On an 80°F afternoon in June, I tested Oil Eater's Cleaner Degreaser on used motor oil that's been sitting on an asphalt driveway for 2 weeks and 4 days. The verdict? 4.5 out of 5 stars.
Oil Eater stands out from the crowd of oil degreasers because it is "non-toxic", "biodegradable", and "non-corrosive". It's strong enough to remove motor oil from an asphalt driveway, yet safe enough for prespotting laundry. Oil Eater's SDS (safety data sheet) identifies it as being just a mild skin and eye irritant.
The Project's Details
In order to get the results I desired with Oil Eater's Cleaner Degreaser, I did not dilute the product as recommended on the back -- I used full strength -- and needed 3 applications with lots of elbow grease. Here is everything I used to get the used motor oil off of the asphalt:
- Oil Eater's Cleaner Degreaser 32 fl. oz. spray bottle
- JOBSMART stiff-bristle scrub brush
- Nitrile gloves
- Goggles
- Garden hose
I used the "Spray" mode on the spray bottle and sprayed each section liberally. From there, I wet the stiff-bristle scrub brush, got on my hands and knees, and scrubbed aggressively for about a minute. Then I hosed the area down and a frothy, cappuccino-like stream made its way down the driveway.
Project items: Oil Eater's Cleaner Degreaser 32 oz., JOBSMART stiff-bristle scrub brush, nitrile gloves, goggles, and a garden hose.
Frothy, cappuccino-like stream consisting of water, used motor oil, and Oil Eater's Cleaner Degreaser.
Shot 1 of 4 | Before (1:49pm)
As you can see, there is a snake-like trail of used motor oil on the asphalt driveway. This shot is what the oil stain looked like before I applied any Oil Eater's Cleaner Degreaser to it.
Shot 2 of 4 | After Application 1 (2:39pm)
After applying Oil Eater's Cleaner Degreaser for the first time, you can clearly see that the oil stain's appearance has been reduced dramatically. I cleaned the oil trail in 3 different sections for greater cleaning accuracy.
Shot 3 of 4 | After Application 2 (3:28pm)
After the second application, an oil trail was no longer discernible, but you could still tell that something has been spilled on the asphalt. I could have stopped here and would have been satisfied with the results, but I decided to give it another application.
Shot 4 of 4 | After Application 3 - FINAL (4:26pm)
After the third application, if you didn't know an oil trailed existed here, you'd probably never know unless someone pointed it out.
Conclusion
When the project was finished, and a couple hours had passed since the fourth and final application of Oil Eater's Cleaner Degreaser, I would say that well over 95% of the oil trail had been removed from the asphalt.
Eco-friendly products tend to have a softer, less effective reputation than their non-eco-friendly counterparts. A non-eco-friendly degreaser may have been able to do better than Oil Eater's Cleaner Degreaser, but as someone who is highly sensitive to harsh chemicals, and is semi-conscious about what I
In the end, Oil Eater's Cleaner Degreaser lived up to its name -- an eco-friendly and exceptional oil eating degreaser. If you don't mind getting on the ground and scrubbing a little bit, this product will reciprocate without any noxious remnants in your nostrils.
6/27/2017