What Do Real Customers Say About Shurfoot Non-Slip Absorbent Powder?

Author Byline: Written by the Shurfoot team at W.F. Leonard Co. Shurfoot Non-Slip Absorbent is made in the USA and holds both USDA and CFIA authorization. We've been helping workplaces stay safe and slip-free for decades.

The best way to understand a product is to hear from the people who actually use it. Shurfoot Non-Slip Absorbent Powder is rated 4.4 out of 5 stars across verified reviews in Amazon. Customers say it absorbs better than cat litter, sawdust, or Oil-Dri, and its fine powder reaches cracks those products miss.

We collected real Shurfoot reviews from verified buyers, a handwritten letter from a pork processing plant forklift operator, an independent FARM SHOW Magazine feature, and recommendations from warehouse worker and boot care communities. Here is what they have to say.

TL;DR What Customers Say About Shurfoot 

• 4.4 out of 5 stars. Customers keep saying the same thing: "a little goes a long way." Every reviewer, even the critical ones, still gave 4 stars or higher.
• Where people use it. Garage oil spills (most common), pork processing plant floors, refrigerated warehouse docks, dairy barns, restaurant kitchens, leather boots, taxidermy, driveways, winter steps, and auto detailing.
• Why they switched. Cat litter mixed with oil instead of absorbing it. Sawdust left residue. Oil-Dri could not reach cracks. Salt made a worse mess. Customers tried Shurfoot and did not go back.
• The stories that stand out. A forklift operator at a 6,000 hog per day plant wrote his first ever product thank you letter. A warehouse worker's entire recommendation was one word: "Shurfoot." A boot enthusiast used it overnight to save a $600 pair of leather boots.

How Shurfoot Gave a Pork Processing Plant Forklift Operator Traction on Blood, Water, and Ice Covered Floors

This is the Shurfoot review that started it all for us. In 2017, a forklift driver at a major pork processing plant sat down and wrote us a handwritten letter, the first time he had ever written to any company about any product.

2,000 Pound Loads on Slick Steel Ramps

In November 2017, we received a handwritten letter at our office in Meriden, Kansas. It came from R. Nelson, a forklift operator and safety council member at Rantoul Foods, a pork processing plant in Rantoul, Illinois, where they process over 6,000 hogs per day.

R. Nelson's job was to load product. Specifically, he drove a forklift carrying loads averaging over 2,000 pounds up a steel ramp, on a timed schedule, inside a cooler where the floors were constantly slick with blood, water, and ice. The slick floors, he wrote, were "a major safety concern for every fork lift driver and those around us."

Salt That Made It Worse

Before Shurfoot, his plant used salt to manage the floors. The result? In Nelson's own words, salt "always ended up in a black slimy slick muddy mess." It did not solve the problem. It created a new one.

"We Do Not Have Slick Floors"

Then they tried Shurfoot non-slip powder. The difference was immediate. "When I use SHURFOOT on and around my ramp area, and elsewhere in my cooler and also around our plant, in those areas with SHURFOOT, we do not have slick floors," Nelson wrote.

He was honest about the product's limitations, too. With big cooler fans running, you cannot simply throw the powder or it will blow onto product, and that is not acceptable in a food processing environment. On solid ice, he noted, it requires a heavier application to do any good.

The First Product Letter He Ever Wrote

But the bottom line was clear enough that Nelson did something he had never done before in his life: he sat down and wrote a thank you letter to a company.

"This is the first time I've been moved to write any company to thank them for their product," he wrote. He also sent a version of the letter to FARM SHOW Magazine, the independent publication where real farmers and workers nominate their best and worst buys, "so others may also learn about SHURFOOT."

Published in FARM SHOW Magazine

FARM SHOW published his testimonial in their "Farmers Nominate Best & Worst Buys" section (Vol. 42, No. 1). In that feature, Nelson stated simply: "Shurfoot non-slip floor absorbent has virtually eliminated slick floor problems." He added that it "also works good for absorbing any oil on the floor in our maintenance bay." FARM SHOW does not accept paid placements in this section. Every product featured there is nominated by real readers.

When a forklift driver hauling 2,000 pound loads through blood and ice writes his first ever product letter, and then goes out of his way to tell a national magazine about it, that is a Shurfoot review that speaks for itself.

How a Refrigerated Warehouse Loading Dock Solved Its Wet Floor Safety Problem With One Word

Sometimes the best recommendation is the shortest one. In an online warehouse forum, a manager described a dangerous wet floor crisis, and the entire solution someone gave him was a single word.

