Getting oil off the garage floor...

[kpicha]

Wow, what a mess! I did my first oil change on the WR and boy was that a learning experience! It took me hour to do.

Needless to say, there's oil all over the garage floor since I wasn't prepared for the gun squirt out of the frame part. I was expecting a trickle and that stuff shot out almost to the front tire! ?

Anyway, what cleaning stuff will work well with getting that oil out of the garage floor? I don't think my husband is going to be too happy to see that mess on the floor! ??

[Jeff W]

Kitty litter works great. Just let it soak up, then use a broom & dustpan.

[JoeBlow Kokomo]

Just last night I read a guy claiming that denatured alcohal and ERA detergent (clothes stuff) worked better on oil stains on concrete than any specific floor product he'd ever used. FWIW ?

[ZEKEDAWG]

Try a good engine degreaser that contains sodium metasilicate. simple green or soak up as much as you can and try some good old laundry soap. They should have enough oil cutters to clean up a little oil residue. If the oil soaks into the concrete you are going to have a tough time pulling all the oil up out of the concrete, the company I work for actually makes a concrete cleaner for just this purpose. PM me if you want some more info.

Then the next step is to put a coating on your floor so you can make clean up of these occasional spills very easy.

[Autospirit]

Been there done that many times(just last week actually ? ).

I ended up spraying simple green on the heavy spots, then diluting some more[simple green] in a bucket with a little water. Spread that out, then scrubbed it with a broom. After that, just rinsed it with clean water. There are some marks where it soaked in the concrete, but most of it is gone(its just an apartment anyways..heh). If it was MY garage I would have one of those nice epoxy floors.

Pretty much what ZEKEDAWG said. good advice.

Try a good engine degreaser that contains sodium metasilicate. simple green or soak up as much as you can and try some good old laundry soap. They should have enough oil cutters to clean up a little oil residue. If the oil soaks into the concrete you are going to have a tough time pulling all the oil up out of the concrete, the company I work for actually makes a concrete cleaner for just this purpose. PM me if you want some more info.

Then the next step is to put a coating on your floor so you can make clean up of these occasional spills very easy.

[MotoMac]

1. Wipe up as much as you can.

2. Spread Kitty Litter all over it to soak up more. Sweep up after about an hour.

3. If there is still a stain on the floor, spread more Kitty Litter on that and crush it into the floor with your foot (like you're squashing a bug). Sweep that up right away.

4. There may still a few stains, so do step 3 over again on the stained spots.

The initial spread of KL will only soak up what's on the surface. When you crush it into the surface, it will soak up whatever got down there. It works...try it.

Cheers,

Mac

[skthom2320]

Go to your local Wal Mart and pick up a carton of "Spill Magic." It's in a pink milk carton like container in the automotive section. Picks up oil and grease like magic!

[ba10]

Another solution that I found the works good for oil spills, is cement. I was changing oil on a car and it went all over. All I had was cement. Threw it down and it soaked up the oil and left the driveway like new. I think a bag of cement is even cheaper than kitty litter.

[642MX]

I use Tide and water on sealed floors. I use Dawn dish soap on nonsealed floors. Dump the dish soap on the oil covered concrete liberally and let it sit for a few minutes and then use a hose to wash it away.

[speedfreak17]

Kitty litter works great. Just let it soak up, then use a broom & dustpan.

?

[Doug.]

I use a heavy towel or wood dust that I have lying around for that specific reason. I use RaceDeck flooring in my garage though so it just comes right up instantly with a shop rag.

Doug

[nukeproof5358]

saw dust works good too!

[spud]

Oil & grease removal from concrete

November 28, 2001

To remove grease and oil stains from new or old concrete, use this procedure.

Directions: (Do not apply in direct sun)

Use Shell Busey's Home Cleaning Formula.

Wet surface with Hot Water.

Straight from the bottle sprinkle cleaning formula over stained area and scrub in.

Lay a damp terry towel over entire stained area.

Lay a plastic sheet over stained area to ensure mixture doesn't evaporate. Tape into place with duct tape. (leave for at least 5 hours)

Remove plastic & towel; scrub and hose down the area.

Repeat if Necessary.

Caution: Wear rubber gloves and eye protection when doing this job.

[ttr125lerider]

GASOLINE... the best all around cleaner known to man.. i use it on oil spills all the time in my garagel. im not talking about a whole 5 gallon gas can.. just a bit, and it cleans it up just like new.

[spud]

GASOLINE... the best all around cleaner known to man.. i use it on oil spills all the time in my garagel. im not talking about a whole 5 gallon gas can.. just a bit, and it cleans it up just like new.

Ive heard gas is hard on concrete, something because concrete has a petroleum base to it, I use brake clean which is I bet really bad.

[bork]

gas fumes around a pilot light killed a friend of my wifes. She was cleaning a paint brush by her stove and fumes must have got sucked in . I rent warehouses and a transmission shop moved out . I shudder. Anyways he said he could get concrete clean . I said yea right ! its soaked in dude ! Anyways he mopped about ten gallons of mineral spirits and let it sit about 15 min. and mopped up and I was amazed !!! So now I pour a little on stains and lightly agitate wait a about 10 min and wipe up . Oil seems to float up. Dont know why. If you already tried a water based cleaner ( tide , simple green , etc..) The stain seems to get locked in and will not work very well with mineral spirits . My .02 ?

[viper77]

Not that this helps with your current problem. But, after spilling oil in my garage more times than I care to admit. Breaking down cardboard boxes you can get from any grocery store (for free), and putting them under your work makes for an easy cleanup. ?

[250Thumpher]

The best stuff I've ever used is Oil Eaters. Just use full concentration. Spray it on the oil, get a brush and do a quick scrub, and hose off with the hose. No more oil, doesn't leave a stain, and the oil eater doesnt stay on the driveway.

Even after hauling a buddies bike I got oil on my truck bed. I used a little bit of oil eaters on the bed, quick scrub, hose off and got the oil off and didnt damage the paint. Great stuff.