Oil spill clean up

Joined
Dec 29, 2019
Messages
9
Location
Detroit, MI
Not sure if this is the correct area, but here goes. I changed the oil on my parents vehicle a few days ago. Unfortunately the oil drain plug fell right in the drain hole of the used oil container that I was using, causing it to overflow. I had a piece of cardboard under the container as well, but it still spilled over and onto the garage floor. I used oil dry to get as much off the floor as possible.

So my question is, what is the best way to get rid of most (if not all) the oil that has stained the cement? So far I've used some dish detergent and scrubbing. Helped a little, but have a ways to go getting it clean.

Any help would be appreciated.
 
I use full strength Purple Power for spills during oil changes in the driveway. I spray it on and leave it, the next rain rinses it all away.
 
Simple green works well. There will always be some sort of stain if its unsealedl concrete. I cleaned and pressure washed my garage floor, it had stains from the carbon, no matter what i did. But the floor coating adhered nicely. Even with the oil gone, the carbon from the used oil will leave a stain.

One member here has suggested wood ashes, i've never tried that, you have nothing to lose.
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted by Polyalphaolefin
I use brake cleaner spray

That is what I resorted to recently. Opened the door and all the windows and tried to be upstream of it, made sure to wear gloves. Lay down a stream and immediately wipe up with paper towels. Small section at a time. Seemed to do the trick--I suspect it'll never been completely clean, but who cares, it's a garage.
 
I'm getting where those double wall drain pans annoy me … either something like what happened to you … or they splatter oil all over … Finally found and open top big enough and still has a filter landing …

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For oil that's soaked into cement, I've used Krud Kutter with great success. I scrub it in a little, keep it wet for a few minutes and then hose it off. It's non-toxic and biodegradable. Probably the best de-greaser I've ever used.
 
AutoZone sells a super concentrated degreaser that it claims is for driveway cleaning. It smells just like purple power, sure felt more powerful though. Not sure if it was just my imagination and them doing a vertical with purple power (just renaming the same product for a specific use) or what.
 
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