Condensation Turning a 42 Door Dock Into a "Lake"

In an online warehouse workers' community, a manager posted about a crisis that anyone running a refrigerated facility during summer will recognize. His operation featured a large loading dock held at 32 degrees Fahrenheit for fresh product. The facility had 42 dock doors, and during the summer months, 10 to 15 of them had to be open simultaneously for loading and unloading.

Here is what happens. Warm, humid summer air hits a freezing concrete floor, and you get continuous, heavy condensation. The dock became, as the manager described it, a "lake." And it was not just an inconvenience. It was a "real safety issue" for the 20 to 40 people operating forklifts in the area.

Expensive Fixes That Would Take Years

Other users in the thread jumped in with solutions. Lower the temperature further. Install positive pressure HVAC systems. Use thicker plastic thermal curtains. All valid long term engineering fixes, and all either impractical (you cannot freeze fresh product) or enormously expensive (facility redesigns take years and millions of dollars to implement).

The One Word Answer

Then one user cut through the entire engineering debate with a single word: "Shurfoot."

No explanation. No link. No sales pitch. Just the product name, offered as the obvious answer.

That one word says more than any sales pitch could. When you work in warehouses and logistics, you know what Shurfoot is. It gives you traction in standing water and right on top of ice, so a dock manager dealing with condensation today does not have to wait years for a big construction project. You just open a bag of Shurfoot and keep things running safely right now.

Two Forklift Operators, Same Problem, Same Answer

Think about it: R. Nelson's situation was the same thing. Both are forklift operators working in cold, wet environments. Both have the same problem: slick floors where heavy equipment needs traction so nobody gets hurt. One wrote a heartfelt letter. The other typed a single word. Same product. Same trust.

Shurfoot Oil Absorbent Reviews From Garage, Driveway, and Workshop Users

The single largest group of Shurfoot customer reviews comes from people managing oil, antifreeze, and fluid spills in home garages, driveways, and workshops. Across these reviews, the story is the same: customers try Shurfoot after years of using cat litter, sawdust, or coarse absorbents, and they do not go back.

Concrete That Looks Like New After Sawdust Failed

M. Kraus, a verified buyer, ordered Shurfoot specifically for oil and antifreeze spills on his untreated garage floor. After trying it out: "I have used saw dust in the past and had pretty good luck with it but this fine powder leaves the concrete looking like there was never a spill." He called it "pretty good value too."

Cat Litter Mixes With Oil, Shurfoot Actually Absorbs It

PJ H. had been dealing with something a lot of people know: an older car that leaked oil onto the street every week. After years of trying other materials, including clay cat litter, he found something that actually worked. "I've tried other materials in the past, including clay cat litter, and those tend to just mix with the oil rather than actually absorbing it. This product performs very differently. It really clumps the oil together and makes cleanup much easier."

Fine Powder Reaches Cracks Coarse Absorbents Miss

That same experience with clay absorbents came up over and over. Mr. Chianti, a workshop user, put it this way: "I like this because it gets into the smaller depressions and cracks of concrete like speedy-dry or cat litter doesn't. This gives you a more effective cleanup."

TheManCar echoed this, noting that "the problem is the coarse material is OK for big spills, but getting the last of it was never easy. This is almost a powder. Just a little bit is needed to absorb the spill. It gets down further than the coarse material can."

Decades of Oil-Dri, Then a Switch

A. LeBlanc, who made a video review testing Shurfoot on multiple liquids, had been using the other stuff for years: "As someone who used the rather coarse 'oil dry' for decades, trying out this pumice-based absorbent a very nice change! It didn't take much to absorb the variety of liquids that I tested."

More Garage and Driveway Shurfoot Reviews

S. Wentzel kept it simple in his verified purchase review: "This stuff sucks up a lot of oil for not being that much material. It doesn't have any dust and it cleans up easily."

Alex used it for hydraulic fluid leaks and oil changes in his home workshop and found it "very absorbent" with only a small amount needed. E. Middleton noted it "spreads easily and absorbs oil, water, and other fluids efficiently" while improving traction and reducing odors in his workspace.

CG summed it up: "This stuff works great. Worth having around if you do repairs at home, especially when dealing with oil." G. Watkins was even more concise: "Cleaned up after an oil leak. No complaints."

Matilda tested it on automotive fluids her husband left in the driveway and found the Shurfoot oil absorbent "cleans the stain and leaves no residue behind." She added the product "keeps you sure-footed so you don't slip." ctkag offered a practical tip: the fine pumice powder works best on smooth finish surfaces like epoxied concrete, tile, and countertops, where the oil absorbent powder can make full contact with the spill.

