To remove oil stains from concrete, scrub a degreaser into the stain, give it time to lift the oil out of the pores, then rinse — repeating on old, soaked-in stains until the concrete comes clean. Concrete is porous, so oil sinks in and ordinary washing barely touches it; a proper degreaser is what pulls it back out. This guide covers fresh spills, old stains and preparing stained concrete for coating, using Industrial Degreaser or All-Rite.
Why is oil so hard to get off concrete?
Concrete is full of tiny pores, so oil soaks below the surface where water and detergent cannot reach it — which is why a stain reappears after you think you have cleaned it. The dark mark you see is oil held deep in the slab, wicking back to the surface as it dries. To clear it you need a cleaner that penetrates the pores and dissolves or lifts the oil, then flushes it out. That is the job of a degreaser, and on older stains it usually takes more than one pass. A quick surface wipe will never fix a soaked-in stain.
What do you need to remove an oil stain?
You need a degreaser, a stiff-bristle brush, absorbent material for fresh spills, and clean water to rinse — plus gloves and eye protection. For heavy or old petroleum stains on a driveway or workshop floor, solvent Industrial Degreaser penetrates deepest. For fresher grease and general grime, or where you want a biodegradable option, All-Rite Heavy Duty Degreaser works well. A hard brush matters as much as the chemical, because agitation is what breaks the oil loose from the concrete.
How do you remove a fresh oil spill?
Blot up as much oil as you can first, cover the spill with an absorbent like cat litter or sawdust to draw more out, then degrease and rinse. Sweeping absorbent material into a fresh spill and leaving it for a few hours pulls a surprising amount of oil out before it soaks in. Sweep it up, then apply Industrial Degreaser or All-Rite, scrub with a stiff brush, and rinse with clean water. Acting fast on a fresh spill is far easier than tackling a stain that has had weeks to sink in.
How do you remove an old, soaked-in stain?
Apply the degreaser neat, scrub it hard into the stain, let it dwell so the solvent can penetrate, then rinse — and repeat the whole cycle two or three times on stubborn stains. Old stains rarely lift in one go because the oil sits deep in the slab. With solvent Industrial Degreaser, give each application a few minutes of contact time, agitate again, then flush with plenty of water. Each cycle draws more oil to the surface and away. Patience and repetition beat scrubbing harder with a weak cleaner.
Do home remedies remove oil from concrete?
Home remedies like dishwashing liquid, baking soda or cola shift only light surface grease — they cannot reach oil that has soaked into the slab, and some can leave residues or discolour the concrete. Baking soda and cat litter help absorb a fresh spill before it sinks in, which is genuinely useful, but they do nothing for a stain that is already deep in the pores. Dishwashing liquid is a mild surfactant with none of the penetrating power of a degreaser, and acidic mixes like cola can etch the surface without removing the oil. For anything beyond a light, fresh mark, skip the kitchen-cupboard fixes and use a purpose-made degreaser — solvent Industrial Degreaser for deep stains, or All-Rite for lighter grease.
How do you clean stained concrete before painting or sealing?
Degrease the whole area until the water-break-free test passes, then let the concrete dry fully before you apply a floor coating or sealer. Any oil left in the slab will stop paint or sealer bonding and cause it to lift, so cleaning is not optional before coating. After degreasing, wet the surface with clean water: if it sheets evenly without beading, the concrete is clean enough to coat. See the surface preparation guide for the full sequence, and route through to the right floor coating from there.
What should you not do?
Do not just pressure-wash with water, do not use dishwashing liquid on a soaked-in stain, and do not paint or seal over a stain you have not removed. Water alone spreads the oil; household detergent lacks the solvent power to reach it and leaves a residue; and coating over a stain guarantees failure. Harsh acids can etch and discolour the concrete without removing the oil. Stick to a purpose-made degreaser — solvent Industrial Degreaser for the worst stains, water-based All-Rite for lighter grease — and give it the contact time and agitation it needs.
Where to buy
Get Industrial Degreaser (5 L, 20 L) or All-Rite (750 ml to 25 L) with national delivery. Visit our paint shops in Table View, Cape Town and Edenvale, Johannesburg, or call +27 84 985 6141 for advice on your stain. For routine paving and driveway cleaning, see how to clean paving and driveways.
