Remove vegetable oil from concrete

9 years ago

So, in the new home we are remodeling we pulled up some old peel and stick vinyl tiles. We knew we would have to get the residue up before our new vinyl plank flooring went down. My wife went online and was told that plain vegetable oil could get up residue/adhesive. I believe the author meant this was more intended for spot treatment. My wife proceeded to pour vegetable oil all over the floor and it is a huge, slippery mess! How should I go about cleaning up all the vegetable oil? I have cleaned up the excess, but need to get it deep cleaned I guess you would say. I don't want to put our new flooring on this now! Aren't house renovations fun?!

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (3)

stolenidentity
9 years ago
Dawn dish soap and water in a bucket, and a brush. Good luck.
Olychick
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
I'd get the most powdery clay kitty litter you can find and spread it
liberally before trying anything else. Let it sit for a couple of days
if you can and sweep it around once in a while to get fresh un-oiled
litter onto the concrete.

Another idea I just found on Bob Vila's site: "Powdered laundry detergent mixed into a paste seems to work well if you
spread it over the stain, let it sit for awhile, then scrub with a
broom and rinse."

His site also suggests baking soda spread liberally might work, too
Related Professionals
Athens General Contractors · Monroe General Contractors · Fredericksburg General Contractors · Webster General Contractors · Southaven Basement Remodeling · Olean Basement Remodeling · San Bernardino Basement Remodeling · San Diego Basement Remodeling · Roswell Basement Remodeling · Elko Basement Remodeling · Coos Bay Basement Remodeling · Zanesville Bathroom Remodelers · Virginia Beach Bathroom Remodelers · Denver Bathroom Remodelers · El Paso Bathroom Remodelers
toxcrusadr
9 years ago
Cat litter is an excellent first choice. I've used it on motor oil spills on concrete that were fresh but essentially soaked in. It will actually draw it out. The finer the better. Cheap clay litter tends to have more powdery sized particles which is good.

Then detergent and do limit the amount of water at first - it is not your friend here. The paste sounds good, or pure liquid detergent (Dawn is good, about anything will work). I would scrub then let it sit for an hour then wipe it with rags. Finally, a floor or carpet cleaning machine (rental or if you have or can borrow a Hoover steam vac or equivalent). Dishwasher deterg paste probably best as Dawn etc. will be very sudsy for the machine and you'll have foam everywhere. If the machine has brushes do turn those on. Once no soap is coming out in the waste tank, let the floor dry and see how it is. If it's still greasy, repeat the detergent treatment. I bet it will be good after this.

Another option at this point if you need it cleaner, is solvent rinsing, but two problems I see: flammability, and concrete is porous, so it may carry it farther IN rather than drawing it OUT. You could use a low flammability solvent like kerosene or mineral spirits (not naptha or gasoline), or the citrus based stuff that smells nice. Ventilation! No flame sources! - where's your furnace and water heater and do they have pilot lights? Do a small area at a time - 3x3 ft. Saturate, scrub the entire area a bit then wipe off with rags. Rags immediately go outside spread out to dry (NOT in a pile or in a container). And don't blame me if you burn down your house. At least the concrete will be clean. LOL