Why the Wrong Absorbent Can Ruin a Shop Floor

Beyond individual reviews, experienced mechanics in online safety forums describe what happens when you use the wrong absorbent long term. Traditional clay absorbents, when saturated with heavy oils over months and years, harden into a permanent layer on the shop floor. One veteran mechanic described a shop where this buildup was two inches thick, solid black, and hard as pavement. Workers had to "break it up with picks" to clean it.

Shurfoot avoids this entirely because it sweeps up after drying and can even be washed down a standard drain without clogging the plumbing. If you deal with spills regularly, that matters more than you might think.

Unexpected Uses for Shurfoot on Leather Boots, Dairy Farms, Taxidermy, and More

One thing that keeps coming up in Shurfoot reviews is how many different ways people end up using it. We made it for USDA inspected food processing floors. But our customers keep finding new problems it can solve.

Pulling Chain Oil Out of $600 Leather Boots Overnight

In an online boot enthusiast community, a member had a disaster: chainsaw bar oil poured all over a pair of premium Horween Natural Chromexcel leather boots during a wood splitting session. Baking soda, dish soap, and saddle soap all failed to fully remove the deep oil stains.

Then another community member shared their own experience: "I used SHURFOOT oil absorbant powder on them overnight and it pulled the oil out of the leather, then conditioned them and they came out great afterward." The original poster immediately replied that he would be looking into getting some of the powder. A third user independently confirmed the recommendation and linked to the product.

And it turns out this is not just one person's trick. Across multiple boot and leather care forums (covering brands like Red Wing, Allen Edmonds, and western boots), enthusiasts are using industrial absorbent powders for leather restoration. The way they see it: if a product is USDA approved for food processing environments and rated "harmless to skin, clothing, and floors," it is safe enough to trust on a $600 pair of heritage leather boots.

Absorbing Heavy Grease During Animal Fleshing for Taxidermy

K. Wolf, a verified reviewer, uses Shurfoot for a purpose the manufacturer almost certainly never anticipated: cleaning heavy grease from animal hides during the fleshing process. Raccoon hides, in particular, carry an extremely thick layer of fat.

The taxidermist's traditional solution, borax, "makes little impact on the difficulty of getting a hide truly clean." Shurfoot was a revelation. "How well does it work? IT'S AWESOME!" Wolf wrote. "It absorbs the grease as it goes, and I use very little of it compared to using borax." The key difference: borax dissolves into a useless slurry when it contacts heavy grease, while Shurfoot absorbs the grease without breaking down.

Keeping Dairy Cows From Slipping on Wet Barn Floors

P. Braun of Wolfgang Dairy LLC in Wisconsin uses Shurfoot to prevent cows from slipping on barn surfaces wet from manure and humidity. "It is doing what we want, keeping cows from slipping," he wrote. His only note: the cost keeps him from using as much as he would like, though the larger bag sizes help with that.

Auto Detailing, Winter Traction, Kitchen Grease, and Restaurant Floors

We also found auto detailing enthusiasts in online forums talking about using industrial absorbent powders for removing oil stains from car upholstery and interior surfaces, another crossover application where Shurfoot's fine texture and non-toxic formula make it a natural fit.

S. O. bought Shurfoot specifically as a salt alternative for her front steps in winter. "I'm always nervous about using salt on the concrete as it seems to corrode the concrete," she wrote, "so hopefully the pumice will be gentler."

Mich pointed out a practical household use: "You could also keep some powder on hand in the kitchen to use on grease fires or old oil/fats that you need to dispose of rather than dumping it down your drain."

T. Burk tested Shurfoot and had a simple recommendation for the food service industry: "I would suggest it for any one that has a Restaurant." The Amazonian reviewer said the same thing in different words: "The granules are odorless, fire-safe, and dust-free, making them suitable for indoor shop floors, garages, or food prep zones."

From slaughterhouse floors to Horween leather to raccoon hides to dairy barns to restaurant kitchens, people keep buying Shurfoot for one thing and then finding five more uses for it.

Shurfoot vs. Cat Litter, Oil-Dri, Sawdust, Salt, and Borax According to Real Customers

Across Shurfoot customer reviews, people keep doing the same thing: they compare it to whatever they were using before, and Shurfoot wins. Here is what real users say about each alternative, in their own words.

Shurfoot vs. Cat Litter and Clay Absorbents

This is the comparison that comes up the most, and it is not even close. PJ H. tried clay cat litter for chronic oil leaks and found it lacking: "those tend to just mix with the oil rather than actually absorbing it."

Mr. Chianti explained why the fine powder outperforms granular clay: Shurfoot "gets into the smaller depressions and cracks of concrete like speedy-dry or cat litter doesn't." TheManCar agreed, noting the fine powder "gets down further than the coarse material can."

