Kitchens are very often the hub of the home. We often do not realise it, but sometimes we have to dodge around other people and other obstacles with food, drinks, hot frying pans, cooking pots and other liquids such as oil in our hands, and they can easily get spilt and stain the floor.
If you are one of those people who think you have tried everything to clean up that mess, then this article is for you.
How to clean spilt oil off the floor step by step
Although there are many specific cleaning products on the market today, we are going to give you some useful tips using products that we all have at home, and which are not harmful either for us or for the environment.
- Baking powder:
- Sprinkle some baking powder over the stain.
- Allow it to work for around an hour.
- Then scrub the floor with a brush and hot water, and clean the floor as usual afterwards.
- Flour:
- Sprinkle some flour over the oil stain and then scrub it to make a dough type substance, as if we were kneading it.
- Then dab the dough mixture on the stain until the oil is absorbed.
- Wash the floor with hot water and our usual washing-up liquid.
- Salt or sugar:
- Sprinkle some salt or sugar over the stain.
- Allow it to work for half an hour to absorb the oil.
- Wipe it off with a disposable cloth to get rid of the remains.
- Finally, clean with hot water and soap, or a little ammonia.
- Ammonia:
- Depending on the surface to clean, we can apply a little ammonia mixed with hot water directly on the stain and then scrub it using a brush.
If the stain is very stubborn, repeat the process, since we will often need to do this several times to completely remove the stain.

How to get rid of fat from terrazzo flooring without damaging it
Nevertheless, if the oil or fat stain is on terrazzo or other porous flooring, we will need to pay special attention, because depending on the product we use, we could damage the floor surface.
The most important thing is to act as quickly as possible to avoid the oil or fat penetrating the surface and making it harder to clean.
In the case of terrazzo flooring, which along with marble is very delicate and can easily lose its finish, we need to ensure proper maintenance.
Cleaning oil and fat stains from terrazzo flooring:
- The first thing to do is to absorb the spilt oil. Do this by using absorbent paper to clean up as much oil as possible from the floor. Then gently press the paper over the stain to soak up any remaining oil.
- Use stain remover: we can use a spray-on stain remover. Apply it directly to the oil stain. Afterwards, use a soft bristle scrubbing brush to gently scrub the stain and remove the fat or oil from the terrazzo.
- Shake off the powder and then use a damp cloth: finally, vacuum the white powder up and wipe the terrazzo flooring using a damp cleaning cloth. It is also important to get rid of any remains of the stain remover to avoid it building up on the surface of the terrazzo flooring.
Remember to always test a little product in an area where it won’t be seen if it spoils the flooring, before applying it to the stain.