Learning the best methods to clean a garage floor effectively is a DIY skill that is high on most home improvement lists. A dirty-looking garage floor can be an eyesore and it’s not always easy to clean due to the porous nature of concrete. Stains, rust, oil, and other contaminants can sometimes be hard to remove.
Properly cleaning the concrete is a critical step if you are prepping the garage floor for paint, epoxy, or sealers as well. As a result, we will discuss the leading techniques you can use to get your concrete garage floor clean.
The most effective low-budget method for cleaning a garage floor is to use a hose with a high-pressure nozzle, a concrete degreaser, a deck brush, and some good old-fashioned elbow grease.
In addition, we include our recommendations for the most effective degreasing solutions for concrete. We also discuss the use of pressure washers, which equipment is most effective for scrubbing dirty concrete, and how to remove mastic, old paint, and sealers from the garage floor.
If your goal is to eliminate pet urine odor and stains, then we have a separate article here that discusses how to do that.
This post may contain affiliate links. If you use these links to make a purchase, we may earn a small commission. As an Amazon Associate, All Garage Floors earns from qualifying purchases. You can read our full disclaimer here.
Steps for Cleaning Concrete Garage Floors
The required steps for cleaning garage floors are fairly straightforward. However, different scrubbing methods or particular cleaning solutions may be needed depending on how dirty the concrete is.
As a result, we discuss these steps in detail in order to achieve the best success.
1. Remove all items from the garage floor
The first thing you need to do is remove everything from the floor that is not anchored down. Next, sweep up all the heavy dirt and debris.
As obvious as this seems, taking shortcuts or eliminating steps only makes the job more difficult and less successful.
If you have drywall in the garage, you may want to cover the lower 3ft. with cheap plastic drop cloths. Just tape them in place. You can find them at your local home improvement center for just a few dollars. It’s also a good idea to cover up any low electrical outlets with tape if you are not using a drop cloth.
2. Soak the concrete with a degreaser/cleaning solution
It is important to soak the concrete with a cleaning solution or degreaser. This allows time for the solution to penetrate the concrete and go to work at loosening up dirt and oils.
The solution should dwell for a minimum of 5 minutes. Do not let it dry out. Use hot water if the cleaning solution allows for it. It’s best to work in 10’ square sections and not soak the entire floor at once. Otherwise, your solution may dry out.
Some concrete surfaces can be more dense or smooth and it may take a few minutes for the solution to soak in. Unless the concrete is not very dirty, scrubbing immediately will not be as effective.
We list our recommended concrete cleaning solutions and degreasers here below.
3. Scrub or Pressure Wash the Concrete
Once the cleaning solution or degreaser has soaked, add a little more solution and begin scrubbing the concrete. The scrubbing action helps to dig the dirt and grease out of the concrete pores.
In addition, the scrubbing helps the cleaning solution to emulsify the contaminants and keep them in suspension before rinsing.
We recommend using a short bristled deck brush for scrubbing. They are very effective and the stiff bristles can withstand the pressure required.
You can find them here at Amazon or your local home improvement center.
Tip: Push brooms are a poor scrub brush. The bristles are too long and the surface area is too large to apply good pressure.
If you have a pressure washer, you can use it at this point instead of scrubbing. We discuss more the use of pressure washers in the Equipment section below.
Do not use a steel wire brush! The steel particles of the brush can transfer dark marks onto the concrete that are difficult to remove. In addition, the scrubbing action of the steel wire bristles will change the texture of the concrete surface and create a permanent blemish.
4. Rinse the Garage Floor
Do not let the solution you are scrubbing with dry out before you rinse it away. Otherwise, the dirt, grease, and other contaminants that are emulsified and lifted out with the cleaning solution will settle back into the concrete.
Use a high-pressure nozzle on your hose for rinsing if you can. The higher pressure does a good job of blasting out any dirt and debris that may have settled back into the pores of the concrete. It also aids in moving out the water faster.
