Tiki Torches for decoration and entertainment | Tiki Torch Fuel Spill Clean Up

For all the delight of tiki torches, there's one frustration I hear mentioned time and again - how do I clean up tiki torch oil spills? I hear you and sympathize. Lord knows I've been there. Worse, I've advised you to clean up spills promptly for safety reasons in a couple posts and only now realized I never really provided instructions on how to do so. Sorry about that, folks. Blame all those Lava Flows and Pina Coladas my wife and I have been enjoying around our tiki torches. Slows the brain down a bit.

The problem with tiki torch fuel spills is that, not only does the stuff do a great job of staining concrete, it does an even better job of leaving behind a horrid smell if spilled on upholstery. The more common lament is an outdoor spill but it's more frustrating when the problem is a tip-over while transporting the stuff in a car. So to answer this question we're going to tackle both indoor and outdoor tiki torch fuel spills.

Clean up tiki torch oil spills from concrete - If you've spilled oil-based tiki torch fuel on brick or concrete, promptly soak up as much of the oil as possible using paper towels. If you want to use cloth towels, be prepared to throw them away as they will be ruined. Rags, likewise, should be thrown away as they will be impregnated with a highly flammable oil and represent a tremendous fire hazard if stored in a closed environment. One more point - don't step on the paper towels to compress them into the oil. While you may soak up oil more quickly, you'll also leave your shoes reeking to high heaven of oil (particularly bad if you then track it into your house).

Once the puddle has been removed as much as possible, pour kitty litter over the entire spill area and allow it to soak up any remaining oil. Give it several hours in hopes that as much of the oil will leech into the litter from the concrete as possible. Use a broom to sweep up the litter and discard it.

If you're left with a tiki torch oil stain, use a commercial driveway cleaner designed to clean up automotive oil in an effort to remove any remaining discoloration. Whatever product you purchase, ensure it is safe for the surface you wish to treat.

Clean up tiki torch oil from car upholstery - As with a concrete spill, use paper towels to soak up as much of the oil as soon as you possibly can. You may need to remove the upholstery and dab at the padding underneath as well.

No matter what conventional cleaner you try at this point, you'll be left with the horrid lingering odor of tiki torch fuel. Two home remedies that people rave about are baking soda and coffee grounds (a trucker's favorite solution).

For the baking soda solution, pour the product liberally over the area of the spill and leave it there. You may want to go as long as a week before vacuuming the baking soda up to let it fully absorb any remaining oil and odor. This is the best solution if you are concerned about stains from coffee grounds.

If you're not worried about stains (and those who have tried this swear there are none) you can opt for the much lauded coffee ground solution. For this clean up, your next step is to dampen the entire area with water, then pour coffee grounds over the entire stain and let them soak for several hours (better yet, overnight). Next, vacuum the coffee grounds up and discard.

 And that's how you clean up tiki torch fuel spills, folks. Of course those aren't the only ways, I'm sure. If anybody out there has any other suggestions, please do leave a comment to let me know. Also, if you use any of the above methods, please let me know your results. Happy Torchin'!

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