Oil Stains in Concrete?

[cadfaeltex]

Have a couple of stains in the concrete of my car port. One is ATF from where I changed out my Power Steering Pump and the other is oil where it seeped out of my power extractor. Is there a locally available product to clean it up?

I had looked at this http://www.griotsgarage.com/product/concrete+cleaner.do?sortby=ourPicks;

However, I'd rather not spend that much if I can get something locally or is cheaper.

 

[oliveoil]

Old time kitty litter, grind it in with your foot and sweep it up. Been using it since the 70's.

 

[bluestream]

If it has soaked into the concrete nothing will take it out. You could rent a floor sander if you really want it gone. Dusty job and it takes a while but it will work

 

[aquariuscsm]

Bleach will work also.

 

[HTSS_TR]

Some drops of dish washing liquid for few minutes than hose it off.

 

[yonyon]

The yellow powdered "concrete floor cleaner" from an auto parts store should work if you're okay with a caustic. You sprinkle it on lightly, then give it some water and let it sit for a few minutes. Instead of oil soaked into the concrete it'll be soap soaked into the concrete. Rinse away with lots of water. Do not use on blacktop or painted surfaces.

 

[yonyon]

Some lye should do the same thing if you have it but is much stronger. If you go that route DO NOT let it touch your skin.

 

[beaker60]

Ok,,,I'm not trying to sell ANYTHING,,,just a recommendation.Here in Ga,,there is a company called Hollander Chemicals,,they sell a lot of different products,,[censored],,they even sell racing fuel,,,anyway,they have a product called B52,,it is a very strong cleaner,sorta like Castrols Purple Power,,only about 100x's stronger.It's a very smelly cleaner,,but I have used that on my driveway,which is asphalt,,and car port which is cement.I use it full strength out of a large sprayer,,it WILL remove the stains with very little effort.Spray it on,let it soak,scrub it with a stiff push broom,,and hose it off,,NOW,,if you have a pressure washer,,,even better,,but I get the stains out with just a hose and house water pressure.I tryed posting the website but for some reason,my computer is not letting me do that,,but all you have to do,is Google,,,Hollander Chemical,,and it should bring up the site.I use a lot of their other products as well,,but the B52 will work wonders on your driveway.

 

[cadfaeltex]

It's Army Housing so I want it to look decent (at least when I check out). One big problem is that I'm not sure I can get a hose across to it, it's across the alley and not right across from our house. That was the advantage of the Griot's stuff is that it was set it down, let if work, then sweep it up.

 

[Merkava_4]

Lacquer thinner - nothing penetrates the concrete and breaks up the oil like lacquer thinner. You
pour it directly on the oil stain and then suck it up with the driest all cotton towel you can find.

 

[ludey]

Simple green and brake cleaner if the stain isn't too huge. Even a pumice stick from the local .99cent store will work.

 

[Virtuoso]

Originally Posted By: oliveoil
Old time kitty litter, grind it in with your foot and sweep it up. Been using it since the 70's.


+1 Cheap and no chemicals. This is what I do when I have a spill that's big enough to care about. I buy a bag at Dollar General, good to go.

Cleaned up a huge mess when I removed the wrong plug for a transmission fluid swap. Over a gallon of fluid on the driveway

Can't tell where it was now.

 

[AdRock]

I usually use kitty litter ground in as stated above. Then I'll put some non pumice GoJo on it, rub it in, and let it sit for a little while. Then rinse well with high pressure water.

 

[Robenstein]

I wipe up as much as I can, then when its lightly raining I put powdered laundry detergent on the small spots. Seem to pull it out fine. Let nature do the hard work. I have also used dish soap with some luck. Of course this only works on driveways.

 

[gizzsdad]

I have used Pour-N-Restore with astonishing success. I got it from our local hardware store, though he had to order it for me. After I saw how well it worked, I challenged him to come to my house and find any semblance of the former stains. He couldn't.

http://tinyurl.com/7gla3ju

Though I did not write the Lowe's review - if I had, it would have been similar.