Hello,

Recently purchased a new house, and started to notice an oil smell in the basement. I searched and searched and eventually found a large oil stain on the concrete slab in the furnace room.

When i put my nose to the concrete, I can tell this is where the smell is coming from. I have done the following which has helped a little:
1- Vinegar and Baking soda
2- Detergent
3- Enzymes (oil eating bacteria) to eat the oil
4- Concrete Cleaner (Zep purple bottle)

All of these things have helped a little but there is still a smell.

Besides destroying the slab and getting a new floor put in, what else can i do? I read somewhere to seal it, but then read this won't seal in the odor. Anyone have any success stories?

 

Concrete is porous so the oil has likely soaked deep into it. You can repeatedly try cleaning and each time you might remove a little bit more. The difficult part is you are trying to suck oil out of concrete so you likely will never get it all. If you can't get it good enough I would look at a solid rubber mat to lay over the area.

 

Open containers of activated charcoal can help reduce odors too.
Others have mentioned using a product called Odor-Kill powder.

Utility Mfg. - Fuel Oil - Deodorizers & Tank Cleaners

 

Thank's, i'll keep cleaning it and see how much i can get out and give the solid rubber mat a shot.

 

i'll give this a shot too. thanks, stay tuned.