Best way to clean garage floor without pressure washer

Best way to clean garage floor without pressure washer

Dirt, oil, and grease stains are unavoidable on a concrete garage floor due to cars, lawn mowers, tools, motorcycles, and other outside equipment. Unfortunately, you may not always be able to respond quickly to a problem, or you may need to wipe oil from your concrete garage floor that has been there for who knows how long. Cure concrete is not a hard, dense rock unless it is sealed; after being mixed with water and cured, the mixture of cement, sand, and aggregate is porous. This causes rust and oil stains to penetrate deeper into the surface.

You’ll need something that will sink in and lift the troublesome location to remove these stains and clean your concrete. Fresh spills are removed with cat litter, sawdust, baking soda, and other absorbent materials, but what seeps into the surface is not. Cleaning concrete garage floors with muriatic acid is a common practice. However, when concrete’s binder, Portland cement, comes into touch with an acid, it dissolves. Furthermore, acid-based cleaners extract calcium hydroxide from hardened concrete, resulting in efflorescence, a white, powdery substance. You’ll need to clear this stuff off your floor if it becomes too heavy and apparent.

Trisodium phosphate is another cleaning solution that is usually regarded as the best way to clean a garage floor (TSP). Because it is highly alkaline, it will not affect the concrete floor, but it may cause skin irritation or even burns. TSP is also extremely harmful to the environment. If phosphates end up in lakes and streams, they cause an overgrowth of algae, which depletes oxygen levels in the water, putting fish and aquatic plant life at risk.

Simple Green Oxy Solve Concrete and Driveway Cleaner can be used to clean concrete surfaces such as driveways, sidewalks, patios, and walkways with a pressure washer or by hand. The formula is non-corrosive and non-degradable, and it cleans effectively using peroxide’s inherent power. Oil stains, grease, filth, and most discolorations may all be removed with this product. Its biodegradable* composition is harmless to pets and lawns.

Use the techniques below to clean your garage floor thoroughly once or twice a year

Garage Floor Cleaning Instructions:

  1. Make sure the floor is clear. Remove any automobiles, bicycles, tools, cartons, or other items from the garage.
  2. Sweep. Sweep your garage floor to remove dirt, leaves, grass clippings, dead bugs, efflorescence, and other debris.
  3. Clean the concrete and driveway with Simple Green Oxy Solve Concrete and Driveway Cleaner. In a separate container, combine 2 cups of Simple Green with 1 gallon of warm water.
  4. Scrub. Dip a stiff bristle brush or a push broom into the solution, or pour it over the concrete lightly. Scrub the floor in a sectionalized manner. To avoid stepping all over your freshly cleaned floor, start cleaning far away from the door and work your way closer as you clean.

Another Method is:

  1. Soak. To penetrate difficult stains, immerse the cleaning solution for 5-7 minutes. Allowing it to dry on the surface is not a good idea.
  2. Rinse. Open the garage door if you haven’t already. Start farthest away from the entrance with your garden hose turned on extremely low. Allow clean water to discharge onto the street after rinsing the entire floor. Simple Green Oxy Solve Concrete & Driveway Cleaner complies with the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s Direct Release Criteria, making it safe for use outdoors and contact with soil, seas, lakes, and streams.
  3. Repeat. Repeat with each new section until the entire floor is clean.

TIP:

After you’ve cleaned your garage floor, treat it with a concrete sealer, epoxy, or paint to prevent recurring stains.

 

* Biodegradable formula: After six months in a standard sanitary sewer or septic system, this formula decomposes into elements found in nature.

Finally, I’ll provide some suggestions.

  1. Laundry soap

When it comes to cleaning your garage flooring, nothing beats good old-fashioned soap.

But not any soap will suffice. Alternatively, use an olive-oil-based soap, which is very good at cleaning concrete garage floors.

Look for lye as the main active ingredient in the soap. When lye is mixed with water, it creates a solution that is known to remove filth and dirt from your garage floor. Depending on the active components, you might be able to find a soap that doubles as a moisturizer. The latter does not necessitate the use of protective gloves.

  1. Deep Cleaner

If your garage floors have been neglected for a long time, it’s time to bring in the big guns, such as a thorough cleaner. This heavy-duty cleaner is one of my personal favorites, and it works wonders on tough stains.

  1. Degreaser and Cleaner Solution

If you choose a product that has both a cleaner and a degreaser, you may expect double cleaning action. This pair is ideal for cleaning jobs that require a lot of effort.

To penetrate your garage flooring and remove even the toughest stains, choose a degreaser with a water-based solution. This type of treatment works well for eliminating difficult grease and oil stains.

But the fact that most degreasers are non-corrosive and non-abrasive is something I really like. Furthermore, depending on the brand, they do not emit an unpleasant chemical odor.

  1. Sodium Bicarbonate (Baking Soda)

Chemicals aren’t for everyone, and I entirely understand that. Baking soda can be used if you want more natural solutions. Simply combine half a cup of baking soda with a gallon of warm water to make an all-purpose cleaner that will quickly remove all stains from your garage floors!

  1. Towels for scrubbing

For those fast garage clean-ups, I use scrubbing rags. Use these to mop up spills on your garage floors – they work amazing and are quite inexpensive. When necessary, you may also use these multi-purpose towels to clean any of your dirty tools.