I'm a messy mechanic and I always manage to get any liquid I'm working with onto the floor. Most will dry out on their own, but the oil usually stays on forever. With these pads I can only soak up the oil and not anything else I spilled like beer. If oil does get into the antifreeze these hydrophobic pads will only catch the oil from the top and you can recycle your antifreeze as usual. Much lighter than tons of kitty litter and doesn't stink. Now instead of throwing 20 pounds of junk in a puddle of water with a bit of oil, I just clean up the oil and go, the rest can dry by itself. When you wash parts with a water-based cleaner, they float to the top and collect oil, keeping them clean and tidy longer.