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Any substitute for Oil-Dri?

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Coloshaver

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Apr 4, 2011
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Northern Colorado
My years old 40lb bag is almost gone. Wally world used to carry it, but I can't seem to find it anywhere locally. ($30 shipping on a $30 bag is not an option :shocking:!!)

Do any of you know first hand how any of the "kitty litter" products compare?

Thanks,
 
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gungatim

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west mich
ayuh, walmart kitty litter. all I ever use...stay away from the clumping **** or the fancy stuff in plastic tubs...you can use lizard litter which is ground walnut shells but it's 5x what regular cat litter costs..
 
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Katodog

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Carol Stream Illinois
Most auto parts stores should have oil dry. We (O'Reilly) sell it, and I'm sure others do too. You can get a 40lb bag of Thrifty-Sorb from us for around 9 bucks. It's the same stuff we use in the warehouse to clean up oil spills, works just as well as anything else...including kitty litter.
 
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North Run Grader

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Swan Hills, Alberta
If you sprinkle sawdust on your concrete floor then sweep, the finer dust binds to the sawdust and you have cleaner floors. As to the original post, any auto parts store should have the bigger bags relatively cheap. They usually don't display it as they usually buy it by the pallet load.
 
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johninct

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I use newspaper. If any oil gets on my floor, I just use some old gas and a rag to clean it up.
 
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Schurkey

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The Seasonally Frozen Wastelands
I don't allow that **** in my garage.

Oil spills are removed with rags, then detergent (Simple Green, Castrol Purple, or whatever is on sale. Wipe up the detergent with rags. Pressure washer in the summer. The floor is twice as clean, with half the work of dancing on clay to mash it into absorbent powder.

No dust contaminating my work area, no dust contaminating my lungs. For real...look on the bag for warnings of lung disease.
 
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stimpy

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troy twshp IL
cheapest kitty litter I can find scented or not , but ocassionally the Ap store will have a broken bag cheaper in the back I will buy from them at cost .
 
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Bruce Amacker

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Cleveland, Ohio
Ditto on sawdust- I ran a truck shop for 25 years and used sawdust by the drum. It's free at the lumberyard. We never scrubbed the floors, it works so well.
 
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gordopost

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koditten

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Midland, Michigan
Dried peat moss is the best I've used. You can get it at most farm stores, its used as animal bedding. It is sold in the 1 foot cubes. It will last you your lifetime.

I like the fact that it repels water. If you have oil and antifreeze mixed, it will only absorb the oil.

I made a mistake and bought a 50 gallon drum of the stuff...I bought it 22 years ago and am only half way thru the drum.

Most auto parts stores sell something similar for much more money. Regardless, the small bag of the stuff they sell will absorb a huge amount of oil. It is worth it.
 
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brownsmustang

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SWMO
I've never found any kitty litter that did anything but make a mess bigger. Its no replacement for oildry. And I really like pig mat as well. Expensive but worth every penny.

Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk
 
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Kev442

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Wi
I've used cat litter and sawdust. My current favorite is the 10 gallons of planer shavings I saved. When I think of the 200 gallons I burned after seeing it works so well, I get a bit depressed. Price: $0.
 
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greasyfingers01

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I use pig mat and a piece of coroplast when I'm working on something I know is going to leak/drip and small spills. I also keep a 5 gallon bucket of oil dry with a scoop incase of a large spill so I can make a containment dam.

Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk
 
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Da Bull

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Niagara Region,Ontario,Canada
I use these at work. No more sweeping up. I hate all those little particles all over the place! Lay them down and pick them up.

https://www.grainger.com/product/OIL-DRI-Absorbent-Pad-WP116455/_/N-l9k?s_pp=false&picUrl=//static.grainger.com/rp/s/is/image/Grainger/1HEH7_AS01?$smthumb$
 
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zoomzoomjeff

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owenst7

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Re: I've always used shredded flannel underwear. Works Great!

gordopost said:
Why does everyone want to come up with a clever substitute when there is a dirt cheap (excuse the pun) product that is specifically designed to clean up oil spills, and is readily available? Only Jaguars use kitty litter.
Click to expand...

The few times I tried a bag of oil dry, it didn't work worth a **** compared to the clay tidy cats I've been using all my life.

Currently have a product called stardust from Fastenal that works really well. If I had a good source of sawdust, that's my personal favorite that I've used because it doesn't really smear or stain your shoes.
 
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CJDave

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Fairfield, Ohio
When I was on road patrol the police department used ground up corn cobs. We carried gallon jugs of it in the trunks of the patrol cars and re-filled the jugs at the station when needed. I think 40 or 50 pound bags were bought at Tractor Supply Company. Obviously cheap as that is why the city bought it. Worked well also. CJDave.
 
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sberry

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Brethren, Michigan
I am going to try the peat as Kirk mentioned. I havnt thought of it in the store. I use both sawdust and floor dry. I like the dry to clean up the stain but to clean something out what works super is sawdust and push it around with a broom. Oil in a bucket or pan, can push it around and cleans it right up, we toss it in the stove.
I recently cleaned a steel fuel tank, was super slimy and didn't want the grit of floor dry. I put sawdust in it, reached in with a stick and stirred it all around and sucked it out with vac. Made some tools to work thru the hole and got it super clean.
 
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lynnbilodeau

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Jun 4, 2013
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Oklahoma
I agree with this.

Used them side by side once just to see the diff. I EXPECTED the oil dry to outperform the kitty litter. It turned out the other way around.
 
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Empty Pockets

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Rural New York
I try hard not to spill or leak. when that fails, it's down to the cellar, and get some of the sawdust that is always under the table saw, in the dust collector. Never an issue
 
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madison069

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Monroeville, PA
Curious, when you use your kitty litter or whatever, do you just dump it back in the mix and stir it up to be reused again later?

I currently have a mop bucket of kitty litter that's wide enough for my dust pan full of kitty litter. I take the mop bucket and spread the litter over the oil/antifreeze spill and push it around to cover the mess. I wait either an hour or overnight if I'm not in a hurry. Then I sweep it all up and dump it back into my bucket and it's ready for the next time. I'm currently on my same bag of kitty litter for the past 6 years and I use it 20-30 times a year.

I feel like by reusing the litter I'm doing my part in keeping the land fill low of contaminated litter. I take oil that I was able to catch to recycle center and anti-freeze to the recycle center too. But unfortunately I do miss some of the oil/antifreeze.
 
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CoogarXR

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Ohio
I do use sawdust when I produce some, but I don't do wood working that often. So I have a bag of Dollar General kitty litter for the rest of the time. When I sweep it up, I put it in a bucket and re-use it a couple times.
 
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QwikKotaTx

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Seabrook, TX
I mainly use leftover sections of cardboard from boxes to work on top of under my cars. Those absorb all of the small drips or smears. If I really make a mess I use kitty litter but it does not work all that well on rough concrete. Might pick up some oil dri after my bag is done.
 
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Grimmy

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Feb 9, 2012
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Location
Schuylkill County PA
I use coal ash, works very well! Have 13 over the road tri-axles and 20 some pieces of equipment. We have our share of spills. Coal ash clumps when put on oil, and absorbs diesel fuel to dry concrete. Save 2 ash tubs a day just for clean ups.
 
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James E

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Jun 21, 2010
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Raleigh, NC
Kitty litter--the cheapest, unscented, clay-based stuff. For particularly bad or old spills, I grind it into the concrete with my foot, leave it overnight and when I sweep it up, the stain is gone.
 
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