# Forum Home Renovation Paving  clean up petrol spill on bluestone pavers

## chunky59

Hi 
i have a bluestone pavers path that i think i may have spilt some petrol from my wipper snipper on to and it has stained them.  this happened only a few days ago 
Can someone suggest how i can clean it up 
they call them blustone but they be a type of granite  
I tried to wash it off with water but it made no difference
i have read that you can use kitty litter but i was wondering if it might be a bit harsh and scratch it
I also read that you can use baking soda to soak it up
somebody else said to use a a degreasing solution 
Has anybody tried any of this methord with any success or is there something better that you can buy? 
photo attached if that helps

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## Random Username

Well, if it's petrol as in two-stroke then it'll be an oil residue.  Pour over a good hot detergent (ie a strong laundry detergent or sugar soap or Tricleanium and hot water solution), leave for 10 minutes or so and then hit it with a pressure washer.  Spray on degreaser may also work...but it's better with fresh oil/non-absorbent surfaces, not stuff that's had a few days to soak. 
The pressure washer by itself works fine if done promptly...at least it did the last time I klutzed the oil change for my car. Note that it cleans the spot so well you may end up cleaning a way bigger area because the drive looks dirty everywhere else. 
My next suggestion would be a caustic soda solution with appropriate eye and hand protection; it's the next 'graduation in hostilities' up from Tricleanium.

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## gpkennedy

Hav you tried lifting a paver to check if the side nearest the earth is the same as the upside? Sure they may be a little earth stained but possibly easier to clean than the existing residue.

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## johnc

To late for kitty litter, try Randoms tips, the oil will fade but you have to get as much as you can out early. I'd slop oin degreaser, let sit for 20 minutes  then hit with hot water and detergent and scrub hard into the surface with a scrubbing brush then a pressure blaster.

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## chunky59

Thanks for those tips
On monday I tried some straight industrial degreaser, let it Sit for 4 min and then scrubbed with a scrubbing brush for about 5mins and this dose doesn't seem to have done much at all 
The pavers are concreted in and are polished on one sdie so unfortunately I cannot flip them over
I was talking to someone who said to try bleach. ? Some else said CRS
Does any body have any thoughts on those?
Mark

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## Random Username

Bleach won't do much as the 'colour' imparted by clean oil is due more to the change in refractive index of an absorbent substrate, or straight out carbon if it's old oil. 
CLR Oil and Grease is just an expensive (60% water) way of buying an alkaline detergent, such as laundry detergent, sugar soap (dilute trisodium phosphate) , tricleanium (neat trisodium phosphate) or caustic soda (sodium hydroxide). 
An alkaline surfactant such as the ones listed above will start to break down the long chain hydrocarbons in the oil. 
Alternatively, a shovelful or two of lime, wetted with kerosene to a damp consistency, may assist in drawing the oil out. 
Another option is that the pavers may have been sealed with (something) and the petrol has stripped this sealant out.  Not sure what you'll be about to do about that...!

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## Whitey66

I find that electrical contact cleaner cleans most oil spills off nearly anything.

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