The auto parts store oil absorbent is basically baked kitty litter. You
can use either, though the professional oil absorbent will crush easier
when grinding it into the spill. But also get a big bag of ground peat
moss. Use this the next time to absorb the initial spill. The peat moss
is will absorb oil quickly and completely, minimizing the amount that
soaks into the concrete in the first place. If you can't find ground
peat, just use the regular, though the twigs and roots will be a little
lumpy.

The Reverend Natural Light wrote:
I second this method.

Forget kitty litter. It's for cats. Keep a bag of auto parts store
style oil absorbant around for this kind of thing.

Pour on some oil absorbant. Grind it in with your shoe for a while.
Sweep up. Repeat if necessary to pick up the oil.

Pour a little paint thinner on - just enough to cover the stain. Wait
a minute or two. Pour on more fresh oil absorbant. Grind it in with
your shoe for a while. Sweep up.

This has worked 100% for every concrete oil stain I've ever
encountered.

As Eric says, this is a potential fire hazard. Don't do something
stupid like try it next to a gas water heater or furnace. The vapors
will ignite. They're also poisonous in concentration.

-rev



wrote:

In article ,
Pdk Pdk wrote:

Yesterday I spilled half a can of automobile oil on the unpainted
concrete floor in my basement. After using rags to sop up most of the
stuff, any ideas how to get up the rest? Will it eventually dry?
It's in a place where I can't really walk around it all the time, but
don't want to be tracking oil through the house. Thanks.


Get a bag of good quality oil-absorbent (kitty litter might work, if
it is the clay-based variety; there are other products specifically
for shop cleanup that will work even better) and a quart of mineral spirts.

Cover the oil stain with the absorbent, wait an hour or so, sweep it
up. Then pour about a cup or so of the mineral spirits over the
remaining stain, and scrub it a few minutes with a stiff bristle
brush, broom or a wire brush. Cover it again with fresh absorbent and
let it sit several hours or overnight. When it is swept up the next
time the stain will likely be gone.



le
--
Make it as simple as possible, but no simpler.

Larry Wasserman - Baltimore Maryland -