You find high-pressure nozzles fairly inexpensively from your local home improvement center or here from Amazon.
Make sure to rinse the solution from the clean section out of the garage or off the concrete. If not, it can settle back into a dirty section of concrete and just make your work more difficult. Once it is rinsed out, move on to the next dirty section of concrete.
If you have a wet vac, they work very well for sucking the dirty water and debris out of the concrete pores. You still need to rinse afterward to remove any cleaning residue.
Once the floor dries you should have a very clean concrete surface. You can now inspect it for any areas that need to be spot cleaned.
Grease, oil stains, rust, or other contaminants are an example that we will discuss shortly.
Optional Cleaning Equipment for a Garage Floor
Concrete is porous and can become fairly embedded with dirt and grime over the years if it hasn’t been cleaned very often. If you are dealing with a floor such as this, then you do have some equipment options that can make the job easier and more effective.
The right concrete cleaning equipment can be successful at getting the dirtiest of garage floors clean.
The first of these is a pressure washer. Pressure washers can save time and labor in scrubbing and excel at cleaning concrete. Most will allow you to add a degreaser to a chemical tank for additional cleaning action.
They are not very expensive to rent from your local home improvement center or local equipment rental facility. For the most effective cleaning, a minimum 2800 – 3000 PSI pressure washer with a water flow rate of 3 gallons per minute or more works best.
Use a yellow 15-degree fan tip. For particularly stubborn areas such as stains, you can use the more powerful turbo tip.
Be careful not to linger too long in one area when using a good pressure washer and keep the tip moving. The water action is so abrasive you can actually etch the surface of the concrete if you are not careful.
Read: How to Clean Garage Floors with a Pressure Washer
The newer rotary surface cleaner attachments for pressure washers have become very popular due to how effective they can be. They keep overspray at a minimum and do a good job of cleaning the concrete.
It’s important to match the rotary attachment with the correct pressure requirements. Here is an excellent example from Amazon.
The second equipment option you can use is a floor maintainer with a nylon scrubbing head for concrete. You can rent these as well.
Be sure to tell the rental company that you will need a nylon brush attachment for cleaning concrete. They are sometimes called a Malish brush, referring to the brand name Malish.
Use the floor maintainer during the scrubbing step. Take your time as you go and let the machine do the work.
You may have to add a little water as you scrub to keep the solution wet and sudsy.
Both pressure washers and floor maintainers can do wonders. It’s not unusual for the concrete to turn a few shades lighter after using them.
Recommended Concrete Degreasers and Cleaning Solutions
For most concrete cleaning jobs, an alkaline soap or degreaser should be used. Alkaline cleaners work best for breaking down and emulsifying oils, grease, and other hydrocarbon-based contaminants and stains that are normally found in concrete.
Alkaline cleaners will range from 8 – 14 on the pH scale. Most concrete cleaners and degreasers will have a pH of 11 or greater.
Acidic-based concrete cleaners should not be used in most circumstances. They work poorly at removing grease, oils, and other hydrocarbons found on garage floors. Oil and acid are two dissimilar chemicals that will separate into layers, just as water and oil do.
Instead, acidic cleaners should be used for the removal of efflorescence, rust, and salts. We will discuss the specific use of acidic concrete cleaners shortly.
Alkaline Concrete Degreasers
TSP – Short for trisodium phosphate, TSP has a pH of 12 – 14. It is a strong alkaline cleaner that is extremely effective for cleaning dirty concrete. It performs fair on oil stains, but there are better alternatives for oil if that is your main goal.
Use 1/4 cup of TSP to one gallon of warm/hot water for light cleaning. Use 1/2 cup of TSP for heavy-duty cleaning.
Care should be taken when using TSP. It is exceptionally alkaline and can cause skin irritation and even burns. Gloves and eyewear are recommended.
Laundry detergent – That’s right, laundry detergent is alkaline and can be fairly effective. It typically performs well for concrete that is not extremely dirty and without moderate to heavy oil stains.
Avoid laundry detergents that have a pH below 10. Tide is one such example.
