Right stuff to clean garage floor - heavy oil.

Just got done with cleaning two garage spaces (sold vehicles). The
oil leaks from 25 years of parking was severe.
Used TSP - poor result - failed even to cut the grease.
A heavy duty degreaser and cleaner - not much better.
Laundry detergent - no worse than above.
87 octane gasoline - absolutely the best - but also extremely risky.
Used about 1-2 cups at a time (total used about 1 gal) with some
water and heavy brushing. Did a bunch of rinsing to get rid of fumes.
Gas did the best job.

Prior to this I did a google and found nothing. Is there an available
cleaner that will dissolve dryed oil 1/8 in thick in places - other
than gasoline and the associated extreme risk in an attached garage?
Just in case I need it in another 25 years <grin>.

j

Muriatic acid will do it. Be careful.
Ron

joe wrote:
> Just got done with cleaning two garage spaces (sold vehicles). The
> oil leaks from 25 years of parking was severe.
> Used TSP - poor result - failed even to cut the grease.
> A heavy duty degreaser and cleaner - not much better.
> Laundry detergent - no worse than above.
> 87 octane gasoline - absolutely the best - but also extremely risky.
> Used about 1-2 cups at a time (total used about 1 gal) with some
> water and heavy brushing. Did a bunch of rinsing to get rid of fumes.
> Gas did the best job.
>
> Prior to this I did a google and found nothing. Is there an available
> cleaner that will dissolve dryed oil 1/8 in thick in places - other
> than gasoline and the associated extreme risk in an attached garage?
> Just in case I need it in another 25 years <grin>.
>
> j

Ray O wrote:

> Using gasoline on your garage floor can get you into the running for a
> Darwin Award.

Its also not exactly what youd call environmentally friendly either LOL.

joe wrote:
> Just got done with cleaning two garage spaces (sold vehicles). The
> oil leaks from 25 years of parking was severe.
> Used TSP - poor result - failed even to cut the grease.
> A heavy duty degreaser and cleaner - not much better.
> Laundry detergent - no worse than above.
> 87 octane gasoline - absolutely the best - but also extremely risky.
> Used about 1-2 cups at a time (total used about 1 gal) with some
> water and heavy brushing. Did a bunch of rinsing to get rid of fumes.
> Gas did the best job.
>
> Prior to this I did a google and found nothing. Is there an available
> cleaner that will dissolve dryed oil 1/8 in thick in places - other
> than gasoline and the associated extreme risk in an attached garage?
> Just in case I need it in another 25 years <grin>.
>
> j

As someone previously mentioned, use a scrapper to get up the worst
of it, then get a bag of Kitty Litter, pour it on the floor, and work it
around with your boots.

Yeah, gasoline is unsafe, blah blah. Trouble is, gasoline's the best
and fastest acting solvent for this. Scrape the thick residue off
first, then use gasoline carefully. Don't carry the gas can into the
garage; keep it at a safe distance. Pour a small amount into a clean
tin can and pour that on the grease to soften/remove the residue.

IOW, gasoline /can/ be used safely in this instance if safety rules are
enforced.

Davoud

--
usenet *at* davidillig dawt com

"Coyoteboy" <coyoteboyuk@m> wrote in message
news:1152874937.499033.163370@35g2000cwc. ...
>
> Ray O wrote:
>
>> Using gasoline on your garage floor can get you into the running for a
>> Darwin Award.
>
> Its also not exactly what youd call environmentally friendly either LOL.
>

that too!
--

Ray O

"Davoud" <star@sky.net> wrote in message
news:140720061049491798%star@sky.net...
> Yeah, gasoline is unsafe, blah blah. Trouble is, gasoline's the best
> and fastest acting solvent for this. Scrape the thick residue off
> first, then use gasoline carefully. Don't carry the gas can into the
> garage; keep it at a safe distance. Pour a small amount into a clean
> tin can and pour that on the grease to soften/remove the residue.
>
> IOW, gasoline /can/ be used safely in this instance if safety rules are
> enforced.
>
> Davoud
>
> --
> usenet *at* davidillig dawt com

If safety rules are enforced, one would never purposely pour gasoline on a
garage floor!
--

Ray O

Davoud:
> > Yeah, gasoline is unsafe, blah blah. Trouble is, gasoline's the best
> > and fastest acting solvent for this. Scrape the thick residue off
> > first, then use gasoline carefully. Don't carry the gas can into the
> > garage; keep it at a safe distance. Pour a small amount into a clean
> > tin can and pour that on the grease to soften/remove the residue.
> > IOW, gasoline /can/ be used safely in this instance if safety rules are
> > enforced.

Ray O:
> If safety rules are enforced, one would never purposely pour gasoline on a
> garage floor!

I concede I am not a chemist. Some reaction between gasoline and
concrete of which I am unaware, perhaps, an I've been lucky all these
years? Otherwise there is nothing intrinsically unsafe about putting a
small amount of gasoline on a grease spot on a garage floor. I said
"small amount," didn't I?

Davoud

--
usenet *at* davidillig dawt com

Davoud wrote:

>Yeah, gasoline is unsafe, blah blah. Trouble is, gasoline's the best
>and fastest acting solvent for this. Scrape the thick residue off
>first, then use gasoline carefully. Don't carry the gas can into the
>garage; keep it at a safe distance. Pour a small amount into a clean
>tin can and pour that on the grease to soften/remove the residue.
>
>IOW, gasoline /can/ be used safely in this instance if safety rules are
>enforced.

I suggest that this group's rightards try this method. And take a
smoke break at appropriate times.

It's only natural selection (even though some rightards think that
Darwin was wrong).

To remove oil and grease from cast iron engines, oven cleaner.
K&E Chemical company makes many formulations of products. One product
from K&E is KLENZTONE #1. This does a good job of cleaning up concrete
and is much safer than Muratic Acid.
Steam cleaning works well on concrete.
Tide ground into the surface and wet down will work. When using this
method, sprinkle the surface with sawdust to absorbe the mess.
In the future, use oil dry on the oil spills before they get too bad.