Easy Tips To Clean Engine Oil Spills

Oil spills are dangerous. Spills in large seas or oceans take a toll on marine life. They kill aquatic fauna and flora. When oil spills happen on land, they damage the wildlife and habitat. Plus, the toxic substances released from the oil negatively impact the environment. 

While we criticize and condemn large-scale oil spills happening once in a while, we tend to turn a blind eye to the oil spills that happen in our home. 

Check under your car. You may find oil stains. While the amount of engine oil spilling from your vehicle is negligible, it is equally dangerous. The toxins released from the oil can affect your health. 

So, to maintain your health and a clean garage floor, cleaning oil spills effectively is necessary. But how to do it? Let us tell you. 

Here is the step-by-step process to clean engine oil spills. 

Step 1: Absorb the stain

The first thing you should do after spotting an oil spill is absorbing as much oil as possible. Use an effective sorbent for the purpose. 

Here’s how you can soak up the oil.

• Use a commercial oil-absorbing filtration fabric or sprinkle coconut husks, sawdust, or clay kitty litter over the stain. If you have nothing of these, put paper towels on the stain. However, they won’t be as effective.
• Let the sorbent sit on the stain for at least 24 to 48 hours. The sorbents will draw all the oil.
• Remove the sorbent and sweep up the debris. If you still find oil, use a fresh sorbent to absorb the remaining oil.

Step 2: Saturate the stain

Cleaning the oil stain is a little difficult. However, a few hacks always work. 

Here’s how you can saturate and clean the oil stain.

• Use water and liquid dish soap to clean the area.
• Use dry laundry detergent.
• Use Coca-cola. While the phosphorus will absorb the grease from the stain, it will leave behind a colored stain. However, cleaning the colored stain is easy. Use dry cleansers or baking soda for this purpose.
• Use your DIY cleaner made from acetone, mineral spirits, and lacquer thinner, and any of the oil absorbent.

Once you have got the cleaning solution ready, pour it over the stain and let it stay for at least one hour. The cleaner will cut the grease, and the stain will break up. 

Step 3: Scrub the stain

After an hour, scrub the area with a wire brush. Scrubbing the affected area will allow the cleaning solution to seep in the concrete and remove the stain. 

Before you start scrubbing, pour some more cleaning solution and water and work in a circular motion over the stain. Keep scrubbing until the stain comes off. 

After scrubbing, rinse the area thoroughly with water. Use a pressure washer for this purpose. Let the concrete dry. 

Reach out to professionals

As already said, removing oil from concrete can be tough. If these steps don’t work for you, call professionals for help. Professional cleaning services come equipped with special cleaners and cleaning tools that effectively clean even the toughest oil spill stains. They use expert cleaning techniques to remove the stain from your garage floor and make it clean at nominal charges. 

The bottom line

The oil contains many harmful toxins which disperse in the environment the moment oil is spilled. The oil spilled in your garage can be equally dangerous for your health. So, get the oil spill cleaned the moment you spot it. 

Lastly, make sure you take quick action. If you wait for too long, the stain will become permanent; hence, impossible to remove.