cleaning garage floors

[glennds]

any suggestions on good product to clean dirt and oil from a cement garage floor? is there a special cleaner made for garage floors or would a normal household cleaner, like ammonia, work?

what kind of cleaning tool is good for cement floors? a regular mop?

better yet, any applicance that would be good for this? i got every household gadget known to mankind and love buying and using them. maybe home depot sells something for garage floors?

 

[a10j10]

Muriatic Acid or TSP.

 

[IvanOffelitch]

If the floor is concrete, you can use a diluted mix of muriatic acid and water...don't remember the mix ratio, it might be on the bottle of muriatic.

Be forewarned, you'd better have DAMNED good ventilation, those fumes are NASTY!

Don't leave it on too long or it will begin to etch the concrete.

 

[RADAR]

if you have fresh oil lay some newspaper down to absorb before starting the above.
RADAR

 

[glennds]

never heard of muriatic acid. who knew. what do you guys use to apply? does it come in liquid form. where is it sold? home depot?

 

[HumorMe]

Pressure washer and degreaser

 

[Devastation]

pine sol for most of it. if there is dirt stuck to the floor, get a flat metal scraper and scrape it first. also you can use cat litter for medium to large oil spills/leaks. other wise sweep the dirt into the oil spot and then let it absorb some of the oil. scrape it off afterwards and then pine sol the whole thing. diluted with water of course. squeegee (sp?) it out then if you have one

 

[a10j10]

never heard of muriatic acid. who knew. what do you guys use to apply? does it come in liquid form. where is it sold? home depot?

Read above, I also suggested TSP.
Yup, both products are sold at Home Depot or local hardware stores.

Here's what ya need to know on both...
Muriatic acid:
http://www.mcmua.com/hazardouswaste/FAQ_Muriatic_Acid.htm

TSP:
http://www.naturalhandyman.com/iip/infxtra/inftsp.shtm

Peace

 

[glennds]

thanks for link a10. don't know about that muriatic acid...sounds like that might be used for extreme oil spills. i only have a few drops here and there.

i am more concerned about ground in normal dirt. the garage is swept a couple times/month. think i might start with pine sol, or mr clean and see how it works.

 

[a10j10]

thanks for link a10. don't know about that muriatic acid...sounds like that might be used for extreme oil spills. i only have a few drops here and there. i am more bout just ground in normal dirt. the garage is swept a couple times/month. think i might start with pine sol, or mr clean and see how it works.

Hmm, don't think Pine Sol or Mr. Clean's gonna do it for ya...
sure, it may clean the oil up a bit, but it's still gonna seep thru.

Those cleaners are like soaps, and soaps will never get rid of oil stains completely.

 

[glennds]

Hmm, don't think Pine Sol or Mr. Clean's gonna do it for ya...
sure, it may clean the oil up a bit, but it's still gonna seep thru.

Those cleaners are like soaps, and soaps will never get rid of oil stains completely.

really? ok will take your advice and look for at home depot over weekend. can't stand looking at the ground in dirt.

 

[a10j10]

really? ok will take your advice and look for at home depot over weekend. can't stand looking at the ground in dirt.

Seriously. Just be careful since it's smaller oil spots, right?
Wear gloves and possibly one of them paper masks (all this stuff is at the Depot), and just apply the stuff as directed on the bottle.

 

[a10j10]

Seriously. Just be careful since it's smaller oil spots, right?
Wear gloves and possibly one of them paper masks (all this stuff is at the Depot), and just apply the stuff as directed on the bottle.

And the stuff won't cost ya much either.

 

[wootoom]

glennds is a good bro

 

[lilred]

TSP is great! Cleans walls really well befoe painting too! You can make it as strong or as mild as you want(powder form, mix with water). Won't die from fumes either.

 

[a10j10]

TSP is great! Cleans walls really well befoe painting too! You can make it as strong or as mild as you want(powder form, mix with water). Won't die from fumes either.

See? Love it when my words are backed up by testimonials!

*For the record, I did NOT pay lilred, lol.

 

[Sassy69]

glenn -- when you're done w/ the garage floors, can you do the floors in my house? Lots of cat hair & stuff.

 

[glennds]

sure.

 

[lilred]

See? Love it when my words are backed up by testimonials!

*For the record, I did NOT pay lilred, lol.

only in k.....j/k

 

[Sassy69]

sure.

Sweet. I'll leave the front door unlocked. The vacuum & broom are in the closet in front of the stairs. You can watch TV -- make sure you use the right remote. Help yourself to whatever you want in the fridge but don't eat all my chicken. I won't have a chance to cook any more until the weekend. Be careful when you vacuum in the master bedroom, the cat will probably be hiding under the bed & the vacuum sort of freaks him out.


But stay out of my Capt Morgan. Anything else, help yourself!

You rock!


(damn... I wish you could clean my house...)

 

[Basic_wonder]

I would use gasoline, that stuff cleans anything, just make sure to have a face mask, and rinse the floor right after ....

 

[glennds]

I would use gasoline, that stuff cleans anything, just make sure to have a face mask, and rinse the floor right after ....

you are kidding right?

 

[mekannik]

I would use gasoline, that stuff cleans anything, just make sure to have a face mask, and rinse the floor right after ....

Gasoline + Tide (powder)
Scrubber or Wooden push broom

Just enough to make a putty/sludge-like consistency. Friend of mine who is an apartment manager told me about this. Works like a charm.


Just be sure to keep the garage door open or the room VERY WELL ventilated.

 

[glennds]

that is unbelievable! gasoline as a cleaning agent? must be for some specific surfaces/stains...don't know what.

i got phobia about fire/burns. no way would i intentionally spread gasoline on a surface in my house. even my detached garage.

 

[GoldenDelicious]

hydrochloric acid mixed with water, spread with a broom, then waterblasted off will give you an almost new finish. (actually i think muriatic acid is hydrochloric acid of a certain concentration). pretreat oil spots with undiluted hydrochloric acid.

avoid using a narrow beamed water blaster if you can, or youll see a pattern in the concrete. the wider, the better.

cheers