Garage Floor Cleaning
 

How do you guys keep your garage floors from getting filthy when you're working on stuff and how do you get stains out of them? I've seen a ton of videos on youtube, but it's always someone selling shit or saying that rubbing in kitty litter magically makes stains go away...

I'm trying to lift a few spots of oil out but curious how you guys do it. If it was up to me, I'd epoxy the floor, but sadly it's not my decision to make.

If it's concrete, there's nothing you can do about it. Pores will absorb dirt (especially oil) and it cannot be removed. I use carboards and nylon sheets (caution; slippery!!!) to avoid getting oil stains. Almost everything else can be removed with a pressure washer, given that you are willing to move everything outside so you can actually wash it.

Denatured mineral spirits and more kitty litter?

buy 1 gallon of Rustoleum 2 part epoxy floor cover. This is the best consumer grade stuff ive ever used. Brake cleaner doesnt even faze it. Screw directions, just dump it on and roll it out. leave it super thick, it will level out.

Really? Don't bother with the muriatic acid wash first or anything? I really want to do this to my garage.

MEK

​​​​​This will get the oil up and out of the pores of the concrete. Use blue shop towels and pat at it. After that you can use a dilute muriatic acid to restore the bright color of the concrete.

TSP is by far the best thing for cleaning concrete, but I don't think you can buy it anymore. Do NOT try the TSP substitute, it is crap and doesn't work.

You can buy TSP but it's phosphate free... So it's just TS ...


Please don't SJW me. I don't know it's proper pronoun. :(

I just used the citrus cleaner that the gallon comes with. I was a little misleading on my instructions... I follow instructions for cleaning and prep, but not application. if you apply it like they say, it will be super thin. I did one heavy coat. mix, wait, dump, roll out. Also if you leave it way thick, it will fill most of the imperfections in the concrete.

If you roll mulitple thin light coats, it will look like you painted over 40 grit sand paper. yucky. I had 2K sq. feet to learn on.


on one section, I rented a concrete floor grinder for 50 bucks, before clean and epoxy. That area looks like an ice skating rink.

We can still get TSP here. I add a little sprinkle to the electric dishwasher detergent to get dishes clean since they reformulated the detergent remove phosphorus. Dishwashing detergent stopped working as well a few years ago.

If you use MEK ventilate well and don't get it on you.

Complete bullshit.

A few companies make a waterless concrete cleaner that will pull oil right out of the pores and break it down into something that wont absorb back into the concrete. I cant recall the brand I started using 10+ years ago when I discovered it, but a google search reveals a half dozen or so companies have recently released similar products. The shit works fuking miracles.

It takes time to work though, and really "tight" concrete with really old stains can take 2-3 applications over the course of a month or 2.


Edit- found it
http://www.rekrete.com.hk/products/
At the time they wouldn't sell to consumers, they may still not. I happened to get a hold of a guy that has a gas station route in my area and he literally just stopped by my house and gave me about a half gallon. Wouldn't even take my money. I still have half of it left and I've probably treated 150sq ft.

Thanks for this! Surprisingly, the house I bought last year the garage isn't too bad, but the driveway is horrific.

Impressive. My oil stains refuse to come off no matter what I have used. Not sure if this stuff is available over here, but there must be equivalent products.

Oh are you across the pond?

I'll start with TSP and see how it goes.

​​​​​​My house is rented and the landlord is a bit ---- when it comes to this stuff. He thinks that no car should be in the garage it's leaking oil at all, which is kind of hard to know until you see something on the ground.

I'm not sure why he didn't treat it first and epoxy it, but his logic is pretty lost on me. There are a few spots from the last 3 years living here I want to address even if it's just a little bit.

muratic acid works pretty well too. I think you can get it at the pool supply stores.


Funny story about TSP- I was 7 years old and needed my golf balls to be really clean. so dump half a box of TSP in a five gallon bucket of water, a bicycle inner-tube wrapped around the handle so I could wind it up and let it spin. Instant 12 ft. Tie Dye spin art on parents dark green carpet.
Summer break was the best.

Muriatic will also seriously deteriorate your concrete too. I would absolutely try MEK first.

MEK or TSP? I can't find anything relevant when I google MEK :/. MEK turns up acetone on home depot.

The EXIMO stuff that Sean posted looks interesting too.

TSP is safer to use. Breathing MEK, or getting it on your skin can seriously damage your liver.

Of course you'd need to damn near bathe in the stuff, but there is a reason most industry has moved on to other solvents.

MEK. Pour it on, pat it dry with blue towels.

You start using acid then you start getting to the point where you can't touch anything, it needs to be neutralized before picked up. It's not easy to just wash away. Hydrochloric will work for sure, but it's not nearly as easy to work with.

MEK is not that dangerous. People here are recommending an acid that will dissolve concrete... MEK is far less dangerous.

And some bio degradable enzyme powder is less dangerous still.

I've seen your built thread so this result does not surprise me :giggle:

MEK = methyl ethyl ketone

Try this: https://www.homedepot.com/p/Klean-St...ME71/100210976

MEK is bad shit, these guys are not joking when they say not to breathe it or get it on your skin.

That's what I thought it was, but searching on HD with my location redirected to acetone. I actually don't see it listed at all on the site here. I wonder if it's a Mass thing.

Garage is very well ventilated and the spots are all close to the door, so it should work out.

I'm honored that you've read my thread!

Will be ordering that as well!

Best way to really get the shit out is to just grind, $150 for the grinder for a day and it'll be ready to take commercial epoxy. But you only need the oil look to go away so TSP is probably your best bet. Be careful with that in high concentrations as well since its quite basic and will burn you like acid will. Also dont breath the dust in for the same reason.

Base burns are worse than acid burns as things go.

Gonna try doing that next. Thanks leafy.

I tried some of the ish from home depot krud kutter or something. Didn't really do all that much so TSP is next and also going to try MEK. HD here didn't have it, but I think lowes does. Weird....

Preparation in order for it not to get dirty in the first place. I tape heavy duty trash bags or plastic sheeting under any car that may leak. I also pay attention to what I'm about to do. if it involves liquids - plastic and/or cardboard, pan, plenty of rags, rubbing alcohol within reach. If I do spill anything - i pour alcohol on it right away in order to dilute it as much as possible and let it dissolve and evaporate as much crap as possible.

Steam cleaning or very hot water can help reduce those spots.

MEK on an old oil stain. Two applications, blotched:
pics out of order...


https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...70f0882eba.jpg
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...9807a81f9d.jpg
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...77f9b7e5c2.jpg