Oil removal from carpet?

During the winter, a stowed gallon jug of engine oil cracked and leaked, seeping from from the storage compartment into the glue-down carpet on the forward stateroom floor. Carpet is shallow nylon cut pile. Subfloor is fiberglass. Any better methods to remove oil from carpet will be greatly appreciated. (Now frequently applying very hot water and Dawn and blotting with Brady SPC Basic Oil-Only Heavy Weight Absorbent Pad.)

Have you considered employing a professional carpet cleaning service?
Or do a general computer search on "How to remove oil from carpet?"

Look at it as an upgrade. With the oil sitting on the carpet and seeping into the wood, it may be time for new carpet. Total removal may not be possible. I know that you can’t remove red wine from carpet.

I contacted a pro carpet cleaning crew. They advised we needed to get virtually all the oil collected before cleaning could be effective. No suggestion on how to do it other than hot soapy water and blotters. After 3 repetitions, it's already getting old with many more treatments yet to come.

They also counseled that if there is a wooden floor beneath the carpet, installing new carpet would not solve the problem. Eventually oil in the wood would migrate up and collect soil on the carpet and make adjacent wood surfaces (steps) slippery. If the subfloor is fiberglass (which it is) the old carpet and adhesive can be removed, the surface cleaned and new carpet glued in place.

Fortunately, my wife is a genius at removing most stains, including wine on carpet, but an oil spill she can't fix.

Larry M said:

Look at it as an upgrade. With the oil sitting on the carpet and seeping into the wood, it may be time for new carpet. Total removal may not be possible. I know that you can’t remove red wine from carpet.

Click to expand...

guess i should switch to white wine

Corn starch is very effective at pulling oil and grease out of beaver felt (cowboy hats). I would try multiple applications of that. On the upside, it is very cheap so you won’t spend a fortune.

Since you likely have to pull the carpet to clean underneath, it would be best to do it in the warm sun if possible to minimize the amount of interior humidity it attracts vs. oil.

Buy a few boxes of baking soda and sprinkle on the carpet then brush or vacuum. When most of the oil is absorbed use K2r, a spray spot lifter that you might find at some supermarkets but more likely at a hardware store. K2r is also excellent for teak decks if you get potato chips, cheese or salad dressing on the teak.