Our granular absorbent products are 100% natural, kiln dried clay with no additives.
These all natural porous minerals are frequently referred to as Fuller’s Earth.
Oil-Dri® owns and operates clay mining & manufacturing facilities in several States in the U.S. See the manufacturing process here.
2. How do I use Oil-Dri granular clay absorbents?
Cover the spill with Oil-Dri® and allow the granules to start absorbing.
Work in with a stiff broom, shovel or shoe to allow all granules to come in contact with fluids.
Add more product until all of the fluid has been absorbed.
Once fluids are absorbed, you’re ready to clean it up for disposal.
3. Do Oil-Dri® granular clay absorbents have a shelf life?
If the packages are stored in a normal, dry or climate controlled environment, the material will last indefinitely.
If left exposed to the environment or allowed to get wet, they may over time absorb humidity or fluid that contacts the material. This could inhibit the product’s effectiveness.
4. What is crystalline silica?
It is one of the most frequently occurring materials on earth and its most common form is sand. Trace amounts are present in Oil-Dri® clay.
5. What’s considered a “high level” of respirable crystalline silica?
Extremely dusty work environments, such as mineral processing, sandblasting, rock cutting, or concrete work, can expose workers to a high level of crystalline silica. Protecting these workers is the main focus of OSHA’s silica regulations. Typical spill clean up with Oil-Dri on a warehouse floor does not raise issues with the regulation of silica dust.
6. Is Oil-Dri® absorbent clay safe for everyday use?
Yes. When Oil-Dri® is poured on a spill, only a negligible amount of dust is created and just a fraction of that dust contains crystalline silica. We have conducted tests to calculate average dust exposure and have found that a worker using clay absorbents over an 8 hour shift would be exposed to less than 1/4000 of the OSHA permissable limit. In short, the oOSHA regulation does not apply to the normal use of clay absorbents in the workplace.
7. Why is there a warning label on a bag of Oil-Dri granular absorbent?
It’s the law! U.S. manufacturers are required to disclose (through labeling) the presence of crystalline silica in industrial products. All Oil- Dri® products have been thoroughly tested and have been determined to be completely safe for their intended uses, as people have been safely using clay-based floor absorbent for decades.
8. What is melt blown polypropylene?
Simply put, melt blown is an absorbent material made by melting polypropylene resins which are turned into fiberous strands and blown onto a conveyer to form an absorbent material that will hold 12-20 times it’s weight in fluid.
9. Why the different colors in polypropylene absorbents?
A color coded system was developed by the industry to better understand the waste stream. Yellow sorbents are used for hazardous fluids to indicate caution when disposing. White sorbents will only absorb petroleum based fluids. Gray universal sorbents can be used on all fluids.
10. What is the white material used for?
White sorbents are hydrophobic and will only absorb petroleum based fluids while repelling water. Great for oil spills, outdoor use, and absorbing floating oil on the surface of water.
11. What is the yellow material used for?
Yellow sorbents are highly visible and used for hazardous fluids to indicate caution when disposing.
12. What is the gray material used for?
Gray sorbents are for universal applications can be used to absorb all fluids.
13. What are spill kits?
A spill kit is a pre-packaged collection of absorbent materials kept readily available to anticipate unexpected leaks and spills that may occur in your facility. Availabel in many sizes and configurations, these kits should be part of every spill control plan. In certain facilities, these kits may be required to comply with regulations.
14. What is sweeping compound?
Sweeping Compound is a moist compound that is pushed in front of a broom while sweeping to prevent dust from becoming airborne and resettling, reducing the inhalation of irritable dust while sweeping.
15. How do I dispose of Oil-Dri absorbents?
Oil-Dri® does not give recommendations for disposing of used material as disposal requirements vary from state to state by the type of fluid that has been absorbed.
Contact officials in your municipality or the local or state offices of the EPA for proper disposal procedures.
See back cover for regulatory contact information.
16. Where can I buy Oil-Dri products?
As a manufacturer, Oil-Dri® has a strong policy to sell directly to distributors and retailers for resale purposes only.
For information on becoming an Oil-Dri® distributor, or to find an Oil-Dri® distributor or retailer in your area, please call Customer Service at 800-645-3747.
17. Did you know?
The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that slips, trips and falls at the same level (falls that are not from an elevated height) are the leading cause of OSHA- recordable injuries, racking up over 152,000 lost work days every year and make up almost 20% of all job-related injuries.
The average cost of a single slip, trip and fall injury is more than $20,000.
1 in 6 of all lost-time work injuries result from slips, trips and falls with an average of 11 days away from work.
Slips, trips and falls account for 15 to 20% of all workers’ compensation expenses.
US businesses spend over $36 billion a year in workers’ comp, insurance premiums and lost productivity.
20 – 30% of people who slip and fall will suffer moderate to severe injuries such as bruises, hip fractures or head injuries.
According to OSHA, slips, trips and falls cause 15% of all accidental deaths and are second only to motor vehicles.
OSHA estimates that over six million facilities in the US are regulated under their Subpart D Standards, which require workplace floors to be 'maintained in a clean and, so far as possible, a dry condition' (29 CFR 1910.22).