Oil spill cleanup

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Nov 9, 2008
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So last month was the debacle with the Tundra spilling oil all over the concrete garage floor--this weekend was the Camry's turn. I failed to seat the o-ring properly in the canister, immediately drove outside, let it idle while filling out the log book--then got out to find the expanding puddle. :mad: I've only done this like a hundred times, how can it possible go sideways? Geez. Mopped up what I could, finally got a brush today and hit it with some Dawn to see what would lift. Is that what most others do?

I initially tried to use some brake cleaner on it, but that didn't seem to be doing the job... I noticed that brake cleaner seems to have changed lately in formulation. Last oil spill, on the concrete, cleaned up real well with some brake cleaner. This time the Walmart stuff seemed to not touch it.

To top it off, the 4 year old Everstart had a huge green blob on top of it, so I just pulled a bit more forward and hit it with the baking soda. That managed to leave a huge brown stain in the driveway (?). I think that is scrubbing out though.

I keep this up and the wife isn't going to let me work on the cars any more...
 
Clay cat litter, then dance on it...

Seriously...

Grind the clay into the concrete with your feet, then sweep up...
 
I'll try that next. Dawn didn't really touch it.

The rust stain didn't come out either, that's a bummer. Maybe the baking soda lifted some rust, and then when the water dried off, the rust was left behind.
 
Rust is best remove with an acid like CLR. Oil need a concrete degrease like purple power . Home depot or Lowe's carry both. Kitty litter is awesome for picking up and absorbing oil and other fluids. It may take a few times but it will come up. A pressure washer helps too
 
Brake parts cleaner can come in a few different types, the chlorinated ones I stay away from because of the chemicals involved. Methylene chloride in particular can turn into phosgene in the presence of heat, and is widely considered to be carcinogenic. I find the chlorinated ones don't work that well at removing grease and oils.

The non-chlorinated ones typically use some combination of solvents you're probably more familiar with-- acetone, naptha, MEK, toluene, etc. While not exactly non-toxic, I trust these more than I do the chlorinated stuff, and they're excellent at removing oil and grease. Not available in some states because of the level of VOCs.

So it's likely you may have come across a neutered form of "brake cleaner" as state regulations permitting their use is constantly changing and not for the better.
 
I'm sure you've already got preventative measures in mind, but the next time you order something large from Amazon, keep the box and use it during and after an oil change to sop up any excess. Costs nothing and adds no height to the ground and you can just throw it away once you're done with it.
 
I'm sure you've already got preventative measures in mind, but the next time you order something large from Amazon, keep the box and use it during and after an oil change to sop up any excess. Costs nothing and adds no height to the ground and you can just throw it away once you're done with it.
I do that. Pizza boxes work great for this.

Problem was, I wasn't expecting anything, so I had driven several feet forward, so as to not have a running car in the garage. :cry: Most of the oil in the garage was from me pulling off a glove and getting splatter all over--not sure how, but I managed.
 
I usually manage to slop some oil on the driveway when doing an oil change. I spray full strength Purple Power on the oil stain and leave it. It's gone after the next rain.
 
This stuff works pretty well. Available at Walmart/HomeDepot/Lowes.
 

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Didn’t see anyone mention coffee grounds that is what I use usually except at work where we have oil dry but for home I just use coffee grounds it also helps with the smell too. Also a brake cleaner that will clean it most likely is the 3M brand I use that stuff to clean everything it’s amazing it’s still the good stuff the only place I can find it is Napa but believe me it’s worth the $6 me and my dad went in together on a case of it so we have a lot now in case they change the formula.
 
I keep a bag of oil absorbent around. If you use a lot of it, you can reuse it. I just sweep it up with a dustpan and pour it into a bucket when I'm done.

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Cheap powdered laundry detergent does a good job too. But you need to let it sit for a week or more.
 
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