Our recommended laundry detergent is Arm & Hammer. It has a pH of 11.5 – 12.2. Any particular type will work. We recommend 1/3 cup of detergent to one gallon of hot water.
Concrete Degreasers – Degreasers for concrete and driveways are our top choice for cleaning a garage floor that has oil and grease stains. They range from 11 – 12 on the pH scale.
Unlike TSP or laundry detergents, concrete degreasers use various biodegradable solvents and alcohol to help break down and dissolve oil and other hydrocarbons in water. This includes keeping them in suspension longer so that they can be rinsed away.
Most concrete degreasers are concentrates so it’s important to follow the instructions. Warm water helps, but do not use hot water. It tends to make degreasers too foamy.
Oil Eater and Purple Power are our top 2 recommendations. These are always our “Go to” favorites when cleaning concrete. Both have excellent reviews. You can find Oil Eater here from Amazon and Purple Power here from Amazon.
Cleaning Oil Stains and Grease
With the heavy cleaning done, you can now spot-clean any remaining oil or grease stains that need more work. Concrete degreasers are what you should start with.
Wet the stain and surrounding area first. Apply the degreaser to the oil spot at full concentrated strength. The reason for wetting first is to prevent the contaminants in the stain from spreading to a clean dry area.
Scrub the degreaser into the concrete and let it dwell for 10 minutes. While it sits, prepare a strong solution of degreaser that is mixed at 3 parts degreaser to one part water. The water is required to help the solvents in the degreaser to dissolve and draw out the oils into suspension before rinsing.
When ready, add the strong 3 to 1 solution to the area and scrub again. Once done scrubbing, rinse the area well.
If you don’t have a concrete degreaser on hand or you are dealing with some particularly stubborn or old oil stains, then there are more advanced methods for removing oil stains.
Read: How to Remove Oil and Grease Stains from Concrete
Be advised that older stains that have been in the concrete for a long time may still have some discoloration, even after the oil is removed.
How to remove rust stains
There are a few effective ways to remove rust stains from your garage floor. This is one of the circumstances where an acidic-based cleaner works best.
For light rust spots, you can use either lemons or white vinegar. The acid-base in lemons and vinegar helps to dissolve the rust.
Squeeze the lemons or pour the white vinegar over the stain and let it sit for 5 minutes or so. Add some more lemon juice or vinegar and then scrub with a good stiff brush. Rinse well with water and repeat if necessary.
Oxalic acid is a product that works better on tougher rust stains. You can generally purchase it from your local home improvement center or here on Amazon.
Some concrete cleaners for rust stains have it as an ingredient. It may even come in a powder form which you mix with water to make a soupy paste.
Apply the Oxalic acid to the rust stain and let it sit for 5 minutes before scrubbing. Be sure to rinse well afterward. Again, repeat if necessary.
Another option is to use one of the concrete rust stain removers that are available over the counter. You can see a whole list of these products here at Amazon.
Tip: A brass wire brush is effective for scrubbing rust. It will not transfer metal marks to the concrete and is less aggressive than a steel wire brush. We like this one here.
For the toughest of rust stains, a mild solution of muriatic acid will work wonders. However, you need to be careful when using it. We suggest a ratio of 8 parts water to 1 part acid to start. More isn’t always better in this regard unless you are preparing your concrete for a floor coating.
Read: How to Acid Etch a Garage Floor
If you mix it too strong right away it will aggressively etch the concrete. This can make the area look different from the surrounding concrete. In addition, it makes the surface rougher by opening up the concrete pores. This will allow dirt to embed easier and make it harder to clean.
Danger: Do not pour water into acid – pour the acid into the water instead. Pouring water directly into acid can cause it to explode into a gas that can splash in your face. Wear gloves and eye protection when using acid.
How to remove efflorescence from your garage floor
Efflorescence consists of insoluble metallic salts that look like a white powdery substance or residue on the concrete surface of garage floors. It develops when moisture from below the concrete works its way to the surface.
