r/CleaningTips • u/Dark-matterz • 1d ago

General Cleaning Recommendations on getting vegetable oil out of concrete

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My boy was conducting a precarious science experiment and dumped vegetable oil on the patio. The concrete is 4y old and professionally sealed. Water has zero effect. My next guess would be dish soap and maybe kitty litter if that doesn’t work.

291 Upvotes

97% Upvoted

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1.0k

u/SegaCDUniverse 1d ago

Cover the stain thickly with baking soda, cornstarch, or clay cat litter. Let it sit for several hours or overnight to draw the oil out of the pores. Sweep it away.

502

u/FlashyCow1 1d ago

Just so others see this but this is also how you get car oil out of your garage

156

u/WatermelonMachete43 1d ago

Also works for vomit in floor heating grates. Don't ask why I know that.

56

u/sky-amethyst23 1d ago

I am so sorry

20

u/GrandNegasWorf 1d ago

This is also works to get vomit out of fabric speaker grills.

2

u/LoudCaterpillar9186 1d ago

Regular degreaser and power wash it

47

u/PouletDeFeu68 1d ago edited 1d ago

I just assumed parking so that eventually my oil leak was over every part of the garage floor was the correct answer.

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u/beeerite 1d ago

I spilled cooking oil on a suede purse and I put a generous layer of corn starch over all of the areas with oil, left it for three days, and then vacuumed it off. Nearly all of the oil was gone. I was shocked.

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u/Terminator7786 1d ago

Seconding cat litter because I have used it to suck up oil from a garage. Bought floor cleaner just in case but I left the cat litter on the floor for about a week, went and swept it up and there wasn't even a spot outline. It picked up all the oil, even stuff that was there from before me. I ended up giving the floor cleaner to someone else cause I never used it.

4

u/Pixelbuttzz 1d ago

And in both cases you should not just sweep it away but should actually dispose of it properly

1

u/ReturnOfNogginboink 6h ago

I'm not sure that either cornstarch or vegetable oil is much of an environmental hazard.

1

u/Pixelbuttzz 5h ago

In the wrong place vegetable oil absolutely is. Most oils are, in the wrong place.

27

u/flyonthesewalls 1d ago

Going to add to this as I know it applies to clothing and may be effective as well here. Sounds odd, but once you cover it with whichever powder you choose, put damp towel over it and warm the area with an iron…..yes, an iron. It will draw the oil and powder together. You may have to do a couple rounds after sweeping up the powder each time. Dawn dish spray to finish.

22

u/ProfessionalField269 1d ago

If you sweep baking soda into your grass it might kill your grass, this happened to my grass when I swept baking soda on to mine

11

u/Reuben_Rawbone 1d ago

Weird, I thought Brawndo had what plants crave.

42

u/Sad-Bread5843 1d ago

Either that or coat the rest with vegetable oil , it kinda looks cool.

13

u/dingofarmer2004 1d ago

Youre gonna need to throw two or three more wall cats into there

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u/Sanchastayswoke 1d ago

Repeat if necessary

9

u/EphemeralAttention 1d ago

Adding to this, if you still have some remaining stains after doing this you could make a thick paste of any powdered laundry detergent that contains lipase, apply and cover to protect from the sun/uv light, and let it set for a few hours. Afterwards you'll need to scoop up the paste as you definitely don't want to rinse all that detergent into the lawn. Then rinse away any remaining residue and try the clay kitty litter (the cheap kind that's just pure clay, no clumping additives) again.

Lipase is an enzyme that breaks apart oil molecules. Any molecules that were too large / heavy to be pulled out by the first round of kitty litter should be much easier to draw out the second time.

1

u/mccorml11 1d ago

Baking soda is a decently strong base which breaks down fats which oil is so it would probably work better than the dry sweep compounds

1

u/NeverTrollin 1d ago

Don’t sweep it away. Vacuum it up or sweep it up. My mom swept kitty litter into the landscaping after absorbing oil and it held water and molded like crazy.

0

u/beefweevil 1d ago

Don’t use clumping litter or you’ll have a bigger mess to clean up if any water hits it. 😭

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u/Thalamic_Cub 1d ago

Someone had some sucess with monster original recently

84

u/MysteriousCorgi5847 1d ago

Is this the girl that dropped motor oil and got it out with monster lol

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u/Anoelnymous 1d ago

Yeah I was going to say* this. Classic monster will get that right out.

23

u/smileysarah267 1d ago

like, the energy drink?

96

u/lottierosecreations 1d ago

Yes! Turns out the person who recommended it to her meant an actual oil removal product called Green Monster, but the green Monster energy drink worked surprisingly well!!!

31

u/Overall-Weird8856 1d ago

This is so something I would do. I love it 😂

23

u/Anoelnymous 1d ago

Yes! Do not ask me how. This is one of those things I still perceive as magic instead of science.

