Found out a car I just bought has used motor oil spilled in the floor of the back seat.. is that ok?

Question

THere seemed to have been a large amount of used motor oil spill back there but most of it is all soaked up. Isn't used motor oil supposed to be cancerous or something? Can the residue harm me? My lungs?

Answer 1

I wouldn't lick the floor or anything, but the only thing in danger is whatever you put on the floor back there will get dirty. Other than that, don't worry. It's antifreeze that you have to worry about. The old green kind is deadly.

Answer 2

i work in a shop and change oil a lot every day. We have signs posted saying that long term contact with used motor is known to cause cancer. So i would say as long as your shoe's are the only thing on the floor then you should be safe.

Answer 3

It shouldn't be harmful if it's been cleaned properly. Also, used motor oil in liquid form will not harm you in any way as long as you aren't drinking it. If it gets hot enough to boil, yes it can be bad. I'd assume it's pretty much unnoticeable as far as the fluid would go, so it's highly unlikely it'll cause any health issues.

Answer 4

clean it up with a steam cleaner and some grease remover. motor oil can produce vapours in small amounts. it's not as volatile as gasoline but you still don't want to smell that stuff if you know it's dangerous for you.

i like to rent a carpet cleaner once a year. after i do the house and all the furniture, i do the cars as well. everything's nice and clean again

Answer 5

The only harm that motor oil does is to the landfills.....it does not decompose. That is why you can't just throw it in your trash. You will be fine, there are no effects of oil on anything but seals trying to swim with it caked all over themselves!

Answer 6

you can remove most of that with a carpet steamer. get a really good grease remover and steam it. good luck and happy holidays=)

Answer 7

hhhehehhe yeah man look it up on yahoo

Answer 8

odd

Answer 9

good grief, don't worry so much!~~