Finally got round to doing the oil-change on the Almera that I've been putting off for weeks (months!). Only problem is that just as the last few dribbles emerged from the sump, a gust of wind sprayed oil all over the parking area outside my house (and all over me, as I was under the car).
Anyone got any tips to remove dirty black oil from concrete? All ideas gratefully received!
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scrub it with a thick concnetration of washing up liquid and water, leave for an hour and then attack with a pressure washer.
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< Ex RF, Ex TVM >
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Cement powder is good at soaking it up as well.
If you are going to try a combination of this and Altea's suggestion then make sure all cement powder is gone first.
I learnt this from my missus who soaks grease stains on clothes with talcum powder - that works as well. Not sure why I needed to add that bit but - there ya go.
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Jizer is the stuff - made by the makers of Swarfega. Pour on the oil patch, leave to soak then scrub with a stiff brush. Finally rinse off with water.
Very effective.
659.
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Degreaser (Jizer, Gunk, paste of washing-powder, liquid detergent)... and a scrubbing brush. You will have to scrub the lot, else the clean patch will attract attention! May be quicker using a high-pressure jet washer.
I don't know whether petrol and a blast from an air line would work - it does for clothes, though (thick pad on reverse side, apply petrol, blow through into pad using air jet). Obviously it wouldn't work in quite the same way!
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I have used Fairy Liquid with good results. Pour over stain(s), rub in with finger tip and just wait for the rain to wash it all away. If stain is stubborn, just repeat the process.
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Jizer or Gunk will do the job but don't use either of them on tarmac or it will break it up (or down depending on which way you look at it!!)
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Bentonite clay (kitty litter) is good for soaking up oil. When I spilt a over a litre of thick black oil all over the drive, it worked a treat. Crush the kitty litter in to a fine powder, sprinkle, scrub and sweep it all up. You'll be left with some powder on the concrete for a while but in my case the powder was the same colour as the concrete so it was only noticable if you were looking. A couple of months of weathering and there's not a trace of oil or powder there now.
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as above.... bentonite clay works really well. i poured it in a pile and crushed it in under foot.
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My cheap way.
cement powder on concrete stains (when dry). Remove after 24 hours - some oil absorbed. replace.
KAfter 2-3 days, brush of all powder and then use garage cleaner with a stiff brush. Leave for 2-3 hours. Remove with LOTS of water. Then add cement powder when dry and leave.
and leave and leave. Brush off after 2-3 weeks (if it rains it will either have washed away or set .. but you can easily brake it with a hard boot/soft hammer.)
Cement powder absorbs and covers up stains.. (not mortar mix...!)
madf
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washing up powder i.e stuff you put in your washing machine
cover the area well so it can soak up the oil, leave overnight, spray off with hose
this has been covered on here before..my dog knocked over a bowl of sump oil, i was advised to do the above and it worked a treat
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I went down the washing-up liquid route in the end, made a sort of paste of washing-up liquid and cillit bang and scrubbed with a hard brush. Has removed 90% of the marks, but I'll drizzle a bit of washing powder over it tonight to get the rest off. Thanks for all ideas!
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Probably a bit late now, but don't overdo it. We've got a conspicuously clean patch on our path that had been an oil spill...
A few years ago, I fell into the same trap by borrowing a particularly powerful pressure washer that blasted some concrete slabs so hard that it completely altered their texture. Got the oil off, though.
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If you want to go organic you could try putting poo on it. Apparently it has enzymes that can even dissolve tar!
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I've tried all sorts over the years - washing up liquid, gunk, pressure washer etc.
As westpig said - washing up powder works the best, make sure its a biological one. Sprinkle a load on and leave to soak. If you don't get any rain damp it down with some water. After a few days it will remove all traces. Works well on concrete and block paviers.
If you have spilt a large amount and need to soak it up before cleaning then cat litter or cement works well. Lyden race track uses cement when they have an oil spill.
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Pour some petrol on, it will lift the oil and soak up with rag. 'No Smoking' though whilst playing with petrol! Brake cleaner will also lift the worst.
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Fullchat
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