly.

Treat the oil stains first. Before tackling the whole driveway, pretreat the oil stains and tire marks with laundry detergent. Do this by liberally pouring laundry detergent onto the affected area and letting it sit for several minutes, allowing the detergent to soak into the wet asphalt surface and gradually lift out some of the staining.

Scrub and rinse. Finally, take a hand brush and scrub the pavement with a cleaner made from 1-part detergent, 1-part bleach, and 3-parts water. Work the cleaner thoroughly into the asphalt, and finish by rinsing off the pavement with a high-pressure stream of water from a hose.

Once you’re done, your driveway is ready for a seal coating application, and the best paving company in Mercer County is at the ready. Contact Stanley Paving today by giving us a call at 1-844-BLACKTOP.