Jim top-poasted:

Can one of you with experience in this type of situation help the OP?

MICHELLE H. wrote:

A few months ago, my car had a major oil leak ( Rear Main Seal ),
and when I started it up, oil basically POURED right out in A STREAM,
and my car went through one quart of oil in like 5 minutes. There
was a HUGE puddle of oil all over the driveway. I used kitty litter
to try to soak it all up. and then tried to wash it away with some
"Dawn Dish Soap".

Did you even try to take a shovel or dust-pan and scoop it up and toss
it in the garbage?

Or did you do exactly as you said - which was to create a muddy mess of
it and they try to wash the whole thing down the road? I don't have to
tell you what a bone-head assinine thing that would be to do.

And Jim - what's your problem? Why are you so keen to have someone come
up with an answer to someone else's problem?

Winter isin't even god-damn over and I can't believe all the people that
are fixated on problems with their lawn.

So does this mean that the soil is now contaminated with oil?

Is the ground frozen where you are? Don't you think it might be a good
idea to freeking tell us where in North America you are? Don't you
think that us knowing what climate zone you're in might give us a clue
as to how to come up with an answer for you?

Is there anyway to DRY OUT the oily residue in the driveway,
so that when it rains, the puddles won't have that oily,
rainbow color?

What is the daytime outdoor temperature RIGHT NOW where you are?

Is the oily area exposed to direct sunlight?

High temperature and sunlight will breakdown the oil and make it
evaporate. This usually happens in THE SUMMER. But since we don't know
where you are, it's useless trying to help you do anything at this
point. You could be in Florida or North Dakota - who knows?

Pour some gasoline on it (one or two cups worth), take a stiff plastic
scrub-brush to it, follow quickly with detergent and lots of water to
flush it down the road. Do that if it's really bugging your ass at this
point. Nothing is as cheap and effective as gasoline at taking oil
stains and residue out of pavement. But if it's cold out, it's gonna
take more elbow grease.

Will scattering "rock salt" down on the area where the oil spill
was, help to dry it out? Because doesn't rock salt dry stuff out?

My god (shakes head).

Salt will pull water out of stuff and dry it - not oil. You put salt
down and mix it with oil and you're going to have a real, ugly mess that
will really screw up your soil.