The moisture picks up these salts and minerals along the way and deposits them on the surface when the moisture evaporates. Standard cleaning solutions are not effective.
Instead, an acidic-based cleaning solution needs to be used. The acidic cleaners react with the concrete minerals and salt to dissolve them.
There are nontoxic biodegradable efflorescence removers that can be used. We recommend trying them first. They are essentially mild citric acid etching solutions.
Once applied, let the solution dwell for the required time. Agitation or mild scrubbing with a nylon deck brush helps with the removal process.
Our favorite is Eco-Etch Pro. It is more aggressive at removing efflorescence. Plus, it’s safe to use and will not require that the concrete be neutralized when you are done.
If an efflorescence remover does not remove it all, then the next step is to use a muriatic acid etch. We recommend starting with a solution of 6 parts water to 1 part muriatic acid. Do not use anything stronger than a 3 to 1 ratio. Doing so will severely etch and change the look of the surface.
Important: If you are not using an Eco-safe acidic solution, then you need to neutralize the concrete afterward. This returns the concrete to its natural alkaline state.
An alkaline cleaning solution works well to neutralize concrete. Just apply it to the area, let it dwell for a few minutes with some light agitation, and then rinse off with clean water.
Removing old paint, mastic, and sealers
If you are applying a coating to your floor, you will need to remove any type of residue on the surface such as a topical sealer, old paint, or mastic. This needs to be done first before any attempt is made at cleaning. There are two different methods you can use depending upon what is on the concrete.
The first would be the use of a chemical stripper. We highly recommend a couple of products by Franmar. They are environmentally friendly and work exceedingly well.
For mastic removal, we recommend Blue Bear 500MR Mastic Remover. It is very effective as long as you give it the time it needs to work.
For removing coatings, paint, acrylics, and old sealers, we recommend Blue Bear 605 Pro Multipurpose Coating Remover.
Eco-friendly strippers like these are more expensive than solvent strippers. They also require more time to work (chemically, not physically). In addition, they are much safer for you and the environment.
The other method for removing mastic, paint, and sealers is to grind the concrete. Special grinding heads are available depending upon what needs to be removed.
This process does require less elbow grease than chemical strippers, but it is more expensive. You can read more about using floor grinders for concrete here.
Final Cleaning Tips
One tool that can come in handy for larger garages is a floor squeegee. These work great at moving large volumes of water out of the garage quickly. If you don’t have a squeegee, a push broom will work. You can find floor squeegees here at Amazon.
If you are acid etching your concrete in preparation for paint or an epoxy coating, then you still must clean your garage floor as described above. Acid works by breaking down the surface of the concrete to expose the pores. It is not effective at cleaning away dirt or removing oil as we explained earlier.
If you plan on grinding your garage floor, then you only need to clean heavily soiled areas and spot clean the oil stains. Any other light surface contaminants such as efflorescence or rust stains will clean up with the grinding.
If followed correctly, you will find that these methods for cleaning a garage floor are highly effective. We know this is generally thought of as the least desirable job of any flooring project. However, once done it will reward you with a nice clean concrete floor that is free of dirt and stains.
I want to repaint my garage floor that was painted by the previous owner at least 10 years ago. He used Behr paint but I’m not sure it was epoxy. All things considered, the floor is in good condition except where the cars sit – bare spots from tire heat. I want to repaint it but do not want to go thru the mess of grinding off all the old paint. Any suggestions on what I could do? I want to use a 1 part epoxy paint.
Hi Jim. 1-Part epoxy paint will bond with regular paint so there is no need to remove the old paint that is adhered well. What you need to do is rough up the surface of the old paint with approximately 150 grit sandpaper. A pole sander works well for this or a floor maintainer with a cleaning pad will work also. This isn’t very labor intensive as you are just trying to rough up the surface, not remove it. This is required for the new paint to adhere. Once done, clean the floor real well and allow to dry properly. You are now ready to paint.
