How to Clean a Cooking Oil Spill

Daniela asked, “How do I clean up all this olive oil from my kitchen floor? Literally half of the kitchen is smothered in oil.”

You Will Need:

• Shoes
• Ice cube tongs
• Gardening gloves
• Newspaper
• An absorbent material, such as:
  • Kitty litter
  • Corn starch
  • Baking soda
  • Salt
  • Wood shavings
  • Sand
• Bread
• Paper towels
• Spatula
• Dustpan
• Dish liquid
• Mop
• Lint roller

Steps to Clean the Spill:

1. If there is any broken glass in the oil spill (if the bottle shattered), first put on shoes that have rubber soles or are washable. Then, use ice cube tongs¹ or garden gloves to pick up the larger pieces of glass. (Do NOT use oven mitts.) Wrap the glass in newspaper to avoid tearing the trash bag.²
2. Cover the oil with an absorbent material, such as kitty litter³, corn starch⁴, baking soda⁵, salt⁶, wood shavings³, or sand³.
3. Let the absorbent material soak up the oil for about 10-15 minutes.⁶
4. Use paper towels or a spatula to scoop the material into a dustpan.
5. Repeat steps 2-4 until most of the oil is removed.
6. Wipe the floor with slices of bread or paper towels to remove the remaining oil residue.
7. Use a grease-fighting dish liquid and warm water to mop the floor.⁷
8. If there was any glass in the spill, wait for the floor to dry, then run a lint roller or thick tape over the area to pick up any shards.⁸
9. Thoroughly wash the spatula, dustpan and mop with dish liquid and warm water.

• Dip a cloth in soapy water and wipe the outside of the oil container after each use to remove any oil residue. This will prevent the container from being slippery when you pick it up in the future.
• If you use a cloth towel to clean up the spill, wash it in hot water with your usual laundry detergent. Let the towel air dry after the wash. If there are any oil stains on the towel, use the information in the article How To Remove Oil Stains from Cotton.
• For more information on cleaning up broken glass, see the article How to Clean Up Broken Glass.

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