Cleaning Oil Stains!

Oil stains are almost inevitable on garage floors. Here are a few easy methods for soaking up these concrete blemishes.

There are good reasons for getting rid of oil on your garage floor. It not only looks messy, but the oil can get tracked into the house by you, your family members and pets. And if you're striving to create and maintain a healthy home, oil and its toxins are the last thing you want coating your floors, especially if you have small children.

Luckily, you can use these three everyday materials to soak up oil on your garage floor.

1. Kitty Litter
If you have unused kitty litter on hand, you're in luck. If you need to go out and buy some, even the cheapest brand will do.

To begin, cover the oil or oil stain with a heavy coating of litter. (How much depends on the amount of oil present.) A thick coating takes more; a slight sheen takes less.

Once there is enough material down to absorb the oil, do a dance on top of the area. That's right: Use the bottom of your sturdy shoes (not expensive Italian sandals; old sneakers are more like it!) to ground the litter into the floor.

When you're done, sweep up the litter. The oil stain just be gone -- or at least much more subtle.

2. Baking Soda
Is there anything this miracle product cannot do?

For oil stains, wet the area a little first, and then sprinkle it liberally with baking soda. Let it sit for a while while you get a pot of water up to a boil.

Being careful not to burn or scald yourself, pour some hot water onto the baking soda. Let it cool a little, and then scrub the area with a stiff bristle brush (not a wire brush, it will scratch the concrete). Repeat as necessary, and rinse until the oil stain is a dim memory.

3. Dawn Dishwashing Soap
Dawn dish soap is what many wildlife experts use to remove oil from birds and turtles who fall victim to disasters like the Gulf oil spill. That says a lot about its grease-cutting properties.

For your garage floor, wet the oiled area just a bit, squirt on some Dawn and use a stiff brush to work the soap into the floor. Rinse with water.

Truth be told, there are dozens of other tricks people try to remove oil from concrete. Here are a few:

• Some people swear by spraying WD-40 lubricant on the floor and then wiping it up.
• Many commercial chemical products are available.
• Oven cleaner is said to work. And this does make sense as grease is what oven cleaners clean best.
• Carburetor cleaner is a product said to remove stains after the oil is lifted.
• Carpet cleaner and hot water work for some.