Hi Shea,
Thanks for the feedback. I’m glad I found this website as it is great for anyone wanting to spruce up there garage floor.
Your welcome Jim and thanks for the kudos.
If I am grinding for my surface prep. prior to applying my primer coat of epoxy, when should I clean and degrease? Before and after grinding or just after?
Hello Alex and good question. If you are grinding, degrease any spots that need it before you grind. Unless you have an exceptionally dirty floor, the grinding will leave you with a nice clean floor and shouldn’t need to be cleaned excessively before grinding. Any areas that you had to degrease before grinding should be checked with the water drop test afterward to make sure that it absorbs water. If you were acid etching and not grinding, then all cleaning would need to be done prior.
I put Lime Away on my garage floor. It left a white distinct film. Help?
Hi Carol. Try mixing up a 3:1 solution of water and vinegar. Pour it on the area and scrub it good. Let it sit for 10 minutes without drying out, add some more, scrub, and then rinse well.
I have some cracks to fill in my garage floor. Some where the garage walls meet the floor and a few that run across the floor, essentially cutting it in half…they didn’t put expansion joints in. Should I fill these cracks before or after giving my floor a thorough cleaning, possibly using a pressure washer? And, is there a specific product you recommend for filling the cracks. Some are 1/4″ and some slightly larger. Thanks for your recommendations. This site has been a huge help so far.
Hi Marissa. Clean your garage first then do the crack repair. We cover how to repair cracks including the type of materials to use here.
Great! Thanks for your help!
Shea,
I have a garage floor I wanted to paint or seal and protect from oil and salt. I talked to a company which sold me on a product called densifier which is suppose to harden and seal the concrete. Well it was expensive, and was quite confident it would work, but turns out it does not seal out water, nor does it seal out oil. My problem is now to get rid of the densifier. its a sodium silicate formula, that paint wont seem to stick to, Ive elected to go with a oil based 2 part epoxy, and I need to clean the densifier off first. I have tried a metal disc floor polisher twice, acid wash, and several scrub and power wash cycles…. any Ideas ??? The company that sold me the densifier wont reply to my requests…. I paid 500 bucks for the epoxy already,, but dont want to apply it to find out it wont stick…..after all my washing Ive done, I took duct tape to see if it would stick, and no, it comes right off with no problem, no stick at all !
Hi Brian. What was the brand name of the densifier and the brand of epoxy that you purchased? There is no such thing as oil based epoxy. Is it actually an oil based concrete paint? You said nothing will stick, have you already tried applying it? Also, densifiers are inorganic which makes them non film forming. They should not interfere with a film forming coating such as epoxy. What they do is strengthen the surface of the concrete and are sometimes used before applying a film forming coating. What type of metal disc floor polisher did you use?
the densifier is liquihard ultra, and the oil based 2 part epoxy in from akzo nobel Devoe 235.
OK, it makes more sense. The epoxy is a 68% solids epoxy that is solvent based, not oil based. The Liquid-Hard Ultra is a lithium silicate densifier that doesn’t leave a film on the surface. Densifiers harden the surface which helps to seal the concrete, but they are not a sealer unless an additive is included, which this one does not. Both products are compatible for what you want to do. You can’t remove a densifier as it penetrates into the concrete. It will not interfere with the epoxy.
How do you know it will not adhere? Duct tape is not an adhesion test for epoxy. Based on the stated floor prep you did you should be ready to go. Did the acid etch fizz and bubble when you applied it to the concrete? What type of metal disc did you use on the floor buffer? Does the floor have a slight gritty feel like sandpaper?
Yes , the acid did fizz and smoke a little. not much, and no fizzle, unless it was minimal to see. I used a 20″ machine with metal disc from home depot, they had 3 different discs available, I took the least aggressive one that didn’t take much off the floor. it did knock down the high spots on the floor and didnt do much to the lower spots. I also just did a total wash down with tsp and a power washer, floor is rough and clean, I used a tuck tape test as a check to see if the tape would stick, then the epoxy should too ?
