When it comes to areas where tough stains are likely to happen, your garage ranks right up there, along with your kitchen and bathroom.
Aside from our cars, garages tend to be where we store our messiest household items, including paint, oil, boxes of old rags, cleaning products, and tools covered in grease and grime. Of course, no one wants their garage to look messy, but protecting it from dirt can sometimes seem like an impossible task. However, being one of the most high-traffic areas of your home with use multiple times a day, a lack of proper maintenance can result in cracks, holes and dangerous damage.
Thankfully, various cleaning methods are available to make your high and low-traffic areas shine. These include power washing, mopping, and rinsing using various tools. This blog provides a range of tips for removing the most common yet toughest stains from your garage floor.
While hiring a pressure washer to clean your surfaces may be tempting, we’re here to offer other options that may do the trick (and therefore save you some money). Our recommendation is to try softer options (often mixtures made from household items like washing detergent, dish soap, baking soda and vinegar) before trying harder chemicals. Stains can vary in severity and stubbornness, so you may not always need to go to the trouble of hiring a power washer. A milder cleaning solution won’t damage your floors, and pressure washers can take on the task if your floor needs more elbow grease.
If you’re not quite ready to resort to painting your garage floor, some simple cleaners and equipment from the local hardware store can be enough to make your garage floor look like new again. Or, if you’re looking for tips on spring cleaning your garage, click here. Otherwise, read on for everything you need to know about how to clean garage floors and their four most common stains.
We get it. Cleaning the garage doesn’t sound like the most exciting job in the world, but like most things, regular maintenance can have a lot of benefits. Simple things like a regular sweep and the occasional deep clean can add years to your garage floor’s life. On the other hand, a simple rust stain or damaged chunk of drywall can be enough to derail the appeal of a garage. If you’ve just invested in one of Steel Line’s custom garage doors, or if you’re getting your home ready to sell, you will be surprised at how much a clean garage will enhance your home’s appeal and functionality.
Regular cleaning helps your flooring last longer and look its best, helping to take care of your investment and leading to fewer renovations needed if you ever plan to resell. You might be surprised by how much brighter and cleaner your home looks once those grease stains and spills are removed.
Beyond appearance, a regularly cleaned and maintained garage floor can improve safety and ease of use and remove the attraction for rodents and critters. Being an area used often and usually in a flurry of activity, the garage floor cleaning process will encourage you to remove garden tools, contaminants, and obstructions from the space, working wonders for your efficiency and ease of access.
Oil is the lifeblood of your vehicle and checking it regularly can help keep your car in tip-top shape. However, oil is also a messy substance that is easy to spill. Whether you keep cars or motorcycles, chances are you’ll have an oil spill at some stage. Not only is spilt oil an eyesore that will damage your flooring, but it can also be a safety risk.
The steps to removing oil from your concrete floors include:
When it comes to products you can use on your concrete, there are a few you’ll have in your home already that may be able to do the trick. WD-40 or even vinegar is a great first option.
Epoxy floors with strategically poured terrazzo flakes and a layer of shiny gloss can make a garage floor look good enough to use for more than just your cars. Whether you’ve transformed your garage into a multi-purpose space or want to give your vehicle a nice-looking home, an epoxy coating can provide the perfect solution. However, if you’ve got some stubborn rust spots plaguing your garage floors, the space can quickly lose its appeal.
Clean those rust spots off your epoxy garage floor by doing the following:
Removing paint stains from cement can be a frustrating experience because it is naturally brilliant at absorbing paint. This is great when you’re deliberately painting the cement but not so ideal when you’re not. However, not all hope is lost, and there are some steps you can take to remove paint from your garage floor.
Keep in mind that removing wet paint is easier than dry paint, so if you’ve noticed you’ve spilt some paint, don’t wait until later to clean up.
Removing wet paint:
Removing dried paint stains:
While your hooning days may be long behind you, tyre marks are a common risk for even the most careful driver unless you’re planning on using drop cloths daily. Something as simple as a touch too much acceleration or breaking a moment too late can result in black streaks sullying your perfectly maintained garage floor.
Use these steps to get rid of your tyre marks once and for all:
Cleaning your garage floor is just the start of what is possible when bringing life back to your garage. If you’re ready to upgrade your garage door and its accessories to boost your space into the 21st century, we can help. With branches across Australia, we are here to answer your questions and sort out your garage woes. Simply call us on 1300 767 900, or contact us here to find out more.
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