Give oil stains brush off

Q: In a recent column, a reader wrote in about an oil leak on the floor of his shed. My experience was with a rather large stain from a 1984 Ford Ranger on my garage floor. I used the old-fashioned floor dry found at the auto store. Sprinkle it on liberally, and let it set for a week or two; it will suck the oil right out of the cement. I have no trouble with stains on my garage floor since finding that solution.

The floor dry is the blue clay, chunky style. I don’t know if the newfangled “fine-cut” stuff works or not. Hope this works! — Kevin N., via e-mail

A.: Thanks, Kevin!

Floor-Dry, as Kevin said above, can be found at auto parts stores and equipment suppliers. It’s a clay-based absorbent sold in bags that can be sprinkled over oil stains and swept away.

Q: The way I clean oil drips and stains on concrete is to saturate the stain with brake cleaner, then cover it with kitty litter or a product called Oil-Dry. I let it sit overnight, then sweep it up. Generally, the stain is all gone with the first application. For a persistent stain, I repeat the process with a vigorous brooming of the absorbent material. — Bob C., Colorado Springs, Colo.

A. Good stuff! Thanks to my readers for looking out for each other. Oil-Dry (or Oil-Dri) is a spill absorption product, mostly sold as absorbent pads, found at auto stores and equipment suppliers.

HOME TIP: Saturate motor oil stains on clothing with dry-cleaning solvent and blot away; the oil should rinse out easily.