Goodbye Oil Stains: The Kitchen Staple That'll Keep Your Driveway Looking Its Best

The driveway is the very first thing people see when pulling up in the car to your home. No matter how perfectly green the lawn or how artfully decorating the front porch, ugly spills and stains dotting the surface of the driveway can ruin the whole effect. Spills, drips, and drops happen. Clean your driveway with a kitchen staple that's already in your house. Baking soda is the cleaning hack that can be used for multiple surfaces, even tough stains on driveways. 

Known for deodorizing refrigerators and cooking, baking soda can also be used as an alkaline cleaner that tackles everything from mold to stainless steel. Mixing it with vinegar, lemon, or simply water results in easy, natural ways to remove stains and clean around the home. It can be used to whiten, and it's a great choice when it comes to outdoor stains as well, especially oil stains from cars. It's recommended that you keep baking soda in the fridge to help remove odors, and it needs to be replaced every six months. Grab that 6-month-old baking soda (or find a new box) and head for the driveway to take care of those spills.

Cleaning with baking soda usually requires making an easy paste of water and powder. For new oil stains on driveways that are still damp, skip the paste and pour baking soda directly on the stain. The baking soda can absorb the stain while cleaning. For older, tough driveway stains, mix a paste that is doughy and thick (baking soda first, water second, and stir) and cover the entire area that is stained. A good rule of thumb is 3 parts baking soda to 1 part water, but for driveway stains you may need more baking soda than water.

Let the baking soda paste sit for at least 30 minutes to an hour. (Likewise for new stains, let the baking soda work its magic and absorb.) After the hour has passed, use a strong bristle brush to give it a good scrub and rinse with water. Repeat the process of scrubbing and rinsing until the baking soda and the stain are gone. It may take a second application of baking soda to fully remove the stain. (Bonus: if there are any pesky weeds growing in between breaks of the driveway, baking soda is also pantry staple that kills grass between pavers. Go ahead and sprinkle some of those weeds while you clean.) Rinse the area throughly with water when you are finished, and inspect when dry to see if the baking soda application will be needed again.