How to Clean an Oil Spill

If you have a driveway you will have an oil spill at one time or another. The oil spill can be caused when you fill the oil in your car and your aim is a little off, or when a friend or family member parks in your driveway and unintentionally drips oil on your driveway. Oil spills are unsightly, but fortunately they are relatively easy to clean up.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Cat Litter
• Dish Soap
• Water
• Soft-bristled broom for scrubbing

1. If the spill is fresh you can begin the cleaning process by sprinkling it with cat litter. Allow the cat litter to absorb the oil and sweep it up after 15 minutes.

2. Coat the remaining oil spill with liquid dish detergent.

3. Wet the entire oiled area with water. Begin to scrub the oil with the broom. Your goal is to create an emulsion by scrubbing. What will happen is the soap will surround the oil droplets and allow you to easily rinse the oil off.

4. Once you are satisfied with the amount of scrubbing you have done, rinse away the emulsion with water. The oil spill should be completely lifted.

5. If after rinsing you notice that oil still remains, repeat the process.

Tips & Warnings

• Sometimes simply applying the cat littler to the oil spill will be enough to absorb all of the oil.
• The longer you leave the cat litter on the spill the better it will work.
• Dripping oil will soften asphalt over the years so clean an oil spill as soon as it happens.

[isitreallygreen]

on 5/18/2009 The cat litter has to be remediated... all you're doing is absorbing the spill. So I'd add the extra step:Put the cat litter in a ventilated box away from living quarters. Add a bioremediative, oleophillic agent like an s-200 type, and then wait for the micro organisms to break down the bacteria. now you just have regular garbage on hand instead of just a hazmat. :)