How to clean oil stains on concrete floor in mechanic workshop?

Question

I have a industrial unit I lease and use the area as a mechanic workshop and would like to know what chemicals is best to clean the heavily stained concrete from ie. engine oil. I have the Chemtech Concrete Cleaner, but I don't think it is doing a good job of it…

Additionally, a neighbour has those garage tiles which are comfortable under your feet and if oil drops on it you can wash them using a hose what's product?

Noyade · Answer

This is my go to product. Actually used it this morning. As @JacobZ mentioned, you'll never get it back to normal concrete, but it will be clean and non-slippery.

JacobZ · Answer

Hi @LongC ,

Engine oil can be particularly difficult to remove from concrete because concrete is porous, so over time the oil can soak beneath the surface rather than simply sitting on top of it. If your concrete is not sealed to prevent oil from soaking in, this would explain why you are having trouble removing the stains.

If the Chemtech Concrete Cleaner isn't getting you the results you're after, I'd suggest trying a dedicated degreaser. CRC Oil Fighter would be a good option for the individual stubborn oil stains. It's specifically designed to draw oil and grease out of porous surfaces such as concrete, making it particularly useful where the oil has soaked in.

For cleaning larger areas, you could also look at Peerless JAL Clean Shop Heavy Duty Cleaner Degreaser or Karcher 1L Degreaser. Both are designed for dealing with grease and oil, with the Karcher product specifically suitable for oil stains on concrete and garage floors.

Whichever product you use, follow the manufacturer's instructions and I'd recommend testing it on a small area first. You may need a couple of applications for heavily contaminated areas. Keep in mind that if the oil has penetrated deeply into the concrete over many years, you may be unable to completely remove the staining and would need to consider having the concrete ground back to remove the stains.

Check out our guide, How to remove stains from garage floors, for some further guidance.

For the flooring you've seen next door, it sounds like you're describing something along the lines of FloorEase Modular Interlocking Garage Floor Tiles. These types of interlocking tiles are designed for garages and workshops and could certainly be worth considering once you've cleaned the concrete as well as possible.

Let me know what you think.

Jacob