HOW TO CLEAN GARAGE FLOORS

Rust, oil, and grease stains are inevitable on a concrete garage floor.

Unfortunately, you are not always able to address the mess right away, or maybe you're looking to clean oil off your concrete garage floor that's been there for a while. Unless sealed, cured concrete is not a hard, dense rock – the mixture of cement, sand, and aggregate is porous after it is mixed with water and cured. This allows stains like rust and oil to penetrate down into the surface.

To remove stains and clean your concrete, you need a garage floor cleaner that will sink in and lift the offending spots. Cat litter, sawdust, baking soda, and other absorbent materials remove fresh spills, but don't do much to remove set-in stains.

Simple Green Oxy Solve Concrete and Driveway Cleaner can be used with a pressure washer or manually on concrete surfaces, including driveways, sidewalks, patios, and walkways. The non-corrosive and non-degrading formula utilizes the natural power of peroxide to remove oil stains, grease, grime, and most discolorations.

Thoroughly clean your garage floor at least twice a year using the instructions below.

Directions for Cleaning Garage Floors

1. Clear the area. Move any cars, bikes, tools, boxes, and other items out of the garage.
2. Sweep. Sweep your garage floor first to remove dirt, leaves, grass clippings, and other debris.
3. Apply Simple Green Oxy Solve Concrete and Driveway Cleaner. Mix 2 cups of Simple Green with 1 gallon of warm water in a bucket.
4. Scrub. Dip a stiff-bristle brush or push broom into your solution or lightly pour it onto the concrete. Then scrub the floor in sections. It's best to start far away from the door and move toward it as you clean, so you won't have to step all over your freshly cleaned floor.
5. Soak. Let the cleaning solution soak for 5-7 minutes to penetrate stubborn stains. Do not allow it to dry on the surface.
6. Rinse. If you haven't already, open the garage door. Turn your garden hose on very low, and again, start farthest away from the door. Rinse the entire floor with clean water and allow it to run off toward the street.
7. Repeat. Move to a new section and repeat until the entire floor is clean.

TIP: Once you've cleaned your garage floor, you can help prevent future stains by coating the surface with a concrete sealant, epoxy, or paint.

What to Know About Muriatic Acid and TSP

Muriatic acid is sometimes used to clean concrete garage floors. But the binder in concrete, called Portland cement, dissolves when it comes into contact with an acid. Plus, acid-based cleaners pull calcium hydroxide out of the hardened concrete, which then quickly forms a white, chalky substance called efflorescence. This material can become so heavy and visible that you'll need to clean it off your floor.

Another cleaning agent that is widely believed to work well on garage floors is trisodium phosphate (TSP). It is strongly alkaline, so it will not only damage the concrete, but could also cause skin irritation and even burns. TSP is also harmful to the environment. If it ends up in lakes and streams, the phosphates trigger an overgrowth of algae that results in a depletion of oxygen levels in the water, which can endanger fish and aquatic plant life. For these reasons, we don't recommend using either muriatic acid or TSP to clean your concrete garage floors.