Oil on concrete . . .

I recently moved into a house with an enclosed garage, and the floor had a 3 x 6 foot patch of motor oil which apparently leaked onto the floor years ago. It is not totally hard, but more like the consistency of stiff dough. It will scrape up if I keep at it, but it would take many hours of back-breaking work to do this.

Any ideas how to get it up faster would be welcome.

Also how to get out the oil stain insofar as possible.

Reply to
Ray
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Any solvent based cleaner will let the oil go deeper into the concrete. If you have a power washer or high pressure on your garden hose, soak the area with Simple Green, engine degreaser (from an auto parts), or one of the citrus based cleaners. I'd let it soak overnight with plastic or a bucket over it to keep it from evaporating. Go after it the next day with water, scrub brush, stiff broom, putty knife, and more of the cleaner. This may be a good quitting point. If you want to try to get more of it, place dry Portland cement on it. Put it on heavy. It will absorb the oils. This is not a fast process and may need several repetitions.

Reply to
DanG

Thanks -- I'll give that a try. I don't want perfection, just hope to get that layer of gunk off the floor.

-- Ray

Reply to
Ray

First, cover the spot with kitty-litter. Let the litter sit for as long as necessary (stirring every day or so), until it soaks up as much of the oil as it can. Plan on several days.

This reduces your problem by a magnitude or so.

My cats prefer the "clumping" kind of litter.

Reply to
HeyBub

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