Riddler
New member
Curious if there is consensus about how to best spot clean oil and grease from bare concrete floors. Suggestions on both methodology and products would be much appreciated.
Your "go to" floor clean up
- Thread starter Riddler
- Start date
couch67
Well-known member
Rags / cat litter to get up the surface oil. Spray brake cleaner which wicks out the oil under the surface. works for me.
Bryan Burns
Well-known member
Paint thinner and steel wool.
Jeepster04
Well-known member
- Joined
- Jun 25, 2013
- Messages
- 3,097
Just dont spray brake cleaner on it if its been sealed. Parents bought a house and we sprayed some brake clean on the floor not realizing it had been sealed... Made a sticky mess.
I normally just use paper towels. Rarely ever have enough oil on the ground to amount to anything. Not worried about stains.
I normally just use paper towels. Rarely ever have enough oil on the ground to amount to anything. Not worried about stains.
PWC Repair
Well-known member
Another here for brake cleaner. I like the non flammable stuff in the red can. Spot it, let it sit about 30 seconds, wipe up with a paper towel. Just literally did a few spots after some major maintenance on our Nissan.
JRC3
Well-known member
+1 for brake cleaner. CRC to be specific...Not that cheap stuff like FVP. The two ae night and day difference for cleaning oil off concrete.
Lucid Moments
Well-known member
Oil dry to get up major spills then follow up with lots of water and simple green. Scrub with stiff bristled broom or scrub brush then squeegee out the garage door.
Soak up if necessary with newspaper. Then I use used old gas from something with a paper towel or brake cleaner. My friend worked in a Motor Home dealership. Any grease or oil had to be cleaned up asap with brake cleaner to avoid grease on a new motor home rug.
Honolulu
Member
I'm considering a better finish on a decades-old two-car (about 18'x18') concrete floor whose texture varies from near-smooth to rough broom surface. My wife's diesel had a tendency to mark it's territory... diesel lube gets really black.
At best the product would bring up oil soaked into the surface, sufficient that a coating would not lift or bubble. I'm not myself fond of tiles. I have a pressure washer and anticipate some grinding. The floor has a slight slope to the street immediately at one edge.
What type of products (other than tiles, thanks) would work best?
At best the product would bring up oil soaked into the surface, sufficient that a coating would not lift or bubble. I'm not myself fond of tiles. I have a pressure washer and anticipate some grinding. The floor has a slight slope to the street immediately at one edge.
What type of products (other than tiles, thanks) would work best?
Thanks for the ideas.
I'm dealing with a new, smooth (hand troweled) surface that has been "sealed" with a densifier followed by a penetrating sealer (Ghostshield Siloxa-Tek 8510). Trying to figure out what I should stock up on. Sounds like grease sweep and brake cleaner for sure.
In the old days (1960's literally), my dad used kerosene to clean the floor at his service station. Curious if anyone still does that?
I'm dealing with a new, smooth (hand troweled) surface that has been "sealed" with a densifier followed by a penetrating sealer (Ghostshield Siloxa-Tek 8510). Trying to figure out what I should stock up on. Sounds like grease sweep and brake cleaner for sure.
In the old days (1960's literally), my dad used kerosene to clean the floor at his service station. Curious if anyone still does that?
crewchief888
Well-known member
i'm in the mineral spirits/scrub with a stiff broom, and completely covered in oil dry.
or hot water pressure washer and degreaser. its what you use at the shop to clean up massive spills
I tried this and found it works very well on oil spills.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01D3G8I0G/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Be careful of using cat litter if you are cleaning up liquids. I had a bigger mess because of the clumping type litter.
Kevin
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01D3G8I0G/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Be careful of using cat litter if you are cleaning up liquids. I had a bigger mess because of the clumping type litter.
Kevin
My Old Tools
Well-known member
cat litter or sawdust and forget about it. Too busy to make it shine.
MarlynOC
Well-known member
You can only get the surface oil off. Once it migrates into the concrete it will have to actually keep going through the 'spongy" concrete.
Muckin_Slusher
Well-known member
I grouted my shower with "dirt" colored grout for the same reason I just let my entire garage floor get oil stained.
If it's all the same then it's not stained (or dirty). It's the old fashioned (and easiest) way to live. Old timers used to spray down their wooden sided houses with used motor oil. Win-win.
If it's all the same then it's not stained (or dirty). It's the old fashioned (and easiest) way to live. Old timers used to spray down their wooden sided houses with used motor oil. Win-win.
dylanmitchell
Well-known member
Let cat litter or sawdust soak up overnight, try 1 part to 4 or 6 parts simple green, if that doesn't work carburetor cleaner or brake cleaner. Pressure washer if outside or area that can get wet.
For a working shop plain old dry powdery dirt works as good as anything + it's cheap.
Here's a Tip: Works great with floor-dry or dirt. For small spots use your foot to grind it in like your crushing out a cigarette .Sweep it up. You're done Cleans it up instantly. Try it ,you'll like it. +1 on Newspaper. Best thing I've found for anti-freeze. Use plenty and leave it overnight works best
Here's a Tip: Works great with floor-dry or dirt. For small spots use your foot to grind it in like your crushing out a cigarette .Sweep it up. You're done Cleans it up instantly. Try it ,you'll like it.
+1 on Newspaper. Best thing I've found for anti-freeze. Use plenty and leave it overnight works best