Cleaning Up Oil Spills

[shakaama]

can i use bleach? there are no plants around at all and it's right in front of my door.

[MrSyntheticDesign]

what about 12 billion gallons along the gulf coast? whats the best way to clean this?

XD

[AsktheBuilder]

@MrSyntheticDesign Easy. Mother Nature. There have been oil leaks and seeps for millions of years. Mother Nature has always taken care of them. Our problem is we're far too impatient. Oil spills go with the territory of using petroleum products. If you don't want oil spills, stop using oil. Most are unwilling to do that.

[MrSyntheticDesign]

@AsktheBuilder lol I've been pulling for Hydrogen/Solar/Geothermal and its still not done en Masse yet so im a little angry at how the spill could have been avoided

[AsktheBuilder]

@MrSyntheticDesign Well, you better go get a prescription for some Valium from your doctor, because there is going to be no en masse' solution of the three you mention in your lifetime. There will be some major breakthrough, but I can't say when. Hydrogen is the absolute best choice. It powers rockets and there are no harmful byproducts when it burns.

[Jx1x3]

Should have just pressure washed itttt

[cameronskinner94]

what if it happened at about 12 oclock am, and was left over night? whats the best wasy to remove it? it was wd-40 that my friends sprayed on the asphalt, ive done this 5 times already and its hardly working ?

[AsktheBuilder]

@cameronskinner94 Keep cleaning..... You may try some of my Stain Solver too. Go to that website.

[cameronskinner94]

@AsktheBuilder okay ill go to it, thanks.

[cameronskinner94]

@AsktheBuilder how could i make some myself? i used peroxicide and that helped the most but im all out now! :(

[16soccerraf]

if we wanna save the BIG oil spill we are gonna need lots of scott towels!

[cmcespedes2]

Wow! All these dumb-off topic-stupid comments from watching a video on how to clean an oil stain from concrete? Christ. You people need to get a better life. Ask the builder: Thanks for you time and effort in trying to make our lives better.

[AsktheBuilder]

@cmcespedes2 Thanks for your understanding. I've been doing this so long that no comment ever amazes me any longer. You want to see why we have so many problems in our great nation? Just start reading random YouTube comments.

[elevatorhead]

cant believe it , the strongest nation on earth, and we can not stop this massive flow of oil leak ! in the 1950 we would of stop it in a day ! why ? because our "Government"doesn't have any balls anymore. there to hung up on being politicly correct for the world to see and how were going to handle the AGENDA of a one world government ! Obama is a puppet, notice how he can't even stop the flow of illegal aliens? because he's greety for stupid people that dont have a clue of our nations LAWS!

[AsktheBuilder]

@elevatorhead My idea is to just drive a long steel rod into the well head. The sides of the rod would have hardened steel barbs on it made from the same steel as screw extractors. If the oil tries to push out the rod, the barbs dig deeper into the sides of the well pipe.

[boxa888]

NIKOLA TESLA could have saved us from this 100 yrs ago! please look it up, he created a wireless energy system that allowed energy to be obtained anywhere on earth! i put up info on my youtube and i demostrate a 20 ft wireless transmission to prove that the system works! we could build it right away and get off of this oil dependence, you can run cars wirelessly and never need oil again. please read tesla's "increasing human energy" it tells u real clean energy

[stydel311]

Purple power works well for stains

[Ticomfreak]

If only we could do this on the gulf Oil spill...

[superbluma]

Yeah, washed the oil straight into the ground - well done ! OMG

[AsktheBuilder]

@superbluma Thanks for the comment. Where does that oil go naturally? When it rains, to the ground as well. So don't be too shocked. Oil is natural anyway. Mother Nature makes it, and it naturally seeps into the ocean and out of the ground. Just go to LA to see the tar pits.

[Blankmania]

By your theory why dont you just dump your used motor oil straight onto the grass? Its all going to end up in the ocean anyway.. Had u cleaned it up with a speedy-dry or hair clippings u wouldve been able to stop it from going into the ground and not have wasted all that water or dawn which probably was antibacterial so the oil kills the plants and the dawn kills the bugs in the dirt.. why arent you running for president?

[AsktheBuilder]

@Blankmania Uh, the oil spill was accidental...... And using the methods you state, where does the oil end up? Oh yes, the landfill...... Think it through.....

