How To Clean A Garage Floor

It’s no secret that garage floors get dirty quite quickly. Dirt, dust, rust, debris, oil, and grease stains are common in any garage, and they can be tough to get rid of. Many homeowners understandably struggle with how to clean a garage floor.

The best way to clean a garage floor is to use a pressure washer. You can also use household remedies like white vinegar and lemon juice to break down tough stains, but you must neutralize them with water before they dry. Muriatic acid and concrete degreasers are the best options in tough cases when you cannot remove the stains on your garage floor.

Try to clean your garage every two months or sooner as needed so tough stains don’t form. Follow along as we explore how to clean a garage floor.

While this isn’t an option for every homeowner, a pressure washer is the best way to clean a garage floor. The only downside to this option is that you will have to manage the water and get it out of your garage. This method is typically only necessary if your garage floor is filthy and caked with stubborn dirt and debris.

Remove everything from your garage that you don’t want to get wet, so you have more space to work without damaging anything. Hook up your pressure washer and work in small sections. Spray the cleaning agent on the ground before you hit it with the high-pressure stream of water.

As you work through each section, continually mop the dirty water out of your garage so you don’t stain the floor again. You can also push the dirty water toward the drain in the center of your garage. When you are done, leave your garage door open to let it air dry.

Do you have deep grease and oil stains on your garage floor? If so, you can soak them up with sawdust and or baking soda. That way, you won’t have to worry about dragging grease across your garage floor as you clean it.

Identify all the grease stains in your garage and sprinkle sawdust or baking soda over them. Let the dust or powder sit for 15-30 minutes. After that, you can carefully scoop the sawdust or powder into a pan or sweep the floor.

Now, you will be able to clean the rest of your garage floor without spreading grease and oil everywhere.

Muriatic acid is a powerful chemical, so you should only use it to clean your garage floor in extreme cases. This is a great option if you cannot remove stubborn stains and your garage is still covered in grease and oil. Each brand has different instructions for how much muriatic acid to use based on the concentration of the chemical.

It’s important to follow the instructions closely, as using too much muriatic acid can damage the surface of your garage floor. Only leave muriatic acid on your garage floor for 20 minutes or less depending on the instructions. After that, cover the acid with baking soda to neutralize it.

Leave the baking soda on the muriatic acid for 15-20 minutes and wash it away with a mop and water. From there, you can safely mop the rest of your garage floor without worrying about acidity.

While this won’t work for extreme stains, a mixture of mild dish soap and water can help clean a garage floor. Mix 1-2 tablespoons of mild dish soap with 1-2 gallons of warm water in a bucket. Quickly mix the solution and have your mop ready so you can start cleaning while the water is still warm.

Soak the mop in the solution and drag it across your garage floor, working in sections. This is an effective way to remove common dirt, dust, pollen, and debris from your garage floor.

Lemon juice is highly acidic, and it’s one of the best household remedies for many types of stains. It’s also an effective cleaning agent for garage floors that are covered in deep stains. You can either buy lemon concentrate or squeeze lemons and collect the juice.

Pour lemon juice directly onto tough stains on your garage floor. Let the lemon juice sit for 5 minutes, then apply more and let it sit for another 5 minutes. Once the time is up, you can simply mop the lemon juice away with a mixture of baking soda and water to neutralize the acidity.

Much like lemon juice, white vinegar is a highly acidic item you can find in your kitchen and use to clean your garage floor. Pour enough white vinegar over a stain to cover it and let it sit for up to 10 minutes. Pour some water onto the stain once the time is up and let it soak for 2-5 minutes.

Now, simply mop the dirty water and white vinegar away so more stains don’t form. This method works especially well for removing rust stains from your garage floor.

Store-bought concrete degreasers can help make your garage floor look as good as new. Brands like Zep Driveway and Purple Power make degreasers that are safe for concrete. Concrete degreaser typically costs between $6 and $20 per bottle, depending on the brand and quantity.

The instructions vary between brands, but you typically pour it onto grease stains and let it sit for 5 minutes. Make sure that the degreaser doesn’t dry, or it won’t be effective, and it may further stain your garage floor. Use a pressure washer to soak the area after 5 minutes and you should be able to remove the grease stains. This also works for driveways.

Use a pressure washer to clean your garage floor for the best results. Don’t hold the nozzle too close to the ground or you may damage the floor’s surface. Sprinkle sawdust or baking soda over grease and oil stains to soak them, so you can easily clean the garage floor.

Otherwise, you can pour white vinegar or lemon juice over tough stains and let them sit for 5-10 minutes. Pour water on the stain to neutralize the acid so you don’t damage the floor. If all else fails, you can buy a concrete degreaser to break down oil, grease, and stubborn dirt.