[davids_123]

So my garage has begun accumulating some oil spill residue over the years, and I'm trying to figure out how to clean it up. At least one friend of mine insists I need to buy professional products - he swears by something called SpillFix for cleaning up his garage. I'm not sure I need to buy a professional cleaning product and am wondering what other tricks people have used to clean up oil spills in their garages. Thoughts? Tips? Please help!

[Fr_Chuck]

If the oil has been on the concrete for years, normally there is nothing that is going to get it up. Unless the floor is sealed very good, it has soaked into the porous nature of the concrete

[crigby]

Hi,
Buy some Oil-Dri or similar shop product for picking up oil to get the excess. After leaving it for some hours to remove that excess, sweep it up and discard safely. Reapply some more and wet it with gasoline. Then grind it into the concrete with your feet. Let dry and sweep up. You will end up with a spot that is likely whiter than the rest of your concrete. Of course, be careful about sparks and flames around the gas vapors; they are even more prevalent poured onto the Oil-Dri since it helps them evaporate.
The sealing of the surface is a great idea once cleaned.
Peace,
Clarke

[davids_123]

Thanks guys. I'll see if that process cleans up the old stains. I did end up trying my friend's SpillFix on some fresher leaks and actually thought it worked really well, so if I can get the old ones cleaned up I'll have a perfect combo on my hands! :)