| This is an authentic race car oil leak I found when I moved a car out of the way so another one could be worked on. Even if pools of oil still surprise you, you should be prepared to deal with them.
Spills are a fact of life when working on cars. Sometimes your drain pan just isn't big enough, or a hose swings, leaving a trail of liquid to mark its path. Sometimes people--yes, that means you--are clumsy, even if only for a second. Some are clumsier than others, and one of the guys who splits the rent on my shop is a disaster behind a wrench. If there's a mess to be made, he'll find a way.
Berryman Products is known for making cleaning chemicals. Lately, however, Berryman has had an environmentally-friendly product for cleaning up spills: Green Stuff. Green Stuff Absorbent is a granulated phenolic resin foam that is lightweight and absorbs nearly any liquid rapidly. It is non-toxic by itself and complies with most areas' standards for disposal in landfills or incinerators. Once used, Green Stuff can be mixed with more oil and burned in most waste-oil burners, if that's practiced in your area.
I tried Green Stuff around my shop and found it to work well. It cleans the rough, uncoated concrete floor better than wiping with paper towels, turning puddles of oil, brake fluid, power steering fluid or antifreeze into an easily swept-up dust. According to Berryman's studies, roughly one-tenth the weight of Green Stuff is required to clean a given spill versus clay granule absorbent. That's about on par with what I observed, making Green Stuff highly preferable for taking to the track. It even comes in convenient, 1.0-cu-ft bottles with closeable spouts. Having one in the pits at your next track event could make you look like a heck of a Boy Scout.
Having Green Stuff loose in a bag (several sizes are available) may make it slightly easier to use. I found that, while the bottle was full, the Green Stuff tended to pack into the top and come out in clumps. The spout has blades designed to break them up, but getting space inside the bottle to loosen the material seemed to make a bigger difference. You still have to use it for it to be effective, but Berryman Products Green Stuff absorbent can go a long way toward helping you work clean and keep those around you tolerant of your obsession.
