2025 test16 productsShop Chemicals & Lubricants
Which Oil Spill Absorbent Brand Wins?
A head-to-head test of 16 oil spill absorbent options with the measured results for each. See how they ranked and watch the full test video.
Ranked first
Coco Cleaner Pro
Price shown in test: $27
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The measured results
Every number below is read straight from the test. Scroll sideways to see all measurements. Products are listed in the order they finished.
| Product | Granule oil absorption (g) | Concrete lift ranking (granules) | Paper towel oil residue ranking (granules) | Antifreeze/water absorption (g) | Average finish (granules) | Pad oil absorption (g) | Tear resistance dry (oz) | Tear resistance wet (oz) | Concrete lift ranking (pads) | Abrasion resistance (passes to failure) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Coco Cleaner Pro$27 | 128.67 g (1st place, took lead from Zorbit) | 4th place | 1st place, very little oil residue | 237.67 g absorbed (267 g total weight), 1st place | 1.8, best average finish overall | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested |
| 2Zorbent$25 for 5 L | just over 104 g (31.78 g dry to 136 g saturated), took lead from Flash Dry at the time | tied 1st with Spill Hero, based upon looks | tied 2nd with Spill Hero and Zep | just over 141 g absorbed (173 g total weight), about the same as Flash Dry | 2.5, 2nd best average finish | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested |
| 3Zep$41 | 96.45 g absorbed (40.55 g dry to 137 g saturated) | 3rd place | tied 2nd with Spill Hero and Zorbent | just over 146 g absorbed (187 g total weight), 2nd place behind Coco Cleaner Pro | 2.8, 3rd best average finish | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested |
| 4Pig granules$59 for 22 lb | 99.61 g absorbed (69.39 g dry to 169 g saturated), moved into 3rd place | 6th place | 6th place | 134.61 g absorbed (204 g total weight) | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested |
| 5Flash Dry granules$19 for 5 L | 95.51 g absorbed (143 g saturated), about 3 g better than Spill Hero | 5th place | 5th place, left behind a lot of solids | just over 141 g absorbed (189 g total weight), outperformed Spill Hero | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested |
| 6Spill Hero$14 for 5.4 quarts | 92.65 g absorbed (37.35 g dry to 130 g saturated) | tied 1st with Zorbent, based upon looks | tied 2nd with Zorbent and Zep | just over 105 g absorbed (143 g total weight) | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested |
| 7Dr. Elsey's cat litter$21 | 59 g absorbed (306 g dry to 365 g), clearly worse than the dedicated absorbents | tied 7th with Oil Dri | tied 7th with Oil Dri | 142 g absorbed (448 g total weight), did much better on antifreeze than on oil | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested |
| 8Oil Dri$43 | 40.65 g absorbed (171.36 g dry to 212 g saturated), last place, by far the heaviest dry weight of the granules | tied 7th with cat litter | tied 7th with cat litter | just under 84 g absorbed (255 g total weight) | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested |
| 9Pig pad/mats$43 for 20 mats | not tested | not tested | not tested | 260.59 g absorbed (292 g total weight), 1st place | not tested | 256.59 g absorbed (31.41 g dry to 288 g saturated), 2nd place behind Spilfyter | 262 oz, strongest pad tested, just over 16 lb | 260 oz, remained strongest pad after saturation | 6th place | 55 passes, 1st place, took the lead from Star Brite |
| 10Spilfyter$43 for 100 pads | not tested | not tested | not tested | 198.67 g absorbed (224 g total weight), 2nd place behind Pig | not tested | almost 280 g absorbed (25.33 g dry to 305 g saturated), 1st place | 205 oz | 105 oz, lost most of its dry strength when wet | 4th place | 27 passes, 3rd place |
| 11Star Brite$16 | not tested | not tested | not tested | just under 30 g absorbed (59 g total weight), about the same as Oil Eater white | not tested | 252.43 g absorbed (29.57 g dry to 282 g saturated), 3rd place, about 50% heavier dry than Oil Eater white | 174 oz | 146 oz, distant 2nd behind Pig after saturation | 3rd place, a close race with Spilfyter | 50 passes, 2nd place, first layer tore at pass 11 |
| 12Aain$25 for 50 pads | not tested | not tested | not tested | 23.26 g absorbed (44 g total weight) | not tested | just over 201 g absorbed (20.74 g dry to 222 g saturated) | 123 oz | 104 oz | 2nd place | 9 passes, first layer tore at pass 2 |
| 13Oil Eater white$12 for a six-pack | not tested | not tested | not tested | just under 30 g absorbed (48 g total weight) | not tested | 187.47 g absorbed (18.53 g dry to 206 g saturated), far more absorbent than the gray pad | 53 oz | 49 oz, held onto most of its dry strength | 5th place | 6 passes, first layer wore through at pass 2 |
| 14Okllen$32 for 100 pads | not tested | not tested | not tested | 133.86 g absorbed (150 g total weight), best antifreeze result at the time it was tested, finished 3rd overall | not tested | 166.86 g absorbed (16.14 g dry to 183 g saturated), very light dry weight | 168 oz | 139 oz, lost almost 30 oz of strength | 7th place, left behind quite a bit of oil | 6 passes, first layer worn through at pass 2 |
| 15Flashdry pad$50 for 100 pads | not tested | not tested | not tested | just under 22 g absorbed (37 g total weight), the weakest antifreeze result of the pads | not tested | 126.92 g absorbed (just over 15 g dry to 142 g saturated) | 119 oz | 94 oz, lost 25 oz | 1st place, 'definitely did the best job and earned the first place finish' | 15 passes, first layer worn through at pass 3, holding up well for a thin pad |
| 16Oil Eater gray$10 | not tested | not tested | not tested | 79.62 g absorbed (92 g total weight) | not tested | 89.62 g absorbed (12.38 g dry to 102 g saturated) | 51 oz, weakest of the pads | 40 oz, weakest of the pads | 8th (last) place | 3 passes, visible damage on first pass, weakest of the pads |
How it was tested
- granule max oil absorption by weight (g absorbed per approx. 1 cup starting sample)
- granule ability to lift oil off a concrete floor (visual ranking, 1 minute unassisted, shot-vac removal)
- granule paper-towel oil residue comparison (visual, after wipe attempt)
- granule max antifreeze/water absorption by weight
- pad max oil absorption by weight
- pad tear resistance dry and wet (force in oz to tear)
- pad ability to lift oil off a concrete floor (visual ranking, 1 minute unassisted)
- pad abrasion resistance on a concrete paver under a weighted two-finger tester (passes to failure)
- pad max antifreeze/water absorption by weight