getting oil stains offa concrete floor

[audiopile]

My truck seems to have developed a transmission leak.  It let me know by drooling about a gallon of ATF on my shop floor (Friday night).  I'm not too worried about the truck's tranny... that I can fix... but:  I sopped up the pool of oil with a pile of rags & scrubbed the oiled area down with gas... mopping up the gas & oil with more shop rags... but the floor's still gotta nasty stain where the pool of ATF was.  I'm fixing to hit it next with a decent hot-water pressure washer.  Anybody here got any tried and true suggestions for getting the oil stain out of the concrete?

[BillESC]

Try a box of baking soda.  Sprinkle it liberally on the stain and allow to sit overnight.  It should pull some of the stain out of the concrete.

[RoadRanger]

I've seen folks put speedy-dry on it every night to try to wick it out of the concrete but don't know how effective that is. I'd think fuller's earth (cat litter) would work better myself? The 20-20 hindsight thing to do it to use a sealer on the concrete before the problem .

[audiopile]

The 20-20 hindsight thing to do it to use a sealer on the concrete before the problem .

Do you have a recommendation for a good sealer? 

When that slab was poured, I asked the siderod for the concrete crew if they'd sealed it, as sealing it was in the bid... and I'd watched the whole operation and I hadn't observed any portion of the operation that looked like sealing was applied.  He looked at me like I had a third dick growing out the side of my head... and didn't say nothin... just walked off... got in his brand new Dodge turbo Cummins diesel dually one ton crew cab 4X4 pick-up truck with the custom sculpted leather interior, surround sound sound system, chrome mudflaps, monster gumbo tires with the gold plated super-trucker rims, 6" lift kit, and 16 shock absorbers... and drove off.

[RoadRanger]

I've seen it done and really should do my garage this year before I mess it up . A quick search brought this up:
http://www.concretenetwork.com/products-sealer
Hope that helps!

[BillESC]

You can't seal a freshly poured concrete pad.  It must cure at least a month.

[BigJD]

I use TSP from the Home Depot. Buy the powdered version it works well.

[monthlymixcd]

+1 for TSP... wear gloves though 'cause that stuff will eat your hands faster than you can say Jeffrey Dahmer!

[TimmyP1955]

Muriatic Acid used to be a common concrete cleaner.

[audiopile]

Muriatic Acid used to be a common concrete cleaner.

That's an idea... but for what I know, that sort of works... by dissolving the surface of the concrete.  I'd like to avoid that as the surface is burned in nice and smooth.

I like the idea of using a chalk (diatamatious earth or Fullers earth) to try and wick the oil out of the concrete pores.  I'm fixin on trying that soon as I make a trip to town.

[Keyguy]

Griot's Garage makes something called, strangely enough, "Concrete Cleaner". It's expensive, but it works. (removing hydraulic fluid from my driveway).

http://www.griotsgarage.com/product/in+your+garage/garage+clean+up/concrete+cleaner.do