What Can Be Used on Gas Spots on a Painted Driveway?

Baking Soda or Cat Litter

• When you have a fresh gasoline spill on your painted driveway, you can clean it up easily by sprinkling either baking soda or cat litter over the spill. Use just enough to cover the spill completely. The ingredients in baking soda and cat litter that allow it to be absorbent will absorb the gasoline, leaving behind a clumping material that you can easily sweep up using a broom and dustpan. Leave the baking soda or cat litter overnight and sweep up the mess in the morning.

Powdered Oxygen Bleach

• A combination of powdered oxygen bleach, grease-cutting liquid dish soap and hot water can break up any gasoline stains left behind once the gasoline has been wiped up. Combine a 1/2 cup of the powdered oxygen bleach, 1/2 cup of the liquid dish soap and a gallon of hot water in a large bucket and agitate the solution to create foam on top. Dip a nylon scrub brush into the solution and then work it into the stain. Leave the solution on the stain for approximately 10 to 15 minutes before washing it away with the garden hose.

Liquid Laundry Detergent

• Using undiluted concentrated liquid laundry soap on a gasoline stain can break it down so it can be scrubbed away easily. The laundry soap specially designed for tough grease and oil stains works best when trying to remove gasoline stains. Pour 1/4 cup of the detergent directly on the stain and let it sit for approximately 10 minutes. The larger the stain, the longer you should have the detergent sit. After 10 minutes, scrub the stain using a nylon scrub brush. Rinse the spot clean using the garden hose. If the stain isn’t removed completely, repeat until the stain is gone.

Considerations

• When working with any kind of solution that it is new, wear rubber gloves to protect your hands. Do not use wire or harsh brushes when cleaning your driveway as it could damage the paint on the driveway. When disposing of the gasoline, no matter how you cleaned it up, contact your town’s reclamation department to find out the correct way to dispose of it in your area.