¿What can be done about bad smelling concrete?

My husband and I have an above-ground concrete storm shelter. We used an oil lamp during storms last summer and just left the lamp in it. Now our shelter stinks like lamp oil! I've tried leaving the door open, air fresheners, etc. Do you have any suggestions to get rid of this smell? 

Odors in any area are due to fine particulate matter containing aromatics being distributed into the air and deposited on surrounding surfaces. These fine particles keep the odor present in the effected space. I would recommend the following series of actions to mitigate or eliminate the offending odors:

1. Clean up any oil spills. This can be accomplished by using mineral spirits to take the oil into solution and then use kitty litter or other absorptive material to soak it up. I would recommend that this poultice stay on any spill for at least 12 hours. Scrubbing the kitty litter into the surface with a block of wood when first applied and just prior to final cleanup is recommended (say a 2 in. by 4 in. block 8 inches long - approximately) and should be helpful to remove all of the oil.


2. Clean the concrete surfaces with a good degeaser or detergent to remove any oily film on the surface of the concrete.


3. If some smell persists, place a large box of baking soda in the room to absorb the smell much like you would with your refrigerator.