[Blankmania]

@AsktheBuilder No, you bring the clippings to a hazardous waste recycling center as you would with the old oil in your car

[1236bigcat]

Cleaning up Oil Spills -- It figures YouTube would feature this video -- rather than mine which shows how a simple bubble pump tube that could have stopped this whole mess within the 1st week. You get 35,000 views for cleanup, I get 150 a video showing a way for prevention that should have been done initially. No fault of yours builder, just the noise filter system at Youtube.

[AsktheBuilder]

@1236bigcat Perhaps the word's out on your soundtrack.... :-/

[1236bigcat]

@AsktheBuilder My gosh, I love builders, as men. As corporations however, being really dead soulless entities, Ive come to despise them.

The problems of BP are only the pleasure of Proctor & Gamble. Their detergent Dawn is one corporations phosphate chemical compound to remove another corporations hydrocarbon sludge. Who wins? Hey you know - Everything is BROKEN. Youre a good guy, showing us the best ways to clean up their mess. Sincerely, thanks!

[AsktheBuilder]

@1236bigcat Thanks! I have to say that Dawn is one heck of a dish soap. And I don't own one share of P&G stock!

[gladitsnotme]

@1236bigcat Maybe YouTube wont feature your video because 99% of your channel is other people's copyrighted material. Just an idea.

[PerlitaHabanera]

And if it's in your clothes, after washing put podwer it will suck the oil up from your clothes.

[grailexcom]

show it to BP ))))))))))

[JohnnyCoolMusic]

Damn! You should go help BP with their oil spill!

Johnny Cool, Montreal, Canada

[babypunkangel]

this is a good idea and yes it does work on dry spills too but for those into not killing off the plants and animals around us i prefer the 80% dawn 20% water mix ans dab it up in towels instead of using a hose because you not only spread the oil to the other areas but you take the chance on killing off some plant life and poisoning some of the animals that rely on puddled water to drink

[FatalBlueFlame]

For old stains just pour 99 cent cat liter on top of the stain for a couple of days and it will absorb it.

[oilabsorbent]

It's really time to start considering eco-friendly oil absorbents as a replacement for clay, kitty litter, speedy dry (clay), etc. These clay-based sorbents do not really ABSORB the oil or other spill, they pool it and collect it on the surface. I'm not advocating wiping with corn cobs, but this is a real simple switch that any half conscious individual or commercial enterprise can make to do a ittle bit to help the planet

[LooternGrady]

Oil-Eater works, even days after the spill.

[owvenus]

i use sawdust i kept from a woodworking job i did. works well, just put some on the oil spill , let absorb, sweep away.

[CVPTV]

Very useful information; thanks :)

[ARealHulkamaniac]

Saved my life Tim, thanks. Did exactly what you said and it came up in no time, no more pissed off mom. Thanks again.

[Anhinga78]

Unfortunately I was told to get speedy dry and it didn't work. My car leaked oil on someone's driveway. If it's been a few days, will the Dawn dishwashing liquid still work? I wish I saw this last week.

[AsktheBuilder]

Yes it will work. It may take multiple scrubbings, but do it immediately.

[DivineMoments]

Pour-N-Restore Oil Stain Remover lifts and absorbs embedded oil stains as it dries from a liquid to a powder. This is made possible by combining a powerful citrus degreaser with a non-leaching absorbent. To restore concrete and masonry, just apply Pour-N-Restore Oil Stain Remover, let it dry from a liquid to a powder, and sweep it up. No scrubbing. No rinsing. No mess.

[veryslyfox]

Pour n Restore works well but it is very expensive and once you open the bottle you have to use it immediately or else it dries out fairly quickly.

[tbirdpimp07]

just buy a bottle of purple power way less elbow grease and its 5 bux a gallon

[ccrinc]

go to a auto parts store. get a box of floor soap. this works the best.the good stuff turns green when added to water. next up, TSP in the orange box. automatic dishwasher soap also works. for really bad stains, solvent or spray carb cleaner is the only way, next to using pool acid.

[tregher58]

every year 35000T of oil waste is 'flushed' down the drain.....this is in Pennsylvania alone.....think before you flush oil down the drain every little bit adds up to a massive amount of pollution

[1Jesustaximan]

i loive it ♥

[maxhaddrall]

you'd have to be pretty anal to do that..no offense to you

[AsktheBuilder]

No offense taken. But trust me, there are tens of thousands of people who freak out when a drop of oil gets on their driveway. I know, as several were my past customers.

