The one thing that every garage floor in East Greenwich, RI, has in common is the ability to stand up to serious abuse. If you think about it, that’s a given simply because a garage’s principal purpose is to store vehicles. And as you know, vehicles carry oil, gasoline, and a variety of other fluids—and carry all kinds of road grime and chemicals in from the roads they traverse.
The good news is that most of those substances won’t harm your garage floor. But that doesn’t mean they can’t stain it. Oil, in particular, can leave some ugly and hard-to-remove stains on garage floors. If your garage floor has oil stains, don’t fret. Here are three ways to remove them and when you should call in a professional for help.
1. Use Powdered Laundry Detergent
If you find a fairly recent oil stain on your garage floor, one of the best ways to remove it is by using powdered laundry detergent. Such detergents have compounds that lift oil away and separate it from fabrics, but they work on concrete, too.
To get started, blot up as much surface residue as you can with a shop towel or other clean cloth. Then, wet the entire stain with clean water. Next, fill a bucket with one-half gallon of hot water and mix in one cup of the powdered detergent. You can then pour the solution onto the stain. You can also add some extra dry detergent powder on top for some extra cleaning power. Next, let the mixture soak in for a few minutes.
To remove the stain, scrub it with a stiff-bristled brush and rinse it with a high-pressure water source. A garden hose can do the job, but a pressure washer will work even better.
2. Use a Degreaser
You may need to turn to a purpose-made degreasing product for stubborn oil stains on your garage floor. There are plenty of options, ranging from industrial-grade cleaners to eco-friendly citrus-based cleaners. These two forms of degreaser work similarly.
With most degreasers, be sure to open doors and windows because you need adequate ventilation. Then, spread the product on the stain. Next, let the mixture dry, which should extract the oil from your concrete. This will leave behind a powder you can sweep up with a broom and dustpan. After sweeping, your stain should be gone.
3. Use an Enzymatic or Microbe-Based Cleaner
If you can’t get an oil stain out in any other way, there’s one more option you can try. You can use an enzymatic or microbe-based cleaning product. These contain organisms that can consume oil, removing it from your floor. They cost quite a bit more than conventional cleaning products but are far more effective. Plus, you won’t need to do any scrubbing to get the stain out.
You’ll most likely need to leave an enzymatic or microbe-based cleaning product on your oil stain overnight. This gives it time to extract and consume the oil that makes up the stain. All you have to do is wait, and the cleaning product does the hard work.
When to Call in a Professional
Realistically, you should be able to deal with most small oil stains on your garage floor using one of the methods above. However, if your floor has numerous stains and you’re unsure what substances caused them, you should call in professional help. A professional will have additional tools and cleaning products to deal with all kinds of concrete stains. They’ll also have experience refinishing concrete and restoring it to like-new condition.
But if you want to prevent stains, our garage floor coating is a great solution. At Rhode Island Garage, we excel at restoring and refinishing garage floors. We offer a variety of sealants that can prevent future staining and skid marks. We also design and install garage storage systems to improve the utility of your garage. With over 15 years of industry experience, you won’t find a better option for your garage’s organizational or floor coating needs.
So, when you’re ready for your garage floor to look like new, call the experts at Rhode Island Garage in East Greenwich, RI today!
