What can you use to get deep oil stains off of a garage floorÇ

[eflat]

I would like to clean my garage but first I have to rid of those oil stains than have formed over the years.

Anything good to use? Paint thinner?

 

[NikolaeVarius]

Fire?

 

[Specop 007]

I personally like gas as a cleaner. Gas cleans about anything. You can also use diesel, that would be quite a bit safer if your worried about fire. Sawdust or kitty litter makes a good cleanup for that. Scrub with gas, put sawdust or kitty litter on to absorb it up.

Problem with diesel it it leaves a real slight residue behind that gas does not.

 

[RichardE]

paint over them? Seriously, they usually stain down pretty deeply unless it was sealed properly.

Specop gave best answer for getting rid of the surface stain though

 

[Capt Caveman]

TSP

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

Muriatic acid

 

[AlienCraft]

Originally posted by: tenshodo13
Fire?

:thumbsup: Chisel? perhaps.

 

[BudAshes]

Pee on it.

 

[alfa147x]

throw down some of that 91% isopropyl alcohol that you use to clean you CPU and light it, it will buff right out

 

[XZeroII]

Garden lime works great.

 

[Christobevii3]

How big of an area? Leaving engine degreaser on it for a few hours then washing it off works good too. Dry tide soap then scrubbed with a brush works great too. Add in a pressure washer aftewards or even a hose with a nozzled and you should be good. Worked on about 6 quarters of tranny fluid which is thinner than regular engine oil so yeah.

 

[Squisher]

Originally posted by: MagnusTheBrewer
Muriatic acid

This will probably work the best. Use with caution. If the concrete is sealed, it won't be after using Muriatic acid.

Pour and Restore is a good for small spills.

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

I've used muriatic acid to clean unsealed concrete kitchen floors after years of use. I can definitely recommend wearing rubber galoshes though. Seriously, it is a 3 day process. Let acid sit over night, scrub and hose off with plenty of water. Squeegee dry. Let dry overnight and seal the next day. Make sure there is good ventilation.

 

[Eeezee]

Toothbrush + your tongue?

 

[TonyB]

try bleach and windex

 

[imported_Baloo]

Start with the kitty litter or sawdust. Leave it for a day, sweep. I'd do that twice myself, since kitty litter is cheap. Engine degreaser is a good idea for the next application. I sure would not do gasoline, Gasoline vapors are very flammable. You want to clean the garage, not blow it up. Keep the door open while your using degreaser so you don't get flammable vapors building up. After degreasing, I'd do kitty litter immediately after, but you can just leave it there for a couple hours this time rather than overnite.. Also, a power washer could be very helpful. Use the kitty litter in between each application of solvent. Water counts as a solvent, since it is a solvent.

 

[imported_Baloo]

Originally posted by: TonyB
try bleach and windex

Ugh, DO NOT DO THIS. The ammonia in windex will combine with bleach and produce toxic vapors. Did you suggest this knowing it could kill someone? I sure hope not. Do not ever, and I mean DO NOT EVER, combine ammonia, or ammonia containing products and bleach.

 

[TonyG]

I have used B12 Chemtool before for this purpose, you can buy it at any auto store by the gallon can, but I think it is around $20-$25 per gallon if memory serves me, but it has been quite a while since I last bought it. Just kept soaking the spots and scrubbing them and it did a fairly good job.

 

[dquan97]

jackhammer works every time for me

 

[pstylesss]

Originally posted by: Baloo
Start with the kitty litter or sawdust. Leave it for a day, sweep. I'd do that twice myself, since kitty litter is cheap. Engine degreaser is a good idea for the next application. I sure would not do gasoline, Gasoline vapors are very flammable. You want to clean the garage, not blow it up. Keep the door open while your using degreaser so you don't get flammable vapors building up. After degreasing, I'd do kitty litter immediately after, but you can just leave it there for a couple hours this time rather than overnite.. Also, a power washer could be very helpful. Use the kitty litter in between each application of solvent. Water counts as a solvent, since it is a solvent.

This is exactly what you want to do.

 

[alkemyst]

Originally posted by: Baloo

Originally posted by: TonyB
try bleach and windex

Ugh, DO NOT DO THIS. The ammonia in windex will combine with bleach and produce toxic vapors. Did you suggest this knowing it could kill someone? I sure hope not. Do not ever, and I mean DO NOT EVER, combine ammonia, or ammonia containing products and bleach.

Chances are he did and is a freaking idiot telling someone else that may not know.

I'd recommend heading over to garagejournal.com and seeing what people really use.

 

[db]

Use any standard absorbent like drysorb and grind it in (to pulverize it) with your shoe; leave it to soak up, then sweep up and repeat until it goes away. Process may take days/weeks. A liquid like alcohol may help bring oil to the surface between applications of absorbent, but use precautions* b/c of flammability and/or breathing hazards.

*ie, provide adequate ventilation; store soiled absorbent outside in tight metal container/trashcan, etc. Do NOT mix chemicals.

 

[WHAMPOM]

A solvent to liquify the oil and an absorbent to remove it.