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| Thread ID: 86625 | 2008-01-23 00:41:00 | Cleaning used oil spill off cobblestones? | Billy T (70) | PC World Chat |
| Post ID | Timestamp | Content | User | ||
| 632992 | 2008-01-23 00:41:00 | Hi Team Mrs T and I returned home from holiday on Sunday night only to find that the night before some kind person had poured about a litre of (very) used egine oil down our cobblestone driveway. According to our daughter, who was minding the fort while we were away, it wasn't there Saturday night but she saw it when collecting the Sunday paper from the letterbox. At first I thought that somebody had knocked out their sump plug on the bump at the top but no such luck, there were no drips anywhere around so it was clearly a deliberate act, and since our street has no passing vehicular or foot traffic (being a no exit, off a no exit, off a no exit) it looks like we were targeted. It is not the first time though, as some may be aware I have been Chairman of the Board of Trustees for a local High School for some years and we have had our letterbox blown up once, and kicked down twice by disgruntled students, so we kinda expect a little retaliatory behaviour once in a while. Anyway, I digress, I've sprayed it twice with engine degreaser and hosed it down which has certainly removed the worst of it (thank heavens the cobblestones were dark grey!) but they are quite porous so there is a lot of embedded oil still to be removed. I am looking for advice on products or methods of removing as much of the oil as possible. I have a waterblaster but that may leave a more obvious light patch. What should I soak it with to get the most possible out? Cheers Billy 8-{) |
Billy T (70) | ||
| 632993 | 2008-01-23 00:55:00 | Pour petrol down the same spot and broom it down? | wratterus (105) | ||
| 632994 | 2008-01-23 01:05:00 | Kitty Litter? Place a small amount on and around the affected area. Pat it on (or drive over it) to compress it all. Theoretically it helps to suck up surface amounts of oily woily |
bob_doe_nz (92) | ||
| 632995 | 2008-01-23 01:06:00 | Hi Billy There is (or was) a product 'Soak n Croak' that was (is) good for removing things like that. Try a test patch first. Good luck, Marnie |
Marnie (4574) | ||
| 632996 | 2008-01-23 01:09:00 | Trichoethylene | robsonde (120) | ||
| 632997 | 2008-01-23 01:24:00 | Just flip cobblestones over the use the other side, not going to get it any cleaner than that. | Pete O'Neil (6584) | ||
| 632998 | 2008-01-23 02:03:00 | Hmm . . . . using Trich would probably kill me and half the neighbourhood cats; according to its website Soak 'n Croak is a slow release killer for moss, mould & fungi; the cobblestones are too closely set for removal and upside down replacement, and kitty litter only works on surface oil, so I'm fast running out of options here . :( I've searched the Net as well, and short of catching the bastards and getting them to suck it off orally at the point of a shotgun it looks like I'm stuck with degreaser and low pressure waterblasting . Once the worst is out I think I might try a strong solution of dishwashing detergent or a warmed-up solution of Simple Green, that is a pretty potent product in its own right . It was a nice holiday anyway, Mrs T spent like there was no tomorrow and I bought 3 second hand books to read so there was the usual equal distribution of wealth that we don't have! :xmouth: Thanks for the suggestions . Cheers Billy 8-{) :mad: Afterthought: Maybe I should do a weekend Rent-a-Metla in case they come back, but on second thoughts the liquid brown stuff is smellier to clean up and bloodstains look like rust . |
Billy T (70) | ||
| 632999 | 2008-01-23 05:40:00 | Simple Green and a water blaster should do good may take two or three passes with the blaster, thats all we used a the gas station when we ran out of "trich" | robsonde (120) | ||
| 633000 | 2008-01-23 05:47:00 | Have you considered ringing the local servo and asking them what they use? I asked if it were degreaser at my local BP, turns out it was something else. No idea what they said it was though. |
Metla (12) | ||
| 633001 | 2008-01-23 06:22:00 | i can't quite rember what cuz uses in the workshop. i think its white spirts or one of the other clear ones on the shelf next to it ! ;) however not sure if its going to get oil out that has soaked into the stone. | tweak'e (69) | ||
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