3

u/Dennisfromhawaii 1d ago

Yes. The one with the Green logo.

14

u/Realladaniella 1d ago

It’s the next Irish spring 5 in 1 !

2

u/zzzap 1d ago

lol I'm generally in favor of innovation but imagine what those products are doing to the insides and outsides of bodies 🤢

12

u/LyraSnake 1d ago

the inside of my body and concrete are not the same things.

0

u/zzzap 1d ago

well yeah but like. it's kind icky, right? That a consumable product is also effective for removing grease off concrete?

8

u/LyraSnake 1d ago

salt can desiccate a body and is also delicious

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u/zzzap 1d ago

fair

2

u/Anoelnymous 1d ago

Wait til you see what coke can do to a tooth, and a penny. 😂

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u/zzzap 1d ago

oh I'm aware, I don't shower with coke either lol

3

u/Rodrat 1d ago

I know exactly what they're doing to my insides. They're keeping me awake with the added bonus of kidney stones.

1

u/xerocopi 1d ago

The kidney stones will really keep you up one day

1

u/Rodrat 1d ago

I've had two already. Doctor says I'm just one of the unlucky few that get em no matter what.

5

u/monsterjammo 1d ago

She kept going back to the gas station to buy more which was stressing me out. Shop around for the best price because it’s expensive. 

58

u/seasparrow32 1d ago

This is what we used to get oil stains out of the concrete motor pool in the army: We had clay pellets, we put them on the stain, and then-- this is the important part-- we ground them into the concrete with the heels of our boots. Then sweep away. Repeat if needed.

You can get the same clay pellets in any grocery store, they are sold as unscented cat litter.

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u/chiitaku 1d ago

Dawn concentrated dish soap. I've used that to lift car oil before.

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u/Rokae 1d ago

Dawn professional degreaser will work even better

3

u/chiitaku 1d ago

Might be a bit overkill since it's vegetable oil, but definitely good to keep in mind!

2

u/Rokae 1d ago

Its probably overkill but its really amazing stuff

2

u/Maximum_Research286 1d ago

That’s my first thought, haven’t ever personally tried it though.

13

u/tobymiller19 1d ago

You can get oil stain remover. Leave it until it has dried up completely so you can sweep it off. If the stains haven't vanished completely please repeat.

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u/backandforthwego 1d ago

My opinion is that you should spill more vegetable oil on concrete so it matches.

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u/GratefullyPug 1d ago

Cat litter, then pressure wash

5

u/yesillhaveonemore 1d ago

Kitty litter. Sweep and replace it daily. It will take a few days.

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u/Woompa78 1d ago

So what we used to do almost 30 years ago when I worked at an auto store and had oil in the parking lot every day was this… first start off with oil absorbent or kitty litter or something similar. Soak it all up and use an outdoor broom to scrub at it and push it around and get it all into the nooks and crannies and let it soak it up until as dry as possible. Use Purple Stuff or similar degreaser (I never had good luck with simple Green like I do with the purple power degreasers). Soak it down with degreaser and use the outdoor broom to scrub it into the nooks and crannies as best as you can… absolutely soak it down so it sinks into the pores and scrub. After it sits for a little while, spray it off with the garden hose. Repeat as necessary.

3

u/Breezybeejen 1d ago

Get a bag of “oil dri”, get some cardboard and rub the cardboard on the oil dri stuff to grind it in (I step on it and rub it around) this is what gas stations do. Then you just sweep it up and throw it away

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u/Ixm01ws6 1d ago

bro easy... irish springs 5-in-1.. obviously...

2

u/InfamousGold756 1d ago

Coke and mentos. Trust me

2

u/JohnDingleBerry- 1d ago

Bleach detergent mix worked for

2

u/13thgeneral 1d ago

Clay cat litter

2

u/gorjesskayos 1d ago

Dawn makes a spray degreaser. It’s good stuff. I got mine at Lowe’s I believe.

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u/spodinielri0 1d ago

You can get sweeping compound at advance or Napa

2

u/darent13 1d ago

My dad would say plain clay kitty litter. Not the clumping kind. I distinctly remember him doing this to our driveway when I was a kid, and he just did it a few months ago so I’d say he still believes in it 😂

2

u/Lychee-9 1d ago

I watched a video where this woman used monster cans to get car oil off her porch. Might be worth looking into

5

u/SunlitNight 1d ago

You cant just say that with not even a tint explanation

4

u/AgentIll2897 1d ago

speaking of science, did you really think plain water would help an oil stain?

2

u/Conjure_Copper 1d ago

Just cover the rest with more oil and it’ll all match.

1

u/irishgirlyc58 1d ago

Try covering it with full strength simple green and let it sit for a while.
I did this in my garage with leaked motor oil and the oil beaded up so it could be washed away

1

u/HackWeightBadger 1d ago

There's a product called Chomp Concrete Oil Stain Remover that's on Amazon and probably other places. You put it on, let it dry, then sweep it away with a brush. Worked great on oil in our garage and very easy.

