Hello everyone. I'm new here and hope someone can help me. I was cleaning the gutters on our new home (just over a year old) using my old bucket truck. (I love toys) The main hydraulic line feeding the contols in the bucket blew off. At over 2000 psi it didn't take long to empty the tank of hydraulic fluid. Unfortunately I was next to the back porch. It sprayed fluid all over the steps and also an area about 8X10 on the porch decking. This fluid had been flowing through the system so while it is not hot it is quite warm - makes it soak in faster. Cleanup had to be delayed while I contemplated how the heck I was gonna get down. With no fluid the bucket is frozen in position. With somewhat less than agile manuvering I got my aging body over the edge of the bucket and onto an extention ladder one of my son's put in place after his momma called him to "come help". By the time all this was completed it was getting dark so I delayed cleanup until the next day. Probably a bad move. My pressure washer go some of the surface residue off but the oil that had penetrated remains. I have read of using talc or cat litter after wetting the wood with something. Does anyone have any experience with this. I hate to jump in and make it worse than it already is. If it can't be removed do you think an opaque stain would penetrate the area where the oil was. It has dried for several weeks now. I hate to buy some high dollar stain only to find it just lays on top.

Thanks for any advice y'all can provide. Maybe I can contribute to some area of the forum later on - but not in Cleaning and Stain Removal

Later, Pel

 

Welcome to the forums!

Was the deck unsealed? is so, how old is the deck?
Have you tried scrubbing with any type of detergent?

 

'mornin marksr. Being one of the last of the big time procrastinators, the deck was unsealed. My policy - why put off until tomorrow what you can put off until a few months from now. We moved into the house in Feb of last year. Tried scrubbing with dishwashing liquid.

I guess I'm probably screwed. Do you think the stain would work?

Thanks for your time, Pel

 

I'd try a stronger detergent like TSP or even laundry detergent and some elbow grease

As long as enough oil is removed so there is no adhesion problems, it's ok to stain over it. The more pigment the stain has, the more it will cover; semi-transparent will hide more than clear/toners, solid stain will hide more than semi-transparent.

Actually you can even use the oil as a preservative. Many farmers use burnt motor oil as a cheap coating for barns and such.

 

Where can I find TSP? Would I have to go to a commercial cleaning supply house?

Thinks I'll get it as good as I can with something like that and then use the solid stain.

'preciate yer input.

Pel

 

I usually buy TSP at the paint store but I'm sure it's sold elsewhere - probably a hardware store, maybe a big box.

TSP = tri sodium phosphate