How To Clean BBQ Grease off Concrete

Although BBQ meats such as pulled pork and brisket are extremely delicious, BBQ is a messy business.

If you have your offset smoker or kamado grill sitting over a patch of concrete, you’ve got to be extremely careful.

Even though concrete is durable to take a beating from severe weather conditions, the same cannot be said for grease. It is very difficult to get grease out of concrete.

However, you will have no trouble getting BBQ grease out of your concrete once you read this guide.

Contents

How To Clean BBQ Grease off Concrete
Final Thoughts

How To Clean BBQ Grease off Concrete

Let’s get right into it. These 5 methods will help you get that nasty grease off of your concrete surface.

I must preface these 5 techniques by saying you should clean up the BBQ grease while it is still wet.

Simply sprinkle cornmeal or sawdust on top of the grease spot and let it dry for a minimum of 2 hours. Next, sweep the cornmeal or sawdust away with an old broom.

This is just an initial step to soak up the wet grease; you will need to try one of the 5 methods listed below to remove the grease spots from the concrete.

Vinegar

Vinegar is an inexpensive staple ingredient that serves several purposes in the home. It’s also a really great method for removing grease stains from concrete.

Combine a 1/2 cup of washing soda with 2 cups of water, 2 tablespoons of white vinegar, and a little liquid dishwasher detergent in a large bucket.

Use washing soda, not baking soda. Washing soda and baking soda are different substances.

Washing soda is a chemical ingredient that is used to get stubborn stains out of laundry. Baking soda is a chemical leavening mixture.

Pour the solution onto the affected patches of concrete and scrub it into the concrete using a stiff nylon brush. Rinse the concrete and repeat until the BBQ grease stain is gone.

Baking Soda

Baking soda is a cheap household ingredient that everyone has probably got in their house.

This magical ingredient can pull out the grease stain without damaging the concrete.

To use the baking soda method, sprinkle a thick layer of baking soda over the grease stain and let the solution sit for a minimum of 30 minutes.

Add some drops of dish soap to the baking soda and scrub it using a damp nylon brush.

Continue scrubbing the dish soap baking soda mixture until the grease spot disappears. You may need to add additional dish soap and water to get the grease stain out.

Once the grease stain is gone, rinse the spot thoroughly and let it air dry.

Although the concrete should be free of grease spots, you can give it a second baking soda scrub if necessary.

Remember, if you wait too long to add the baking soda, the grease spot will be harder to remove, so you may have to use another method if it doesn’t work.

Cat Litter and Cola

Cat litter and cola, what a strange combination! Nevertheless, it is still a great way to remove grease spots from concrete.

Sprinkle a moderate amount of cat litter on the stained area.

Get a pair of old tennis shoes, put them on and walk across the cat litter to rub the litter into the stain.

Next, sweep the cat litter into a bag and toss it in the trash.

Add a liberal amount of generic cola to the grease spot and scrub it into the concrete with a stiff nylon brush.

Next, let the cola sit on the stain for 20 minutes, adding more cola as necessary to prevent it from drying out.

Rinse the cola away with a hose. You will notice greyish spots where the grease stains were, do not panic.

Combine a cup of ammonia-free laundry detergent and a cup of chlorine bleach with a gallon of hot water in a large bucket.

With heavy-duty protective gloves, rub the solution into the concrete using a stiff until the stain is gone. Rinse the concrete with water, then let it air dry.

Acetone

The acetone method works just like the baking soda technique. The only difference is you can walk away from it.

First, mix 2 cups of acetone with baking soda until it has a paste-like consistency.

The goal is to cover the entire grease spot, so you may need to add more or less acetone depending on the size of the grease spot.

Spread the acetone baking soda solution on the stain, then cover it tightly with plastic wrap.

Tape down the edges of the plastic and let the solution sit for 24 hours.

Remove the plastic wrap from the grease spot and allow the solution to dry completely before sweeping it away with an old broom.

Trisodium Phosphate

Trisodium phosphate is a great way to tackle stubborn old grease stains.

Trisodium phosphate, also known as TSP, is an artificial substance that creates an alkaline solution when mixed with water.

The TSP works best when it is not raining outside, so you may have to wait until the weather is dry and sunny.

You will need additional supplies if you use this technique, such as sawdust, protective gear such as rubber gloves and goggles as well as a large bucket.

The trisodium phosphate method takes much longer since it has to sit overnight.

Add one cup of trisodium phosphate and a gallon of water to the bucket and let it dissolve.

Add a couple of handfuls of sawdust and stir it with a stick.

You should add enough that the solution has a peanut butter consistency.

Spread the TSP solution over the BBQ grease spot and let it sit overnight.

The next day, the TSP solution should be dry enough that you can easily sweep it away with an old broom.

Final Thoughts

There’s nothing worse than BBQ grease spilling on concrete, except for BBQ sauce spilling on the carpet.

Now that you know how to get BBQ grease out of concrete, you can keep your concrete nice and pristine.

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William Thomas

I have been smoking and grilling meat from an early age and enjoy sharing my knowledge and expertise through the hundreds of articles I have written about BBQ. I hope to make everyone’s BBQ journey that little bit easier.