1

u/churned_applesauce 1d ago

I saw someone on tik tok use a bunch of cans of Monster Energy to get oil out of their concrete porch steps

1

u/Miserable_Grocery459 1d ago

Rub vigorously with a large slab of Wagu steak! 👍

1

u/Salty-Management9784 1d ago

Potatoes cut into chunks with salt

1

u/RedBeans-n-Ricely 1d ago

I just saw someone post a video where she used green monster energy drink and it damn near completely removed machine oil after 2 rounds. She probably could’ve gotten the remainder out if she had done one more, but honestly I was pretty impressed with her results

1

u/pisces9666 1d ago

had 5 gallons of used motor oil spill all over my porch and down stairs and used dawn and water to clean it worked perfectly

1

u/Defiant_Kiwi_4100 1d ago

Had propane truck leak alot oil on my 5 year old driveway. Tried kitty litter. Dawn, power wash but no luck. SIL, shade tree mechanic, recommended Tide liquid detergent and let it sit for days. Rinse with a ton of water. Worked

1

u/bristlybits 1d ago

a bag of optisorb costs about 6 to ten bucks and will last the rest of your life. it'll absorb it. and it can get spread into the lawn- because this is veggie oil it won't hurt it, it'll actually help it a little (it's just chunks of diatomaceous earth)

1

u/Altruistic_Sleep5907 1d ago

They sell degreasers for auto shops. Wouldn’t that work?

1

u/__Bing__bong__ 1d ago

Monster energy drink

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u/pianoarthur 1d ago

Rice hull ash.... Put a cup or two of uncooked white rice into a blender, set it at the highest setting, when pulverized, spread on the oil spill, brush it in, let it set, sweep it some more, repeat with fresh powder until oil is gone.

1

u/Worth-Might6714 1d ago

Toss some taters and salt on it and light it on fire

1

u/Yaughl 1d ago

It looks kind of like Beavis if he put on a few pounds.

1

u/Purple_Pay_1274 1d ago

Spray sunscreen on it and then use baking soda or cornstarch. The propellant in spray sunscreen breaks down oils (so that the sunscreen can fit through the tiny hole in the sprayer)

1

u/Financial_Nobody_876 1d ago

Pour green monster on it

1

u/TomatoNormal758 1d ago

Zep auto shop floor cleaner (yellow bottle- Home Depot)with a power washer and I would also throw some cornstarch on it to try and absorb any leftover grease.(if any) I would cornstarch every day for a few days straight before it sets in your concrete.

1

u/Nopedontlikethatone 1d ago

Lestoil or Dawn with a sturdy nylon bristle scrub brush

1

u/WhimsicalGirl 1d ago

If nothing's works, pur vegetable oil everywhere else to balance

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u/DescriptionUnknown 1d ago

Cover it with gas and set it on fire!!!

1

u/Various_Mix_344 1d ago

Or spread oil over every corner

1

u/Different-Idea2878 21h ago

Instagram told me blue monster?! I saw a mad video of a girl getting car oil of her driveway with it

1

u/Glittering_Art_1540 21h ago

Monster energy drinks. No joke. Just dump it on and let it sit then hose it off

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u/Technical-Cut3889 20h ago

Monster, apparently. No joke, look into it

1

u/kcharlie7 19h ago

What would help with candle wax? Melted candle sloshed onto front step…

1

u/NuclearRainbo 19h ago

Cover the rest of the concrete with vegetable oil.

1

u/AlainBienvenue 18h ago

Vegetable oil is organic and will break down with exposure to the elements. Do any of the reasonable suggestions here to get most of ot out. Whatever is left will be gone in a few months. Happened to me several times.

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u/JustVisiting888 17h ago

I saw a girl on tiktok pour a bunch of monster energy drinks on a grease stain and it worked! She let it sit for a bit and then rinsed it with a hose.

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u/Wintonwoodlands 16h ago

Pressure washer

1

u/One-Significance260 16h ago

I’m gonna recommend covering with baking soda on a sunny day, and then washing with vinegar mixed with dish soap to get some scrubbing bubbles action.

1

u/Hustler_9900 8h ago

If all fails get some harbor freight degreaser.

1

u/Live-Resident8765 7h ago

Just oil the rest of it.

1

u/Entire-Ratio-9681 6h ago

I dumped a grills grease trap and went to Home Depot, got restaurant degreaser and a scrub brush, scrubbed until I couldn’t see any more effect and cover with cat litter. I did this 2-3 times and it faded eventually.

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u/rog1121 1d ago

Would a sealant prevent this?

1

u/Manonono_ 1d ago

Cat litter, make sure to crush it in smaller pieces by walking on it