Oh No – You’ve Spotted An Oil Spill!

What To Do With Oil Spills

Oh no! You’re changing your car’s oil in your garage or driveway but you happened to accidentally spill some! What do you do? What DON’T you do??

Here’s a list to make sure your life and cleanliness are restored ASAP!

Absorb The Oil

The first thing you’ll want to do is absorb the oil that you spilled. A first reaction might be to use water to wash away the spill but DO NOT DO THIS. Water and oil do not mix together and it will end up spreading the oil out even more, increasing the size of your spill.

Instead, try and use kitty litter or sawdust to absorb the oil. Pour the contents over the spill and grind the litter into the oil with a brush. Let it sit for about 24 hours.

Once 24 hours has gone by, sweep up the kitty litter and dispose of properly. Check your local laws to see if you can dispose it in a separate container for your trash collection service, or deliver it to a landfill. (Remember oil can be flammable and hazardous in certain conditions!)

If you don’t have something to absorb the litter with you can use paper towels. Clean as much as you can by dabbing up and down, but DO NOT WIPE. Again, this will spread the oil around and make it more difficult to clean.

Removing The Stain

After getting the oil up you will notice that a small (or possibly large) stain may be left underneath where the oil was. At this point you will want to find some dish soap (or engine degreaser!) and squirt it on the stain. After pour hot water on top and scrub down, repeating as needed until the soap has been scrubbed into the concrete. Then, wait at least ten minutes for the soap to completely absorb the stain. Wipe and repeat the process as much as needed.

Bigger Spills

Bigger spills can be harder to handle. If something seems too big for you to clean, or you feel you need help with what do next, don’t hesitate to reach out on our website for general questions or call your local fire department for guidance.

Find more information at these sources:

https://www.garagetooled.com/cleaning/cleaning-oil-spills-garage-driveway/

http://www.wikihow.com/Clean-up-Oil-Spills-in-a-Garage