smell from old oil tank

My new home has a small room in the basement where the oil tank used to be. It smells terrible in there. The inspector says it’s a result of oil probably spilling after the tank was removed and not to worry because it’s under the enclosed porch and the smell doesn’t make it out of the room. I do want to use the space for storage. Any tips for how to get rid of the smell? Something the floor and walls could be painted with to seal it in?

I’ve read some articles on line that say heating the room will cause the smell to go away. Would running a space heater in there for a few hours help?

By Cantaffordcarroll | 12/08/2008 2:45 PM