If you think these products will adhere to each other , I feel confident to put the epoxy down, I was told by the epoxy guys to thin the first coat so it would sink in deeper, then if the second coat was needed, it could be done thicker, without thinner..
You’ve done everything and more in terms of what is required. Acid etching isn’t even necessary if you ground the floor. Based on your description of the floor, you are ready to epoxy. Yes, thinning it will allow it to penetrate a little deeper. You will need to apply another coat when you do this as the first coat will look patchy from going on thin.
Thanx…
Got the first coat on this morning, I like this stuff. thins out nicely and gos along way. I thinned it about 5 %. will recoat tommorrow..
Thanx for all the help.. saved me alot of stress ! lol
Great to hear Brian.
Any suggestions for removing road salt from a garage floor? I have scrubbed and shop vacuumed it three times with a solution of 1 cup vinegar, splash of dish soap to one gallon of water followed by a good rinsing. The salt continues to resurface after a few days. My ultimate goal is to have the floor coated and am concerned about it failing do to the salt.
Hi Lynette. It sounds like you have a high buildup of salt residue in your concrete. When that happens it can require multiple washings to get it all up. You may want to use an aftermarket product such as Salt-X or Salt-Away. These are effective on concrete as well.
Salt can lower the pH level of concrete. For a garage floor coating you want the pH leve between 6.0 – 9.0 with 7.0 being ideal. To make sure you have removed enough salt, test your final rinse water on the floor with a pH test strip. You can usually find these cheap from a pool supply store or purchase them online.
Hi,
I hired a contractor to polish my garage floor, the contractor used ameripolish company’s product – SURELOCK, and color is RAW SIENNA on my concrete floor. Now I am thinking about laying porcelain tile on the top of RAW SIENNA color, do I need to remove the this RAW SIENNA coating before I lay tile on the garage floor ?
Hello Debbie. Raw Sienna is a dye that was used to color the concrete as it was polished. It’s not a coating. There may have been a stain guard applied as a final treatment as well. Because the surface is so smooth due to the polishing, you would need to grind it first to roughen up the concrete surface enough to provide texture for the thinset that is used to set tile. It will most likely retain some of the color, but it will not inhibit how the thinset adheres to the concrete.
Thanks for your help. I’m wondering whether I can use super glue without grinding polished garage floor.
No, you can’t use SuperGlue Debbie. Tile needs to be set and supported in a mortar bed.
A stray cat got in my garage and I didn’t know he was there until it was too late. After 3 days in my garage the cat had diarrhea all over my concrete garage floor. My house is 15 yrs old and I have been the only owner so I know the concrete hasn’t had an epoxy finish put on it, nor has it been painted. I’ve moved almost everything out to clean it. I don’t know what to use to clean it with. Should I use something like Zep Concrete Cleaner, use a liquid disinfectant, or just use Tide as you suggested? I’m going to use my hose and a deck brush. The walls are drywall and painted so I didn’t want to use a pressure washer. I plan on using a putty knife to get up all the feces. Also, most of the feces is along the back wall and the floor slopes that way. How can I prevent the water from seeping thru the wall to my family room?? It is really awful. Thank you.
Hello Shelley. Don’t use a pressure washer. It can drive the urine deeper into the concrete. Use a degreaser or Tide with a deck brush to get the heavy stuff. While the floor is still damp, mix a strong solution of 1 part vinegar to 3 parts water. Dump it on the affected areas and scrub again with the deck brush and then rinse liberally. Vinegar works well for removing urine smells. Let the concrete dry and see how it smells. If there is still some odor, you may want to use a pet enzyme cleaner like this one.
The garage floor should be flat or slope towards the garage door. If not, have a squeegee handy to push the water away from the wall when necessary. If you need to, tape a cheap plastic painter’s tarp to the wall to protect it from water splashing up.
Good luck!
The best thing to remove the old paint is Klean strip adhesive remover. It loses the old paint completely within 10 seconds. I teied many chemicals but this is the best. I got it from hm for $26 a gallon.
