If you own a garage, particularly an older one, there is a good chance that it has a concrete floor. They make a great, hardy, flooring solution, but over time they can pick up a lot of wear and dirt, which is why they need a good clean every now and then.
We have put together few tips to help you maintain your concrete floor and get it looking its best.
Sweep and tidy
Your first step when cleaning your garage is to move as many obstacles as possible, so that you can sweep up as much dust and loose rubbish as possible. It is a good idea to clean from the top to the bottom, so if you are planning to give your whole garage a tidy then you should probably make sure that the rest of the room is given a good dusting before you start work on the floor.
A common household broom and dustpan and brush should be all you need to remove a majority of the grime from a garage floor, before it is time to start on the bigger stuff.
Deck scrub
For a more thorough clean, simply fill a bucket with a large amount of warm water and add some concrete degreaser. If you don’t have degreaser, soapy warm water should suffice. It is a good idea to cover exposed electrical ports with some electrical tape or plug covers. After the area is secure, pour your solution onto a section of the floor liberally and scrub the area as much as you can. For particularly stubborn stains or dirt, consider leaving the solution for a few minutes to soak.
Once you have finished deck scrubbing the entire floor then rinse off the solution with clean water before it dries. After doing this you should have removed a large amount of the dirt and grime, and should only be left with a few difficult stains, if any.
Cleaning grease, tyre marks or oil stains
Grease, tyre marks and oil can be notoriously difficult to get out of concrete flooring and may require special attention to remove. All of them can generally be removed with oil and grease removal products. Simply wet the stain and surrounding area, and then use the solution on the stain directly. You could also consider buying or renting a high pressure washer to help remove the stains easier.
There a number of home remedies that some people swear by, including using cat litter, left for over 20 minutes, to help remove grease and stains, but generally degreaser will help you with most of your garage cleaning issues. It is relatively easy to clean concrete with the right tools; a simple bit of hard scrubbing can get your concrete floor looking as good as new.
