Can you actually get oil stains out of a concrete driveway?
Concrete is porous, which means oil does not sit on top of it — it wicks down into the pore structure. How far down decides whether it comes out.
Fresh versus old
Oil spilled in the last few weeks is still near the surface. A degreaser with dwell time plus hot water pulls almost all of it out.
Oil that has been there for years has migrated several millimetres down. Surface treatment removes what it can reach, and the rest stays.
Expect fresh stains to disappear and years-old stains to fade by 60 to 90% with a visible shadow remaining.
What actually lifts it
An alkaline degreaser applied neat, given ten to fifteen minutes to penetrate and emulsify the oil.
Agitation with a stiff brush on heavy patches, which matters more than people think.
Hot water. Heat drops oil viscosity and lets it release. This is the biggest difference between a professional setup and a hired machine — most hire units are cold water only.
Repeat cycles on deep staining rather than one aggressive pass.
What not to do
Do not use kitty litter or sand after the fact. That works on wet spills in the first hour, not on a stain that has soaked in.
Do not use petrol or solvent. It spreads the stain wider and drives it deeper.
Do not blast it with pressure alone. Without a degreaser you are pushing oil sideways and making a bigger, lighter stain.
Preventing the next one
Sealing is the real answer. Sealed concrete keeps oil on the surface where it wipes off.
Do the seal after a full clean, not over an existing stain, or you seal the stain in permanently.
A drip tray under a known leaker costs $30 and saves the driveway.
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