An oil drain pan is a simple container used to capture the oil that flows from the pan when the drain plug is released. It is used when changing motor oil. Drain pans are particularly useful for this task as they have a wide mouth, useful to catch the oil when it initially gushes out, and also when the pan is nearly empty and the oil is only dribbling out (the wide mouth means the pan doesn’t have to be moved). They can be purchased from Amazon for around $10.
A drain pan also has a lip around the rim facing inwards to help prevent the oil splashing out. This is needed because motor oil is highly toxic and is devilishly hard to clean up the spills, even small ones. Additionally, they have a spout molded into the design to make it easier to pour the oil. Because of its toxicity motor oil should always be disposed of correctly at a recycling depot (it is also a scare resource that needs to be saved). You local garage may allow you to deposit it with their oil dregs if you ask nicely or are a regular customer or most recycling plants will take it as long as it is in a sealed container. Finally, the material the oil drain pan is made from is resistant to the corrosive nature of oil. These benefits may make it worth your while to purchase one of these devices but you can always use a plastic container of your own finding as long as it has enough capacity.
One alternative is to remove the motor oil using an oil extractor. Extractors suck up the oil through the dipstick tube removing the need for a drain pan altogether. They work and are often cleaner but do cost more and can take longer to empty the oil pan than simply pulling out the drain plug.
