# A little hydraulic oil on the driveway...



## TimberJack_7

I make it a practice to carry cardboard in my truck so that when I go to a jobsite the old PTO on my old truck doesn't leak itself out all over the driveway. Well, today it was windy and whilst I was up the tree and the groundie was chipping, the wind up and blew the cardboard from it's assigned position. Now my customer has a spot on their driveway and I told them that I would get it cleaned up for them (2 day job). 

They have a concrete driveway so I would appreciate any suggestions for hydraulic oil clean up off of a concrete driveway and no, buying a new truck is not an option at this time. BTW, the cardboard driveway saver was something I learned working at Davey back in the day.


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## RVALUE

Try awesome from dollar general, and others. Good stuff.

But so is lacquer thinner.


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## Slvrmple72

keep some kitty litter in a plastic jug/tub on the truck. Comes in handy for soaking up oil spills. extra traction in ice and snow. etc. 

Longer it sits harder it will be to get out. Gonna want to hit it with dish soap and a nylon scrub brush to pull it out of the concrete. Hose it off and repeat.

Good Luck! Hope they are not too picky.


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## dingeryote

Plain old Brake cleaner and a rag will get most of it.
Follow up with whatever purple or green water based degreaser and some scrubbing, then rinse the crap out of it.

The biggest problem is making a clean spot that is obvious.

Good luck!

Stay safe!
Dingeryote


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## TimberJack_7

Hey guys thanks for the replies. It is one of those little things that eats into profit, but if you don't take care of it, it will really eat into your profits in the form of bad word of mouth! If I have to take an hour of my personal time then that is what I have to do, again thanks for the suggestions guys! As long as my customer is happy is the bottom line.


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## ddhlakebound

I had almost the same problem a month or so ago when I subbed in a bucket that leaked on the drive of my (not unreasonably) picky client. 

I tried tide and a brush....

still oil in the porus concrete. 

I tried de-greaser and a brush and a hose. 

Better, but still visibly stained....not near good enough. 

Ended up going back again with SIMPLE GREEN and a pressure washer. 

Happy client, early spring trim booked, and my bucket guy discounted what I spent, so I was only out my time and two trips. 

If I've ever gotta worry about that again, I'll go straight to the simple green and the pressure washer, and not waste the time and money screwing around.


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## tree md

In the future you can forgo the cardboard and just throw a couple of scoops of the first chips under the leak before it has a chance to start dripping. Works better IMO. You can just scoop them up after the job is done with the normal cleanup. It absorbs the fluid really well and will keep it off the driveway.


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## treemandan

Use kitty litter or ' oil dry', scuff it into the concrete with your boots til it turns into powder. Keep removing saturated 'oil dry' and add new til its clean. if you do this it should look really good and clean when done and won't cost very much.


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## pdqdl

When you get an oil spill that defies all the methods for removal, try this:

Cover the spot with a 2" (or deeper) pile of oil dry. Kitty litter works too, but it costs more. Saturate the pile with lacquer thinner, acetone, or when you really seriously don't want to ever come back again: Methyl ethyl ketone (available at every pro paint store).

Then leave it there until all the solvent evaporates. Sweep up the now dry pile of oil-dry.

This works very much like a chemical process you may remember reading about called Chromatography. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chromatography

Basically, the solvent lifts the oil up out of the ground into the oil dry, where it remains after the solvent has evaporated away. Sadly, black carbon particles left from motor oil do respond as well to this technique, but there is always simple green and the pressure washer to get that last part of the stain.


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## oldirty

simple green with very bristley bristle broom and hose water (pressure washer even better!). has worked for every leak i've dealt with.


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## Winn R

There's a good roll roofing called modified bitumen.

A 4' piece rides in the bed and doesn't blow out. Works like cardboard but better and longer!


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## sgreanbeans

tree md said:


> In the future you can forgo the cardboard and just throw a couple of scoops of the first chips under the leak before it has a chance to start dripping. Works better IMO. You can just scoop them up after the job is done with the normal cleanup. It absorbs the fluid really well and will keep it off the driveway.



:agree2:

I have a small leak, throw chips under the truck, it works. All the different cleaners work to a point, but the most important ingredient for cleaning spills is.......elbow grease!


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## ATH

I really like Simple Green cleaner, but have had better luck with "Purple Power" (available at Autozone, Advance Auto Parts, etc...) when cleaning petrol products off of the drive.


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## benjo75

I use carb cleaner, a wire brush and paper towels. Thats what I use on my own shop floor if something gets on it. Dries instantly.


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## gorman

Man, I wish I read something like this a couple years ago. Some chain smoking doctor threatened not to pay me because of a small tranny fluid stain on his driveway. Lots and lots of powerwashing and simple green. lots. a whole day. I will bookmark this.


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## BlueRidgeMark

TimberJack_7 said:


> It is one of those little things that eats into profit, but if you don't take care of it, it will really eat into your profits in the form of bad word of mouth!




You are wise, grasshopper.


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## squad143

I'd use TSP (trisodium phospate) crystals poured onto the oil spot, add a little water and a quick scrub will remove oil from asphalt.

I did a search, and here are some other suggestions:

http://www.ehow.com/how_113258_clean-oil-spots.html

The trick is to get it off as soon as possible.

BTW, TSP also works in removing oil spots from asphalt.


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## TimberJack_7

Well guys went back to the customer's house today with some simple green and a good stiff brush. Got on my hands and knees and scrubbed that driveway like Cinderalla. The simple green worked pretty good. You could still see it just a teeny tiny bit but the customer was happy and that my friends was the bottom line.

I have been really impressed with the replies to this post for stain removal on driveways. Tree guys may not always get along but holy chit what a resourceful group here!


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## BlueRidgeMark

TimberJack_7 said:


> You could still see it just a teeny tiny bit but the customer was happy and that my friends was the bottom line.




Bingo!


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