And over time, clay gets even worse. Experienced mechanics in online forums talk about what happens when you keep using clay absorbent on the same shop floor for months and years. It hardens into a permanent two inch thick layer of solid, blackened oil that is "like asphalt."

Workers eventually have to break it up with picks. Shurfoot, by contrast, sweeps up cleanly after each use and can be washed down a standard drain. No buildup. No permanent mess.

Shurfoot vs. Sawdust

M. Kraus had "pretty good luck" with sawdust in the past, but after testing Shurfoot, the difference was clear: "this fine powder leaves the concrete looking like there was never a spill." Sawdust absorbs, but it leaves residue and does not provide the same clean finish.

Shurfoot vs. Oil-Dri and Coarse Absorbents

A. LeBlanc used "rather coarse oil dry for decades" before switching. His take: switching to Shurfoot's pumice based absorbent was "a very nice change." TheManCar put it simply: coarse material works for the initial spill, "but getting the last of it was never easy." Shurfoot's fine powder picks up what coarser products leave behind.

Shurfoot vs. Borax for Taxidermy and Animal Fleshing

K. Wolf, who uses Shurfoot for taxidermy work, had been using borax like most people in the trade. Borax "makes little impact" on heavy animal grease and dissolves into a useless slurry. Shurfoot absorbs the grease without breaking down, using far less product in the process.

Shurfoot vs. Salt for Floor Traction in Processing Plants

R. Nelson's pork processing plant tried salt before Shurfoot. The result was "a black slimy slick muddy mess." Salt did not provide traction. It created a worse hazard. Shurfoot eliminated the slick floor problem entirely.

What It All Comes Down To

Every one of these comparisons in Shurfoot reviews points to the same thing: the best oil absorbent powder is the one that actually absorbs without making a new mess, and that keeps being Shurfoot.

Why Food Processing Plants, Warehouses, and Shops Trust Shurfoot

The customer reviews above tell you how Shurfoot works in the real world. Here is a little background on why it works the way it does, and why professional facilities from meat plants to commercial kitchens to big warehouses keep ordering it.

• USDA and CFIA approved. Shurfoot is cleared for use in federally inspected meat, poultry, and fish packing plants. This is a standard in professional food processing, not some small, unknown product.
• Made from natural volcanic ash. The pumice and perlite base is what gives Shurfoot its fine powder texture, the kind that gets into cracks and low spots coarse clay absorbents skip right over. It is also non-toxic, odorless, and safe for skin, clothing, and floors.
• Fire safe and suppresses vapors. If someone spills gasoline or solvent, Shurfoot does not just soak it up. It also holds down the fumes. Some facilities keep it on hand as part of their spill response kit for that reason.
• Drain safe. You can sweep Shurfoot up or wash it right down a standard drain. Clay absorbents turn into cement-like sludge in your plumbing. If your crew washes down floors every day, that difference adds up fast.
• Made in USA, multiple sizes. Shurfoot is manufactured in Meriden, Kansas and available in 3lb, 6lb, 25lb, and 44lb bags through our online store and on Amazon.

From Processing Plants to Garages to Leather Boots, Real Customers Recommend Shurfoot

From forklift operators in pork processing coolers to home mechanics to boot enthusiasts to dairy farmers, Shurfoot customers all say the same thing: it absorbs better, grips better, and cleans up easier than whatever they were using before. When a forklift driver writes his first ever product thank you letter and then tells a national magazine about it, that speaks for itself.

We would love for you to try Shurfoot yourself. It is available at shurfoot.com and on Amazon. Questions? Reach out to us. We make Shurfoot right here in Meriden, Kansas.

FAQs

What size Shurfoot bag should I buy?

For occasional home or garage use, the 3lb bag is a convenient size to keep on hand. For regular use in shops, commercial kitchens, or facilities, the 25lb and 44lb bags are significantly more cost effective per ounce. Multiple reviewers noted that the per ounce cost drops substantially at larger sizes.

Does Shurfoot work on ice?

R. Nelson confirmed Shurfoot works on ice but noted it "requires a lot" for heavy ice coverage. K. Wolf recommended it for indoor ice on smooth surfaces like walk-in freezers. Shurfoot provides traction on ice by creating a textured, non-slip surface. For outdoor ice, a larger quantity may be needed.

Is Shurfoot dustless?

Shurfoot is formulated to be low dust. The majority of reviewers confirmed it is odorless and does not kick up significant residue. One reviewer noted "some powdery residue in the air when handling it," but no reviewer flagged dust as a major issue. S. Wentzel specifically noted "it doesn't have any dust and it cleans up easily."