How to Clean Up an Oil Spill

Posted on August 13th, 2009 by Carmelia

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Oil spills are a common occurrences in our kitchens, especially since we use oil so much in our cooking. Oil spills are one of the tougher ones to clean because they can’t just be wiped away, and of course, they don’t easily mix with water. Left alone, they can become dangerous slippery spots. That’s why when you cause an oil spill, you have to clean it up as soon as possible. Here’s how.

Tools

Kosher salt or flour
Dishwashing liquid
Broom
Dustpan
Paper towels or old newspapers

Procedure

Put a heaping amount of salt on top of the oil spill, enough to cover the puddle. If you don’t have enough salt, you can use flour instead.
Wait for a few minutes to allow the salt or flour to soak up the oil puddle. You can see if the oil has been soaked once the salt or flour starts to look a bit soggy. If the flour or salt become saturated with oil, place a fresh batch on top once again, and wait for it to absorb.
Use the broom to sweep up the salt or flour into the dustpan.
What remains of the spilled oil can be cleaned using a few drops of dishwashing liquid and wiped up with paper towels or newspapers.
You can clean the area more thoroughly by using a scrub with grease-scrubbing detergent. Keep scrubbing until the last traces of oil is gone!
Better yet, the next time that you clean the kitchen area thoroughly, spend a little more time scrubbing the areas where you know there have been oil spills.

Tips

You can also use clean kitty litter, oatmeal or bread crumbs to soak up the oil spill.
To clean up little oil splatters, use an old newspaper or paper towels to absorb the small amounts of oil.