[3255959]

I have a 2000 psi washer i use to wash cars...I experimented on my driveway today many oil stains can be removed,but other stains oil and rust were impossible even when held on stain zero tip for a min at 2inches away... any tips..for old stains and rust stains... Is my machine to weak.?..any chemicals i could pre spray that work well.?..thanks

[jamesccostello]

Actually Max, this would've been a useful tip for me about six months ago. I left an oil spill in my parents' garage when I was changing my oil.

They had told me earlier that they didn't want me making a mess in there (and they didn't know I had gone ahead and changed my oil anyway), so I needed to clean up before they got home. I used about a gallon of 409 over more than one hour and it didn't work at all. I then switched to Kirkland dishsoap and the oil came off in minutes.

Thanks Tim!

[ImpliedBodyMan]

So, you're recommending just washing all that junk and pollution down the drain?

Oh - well, at least it's off YOUR precious concrete driveway. This is just stupid. I've got an idea - DEAL with the stain, and stop polluting the planet with your excess water use, your dishwashing liquid and your oil for god's sake.

[AsktheBuilder]

Thanks for your comment. I have to be honest, but I have a grin on my face. Something tells me you sometimes take longer showers than you should, you use soap to wash your body and your clothes and you probably use toilet paper instead of dried corn cobs. By your definition, you are just as evil as me. Right????????

[drclaudetv]

@AsktheBuilder Talking about dried corn cobs, have you heard of Adria Brown's patented corn cob based oil spill cleanup method (the product is called Golden Retriever) that's starting to appear on various blogs and articles (it was featured on Detroit Channel 4 News last week, too)? I wonder what you have to say about it. I am keeping a list of links to such news and articles this webpage: recovery (dot) windenberger (dot) com

Dr Claude Windenberger

[AsktheBuilder]

@drclaudetv Not heard of it. Sorry I can't help.

[xxvolcomstr182xx]

@AsktheBuilder an eye for an eye makes the whole world blind.

[gschjetne]

I've had much success with just soaking it up with some sawdust.

Oh, and I have to look up in the building code on how to install a small furnace, so I can get rid of flammable paper towels, too.

[imanerd36]

Thank you so much, I my lawn mower oil went everwhere anfd this helped a ton. I have a tip tough, before and after the paper towels, use some news paper to blot up excess oil.

[rescuepanther]

If I am going to pressure wash my driveway which has years of oil spots on it, would you recommend pre scrubbing it with the dawn liquid first? What other tips might you have?

[AsktheBuilder]

Have you gone to my website to read my past columns on this topic? There are tips there.

[Skunk980]

What happens if you use a pressure washer. please reply. thanks.

[AsktheBuilder]

Well, it could drive the oil deeper into the concrete. I have never tried the method you are proposing.

[MichiganPowerWashing]

Pressure washer with right chemicals will lift up and clean even older oil spots. Call professional newr you for free estimate. I can almost guarantee that you won't be able to remove old oil stain by yourself.

[AsktheBuilder]

Be sure you weigh the the effects of possible concrete surface erosion by the high-pressure stream of water. If the machine gets up the stain, the *possible* eroded concrete might look worse.

[8pix]

Hi there. Any tips for spilling sixty-six thousand barrels of crude oil on a pristine beach? Just thought, y'know, since the video I linked through was of the spill in Taean, Korea.

Sure wouldn't be so messy if that were a concrete or "blacktop" beach.

[AsktheBuilder]

Ouch!!!! That is a huge amount of oil. I wish I could be of more service.

[brycenesbitt]

Yet not word one about what do do with the towels, or the need to keep oil out of storm drains (which lead unfiltered into streams rivers and bays). Is all about pretty driveways?

[AsktheBuilder]

I forgot to mention to burn the oil-soaked towels because of the danger of spontaneous combustion. Ouch! I can hear you now. :-) The purpose of the video was to show what to do in case of an accidental - not intentional - oil spill. If you are a proponent of not cleaning, then the oil does flow to rivers, bays and streams each time it rains. You can see it happen if you squirt an oil spot with water.

[siszam]

If you spill a lot of oil you can pour kitty litter on it. That soaks it up fast. Then you can scoop it up and wash with Dawn.

[AsktheBuilder]

That's a good tip. Thanks for sharing!

[warpimp53]

NIce

[mariakidi]

Hi, My gosh i am guilty. I have an oil stain in my driveway, been neglected and is it still okey to clean it?