I clean a warehouse. The floors are concrete painted grey. The shop uses hydraulic fluids, i have tried degreaser. Floors are still slick and have a blackish residue. cant use power washer as it is a working shop. What can i use to mop with and remove some of the grease.
Hi Barb. Make sure you are using a high strength degreaser and hot water if it’s available. When removing a film layer you will need to change the water frequently. Removing oils on painted surfaces will only leave a film if the solution is not changed frequently and not rinsed well afterward.
Living in Michigan is not kind to garage floors, with snow and loads of salt. I would like to paint the garage floor just to make things cleaner and keep the dust down. The floor is approximately 15 or so years old, but in excellent shape. What type of finish can be used that won’t be eaten up by dirt, slush and salt? Any suggestions are appreciated.
Hi Sandy. A good quality epoxy coating will stand up real well to your Michigan winters. Ideally you will want to apply a high solids epoxy with a polyurethane top coat. We have an article about the benefits of epoxy here and an article on how to choose the right epoxy system here.
Is it better to paint the whole garage floor first (I have a 2&1/2 car) and then put on the color flakes or do you do one section at a time? Will the epoxy dry quickly? Thanks for any info.
Hi Sandy. It depends on a few things. If you have a helper, it’s best to have one person applying the epoxy and the other person tossing color flakes right after. Of course you will need spiked shoes to walk on the fresh epoxy. If you are doing it by yourself, then it’s easier to work in sections. Use the contraction joints in the concrete as a natural divider between the sections if you can. If you don’t have contraction joints or you filled them in, it’s important to always keep a wet edge if you are working in sections.
The flakes need to be applied no longer than 30-40 minutes after the epoxy is applied. Any later and the flakes will not adhere well.
Using a power washer as the article says is a stupid idea. What you want to do is do 4′ X 4′ sections at a time and use sand to soak up the contaniments. Spreading water with a power washer may result in staining in other areas especially outside the garage.
Tom, you are entitled to think anything may be “stupid”, as you put it. However, we do state to pre-treat oil stains beforehand and to soak the remaining concrete with a degreaser as well. This emulsifies any oils and will not allow them to stain other areas as the dirty water is rinsed away properly. Remember that we are talking about oil stains, not spills. Naturally, oil spills should use sand or a natural poultice for clean up and containment, not a pressure washer.
My car had to be pulled from the garage, long story, the whells were locked during the pull out, left tire makrks, any way to get the tire marks cleaned from the concrete?
Hello Jack. Soak the marks in degreaser for 5 to 10 minutes. After the soak, scrub them down with a stiff brush and then rinse. This will usually remove most tire marks from bare concrete. Pressure washers will remove them as well if you are dealing heavy marks that you don’t want to scrub.
Hello! I’m wondering if you have any suggestions on how to clean a PVC flooring without using a ton of water. Right now I have an issue with water sitting underneath the floor from cleaning it. Any suggestions on how to get the sitting water out from underneath of it without pulling the whole floor out?
Hi Marie. It sounds like you are soaking your floor when you clean. The key is to damp mop the floor using an ammonia free vinyl floor cleaner. Pine-Sol is an example. A solution of 1 cup apple cider vinegar to 1 gallon warm water is another. As far as water underneath, you didn’t state what type of PVC vinyl flooring you have in the garage. Is it interlocking tiles or mats? For mats, just roll one end up to the middle and mop up or use a wet vac to remove the standing water. Let it air dry and then roll it back and do the other side. Tiles are a little more work but doable. Unlock a large section of the floor at one time. Say 10 tiles wide by 10 tiles deep. Then pull that section to the side and do the same. Once dry, pull it back in place and snap them together again. Repeat as necessary.
I have just bought a factory that was used for a garage workshop and I am turning it into an industrial kitchen. The floors are covered in grease and oil and I need to clean it so that I can put an epoxy coat on it . Help, how do I do this?
Hi Vikki. You will want to tackle a large job like that by pressure washing. You may even need to incorporate a power washer which uses hot water. We have a great article here on how to pressure wash concrete. There are cleaning companies who specialize in such jobs if you have a real large area and need to get the job done as quickly as possible.
After cleaning you will need to prep the concrete for epoxy via grinding at a minimum. Shot blasting is the preferred method for large jobs and will do an even better job at removing the remaining grease since shot blasting actually removes the top layer of the concrete. If you have any remaining areas that still may create an issue for the epoxy bonding correctly, you might need to use an oil stop epoxy primer first.
we are thinking of putting down interlocking tiles on our garage floor. My wife is concerned that the tiles are difficult to keep clean. Can you please comment on that?
Hi Jeff. We already answered this question for you in this article here. You will find it in the comments near the bottom.
so if we use part 1 epoxy we dont have to peel off the old paint off the garage floor??? I have tried to peel off the old paint but it pretty sealed. so part 1 epoxy will stick to the old paint?? Scrape off the paint I meant.
Hello Gustavo. No, you don’t have to remove the old paint if it is currently adhered real well to the concrete. You will need to rough up the surface though with 150 grit sandpaper and make sure it’s clean of all grease and oils before application of the 1-Part epoxy paint.
Hi Shea… I’m planning to use rust o leum Garage kit for my garage. It doesn’t have bare concrete. Its having a smooth concrete. After buying this house new, this is the first time im cleaning(month or so). So I used some degreaser and cleaned with scrubbing exactly how it mentioned here. Im planning to attack Rust next. I also see some putty spills. Its chipping off when I wash it but not fully. How to remove it ? also some concrete patch spills. Will a trout or steel putty knife work ? Thanks again.
Bare concrete is the same as smooth untreated concrete Rajesh. Use a sharp putty knife or steel trowel on the putty and concrete patch spills. The etch and clean product that Rust-Oleum provides will most likely break down the rest. If it doesn’t, you may need to acid etch instead.
Hi there
I need to clean a concrete floor that isn’t the garage, it is a large storage space which has nowhere for excess water to run off or be pushed out to, so a pressure washer and excessive amount of water is out of the question. We have just removed an old furnace, and there was also diesel spilt from another heating unit previous owner had been through, so there is a lot of soot and smelliness that we would like to get rid of…any suggestions?
Also, when you have talked about Tide previously, is there something special about Tide that other brands don’t have or is it just a generic term for clothes washing powders. (We don’t stock the Tide brand in New Zealand)
Thanks a lot
Hello Shannon. You actually may want to think about using a pressure washer along with a wet/dry shop vac. Pressure washers as a rule do not use as much water as a running hose. With one person running the pressure washer and another the wet/vac, you should be able to stay on top of the excess water. Just be sure to take breaks to empty the shop vac. You can always tape cheap plastic tarps to the walls to avoid over spray. Tide did at one time have an ingredient that allowed it to work a bit better than other powdered laundry detergents – but no more. Any powdered detergent will make do.
One company you may want to contact is Surface Gel TeK. They have an acid type of gel that is easy to contain. It actually cleans grease, oil, mold, and mildew off of concrete as it etches. It is a bit pricey however.
How can I remove tire marks from the rubber mats on my garage floor. They appeared there while the car sat there all winter over a period of five months?
Hello Florence. Tire marks in garage floor mats are extremely tough to remove. A stiff brush and strong detergent may remove some of it. Goof Off works sometimes as well. Other than that, there is not much you can do. We suggest placing a small piece of cardboard under each tire to avoid this issue next time the car will sit for a long period of time
What is the best way to remove dirt, water marks, tire marks, and just cleaning rubber garage mats?
Hello John. Garage floor mats are essentially a big vinyl floor. Mild cleaners with a scrub brush for the caked on dirt works best. Tire stains are another matter however. You may be able to remove some of it, but rarely will it all come off. People have reported some success using Goof Off. Just test it first in a small area to make sure it will not discolor the mat.