One of the projects I have planned for this spring is to clean my garage
floor. It's in great condition, but it has a few oil stains and dirty spots
I would like to clean up.

The floor is only a few years old, and has a very nice troweled surface.
So, I don't want to use anything that will etch or damage the concrete. I
just want to clean up the stains and dirt.

Any recommendations other than the basic soap and water?

Thanks,

Anthony

"HerHusband" wrote in message
...
One of the projects I have planned for this spring is to clean my garage
floor. It's in great condition, but it has a few oil stains and dirty
spots
I would like to clean up.

The floor is only a few years old, and has a very nice troweled surface.
So, I don't want to use anything that will etch or damage the concrete. I
just want to clean up the stains and dirt.

Any recommendations other than the basic soap and water?

Thanks,

Anthony


This suggestion from my mechanic has worked for me: Tide laundry powder.
Sprinkle some on, and mist with water enough to make a paste. Scrub with a
brush, rinse, repeat. The rinsing may be a problem for you, if the floors
not angled so the water heads out the door. But, if you can manage the
rinsing, the method works fine.

On Mar 16, 10:38�am, "JoeSpareBedroom" wrote:
"HerHusband" wrote in message

...

One of the projects I have planned for this spring is to clean my garage
floor. It's in great condition, but it has a few oil stains and dirty
spots
I would like to clean up.

The floor is only a few years old, and has a very nice troweled surface.
So, I don't want to use anything that will etch or damage the concrete. I
just want to clean up the stains and dirt.

Any recommendations other than the basic soap and water?

Thanks,

Anthony

This suggestion from my mechanic has worked for me: Tide laundry powder.
Sprinkle some on, and mist with water enough to make a paste. Scrub with a
brush, rinse, repeat. *The rinsing may be a problem for you, if the floors
not angled so the water heads out the door. But, if you can manage the
rinsing, the method works fine.

save lots of work, you cant get it all and it will just reoccur.

get over it a stained floor is normal. or get one of those room sized
mats and cover the entrire thing.

One of the projects I have planned for this spring is to clean my
garage floor. It's in great condition, but it has a few oil stains
and dirty spots I would like to clean up.

This suggestion from my mechanic has worked for me: Tide laundry
powder. Sprinkle some on, and mist with water enough to make a paste.
Scrub with a brush, rinse, repeat. The rinsing may be a problem for
you, if the floors not angled so the water heads out the door. But, if
you can manage the rinsing, the method works fine.

Thanks, I'll give it a try. Rinsing shouldn't be a problem. My floor is
sloped, and I've hosed it down many times. What little water remains I can
sweep out, then let air dry.

save lots of work, you cant get it all and it will just reoccur.
get over it a stained floor is normal.

That's like saying "why clean house, it'll just get dirty again".

It doesn't have to be perfect, I just want to clean up the majority of the
mess. We rarely park our cars in the garage, I use it mostly for
woodworking and other projects. So if I can get up most of the oil and
dirt, I'll be happy.

Anthony

"HerHusband" wrote in message
...
One of the projects I have planned for this spring is to clean my
garage floor. It's in great condition, but it has a few oil stains
and dirty spots I would like to clean up.

This suggestion from my mechanic has worked for me: Tide laundry
powder. Sprinkle some on, and mist with water enough to make a paste.
Scrub with a brush, rinse, repeat. The rinsing may be a problem for
you, if the floors not angled so the water heads out the door. But, if
you can manage the rinsing, the method works fine.

Thanks, I'll give it a try. Rinsing shouldn't be a problem. My floor is
sloped, and I've hosed it down many times. What little water remains I can
sweep out, then let air dry.

save lots of work, you cant get it all and it will just reoccur.
get over it a stained floor is normal.

That's like saying "why clean house, it'll just get dirty again".

It doesn't have to be perfect, I just want to clean up the majority of the
mess. We rarely park our cars in the garage, I use it mostly for
woodworking and other projects. So if I can get up most of the oil and
dirt, I'll be happy.

Anthony

The point is that if the stain has soaked into the cement, you won't be able
to remove all of it unless you want to try a jackhammer. What you will be
able to achieve is eliminating what's on the surface. I do it so people
won't track it in on their shoes. If appearance is your main goal, it's time
to deal with the cause of the oil stains (proper car maintenance, sloppy oil
changes, etc.)

HerHusband wrote:
One of the projects I have planned for this spring is to clean my
garage floor. It's in great condition, but it has a few oil stains
and dirty spots I would like to clean up.

The floor is only a few years old, and has a very nice troweled
surface. So, I don't want to use anything that will etch or damage
the concrete. I just want to clean up the stains and dirt.

Any recommendations other than the basic soap and water?

Thanks,

Anthony

Getting it really clean is not an easy project as it soaks into the
concrete.

I like the Tide idea, at least give it a try first. You can also find
materials in the hardware store make for it. I use kitty litter to soak up
as much as possible then add more kitty litter and Naphtha. Let the kitty
letter absorb it and repeat a few time.


--
Joseph Meehan

Dia 's Muire duit

You can also find materials in the hardware store made for it.

That's what I was wondering. I don't recall ever seeing concrete cleaners
in the stores. Any stores or brands you would suggest?

I use kitty litter to soak up as much as possible

Yep, same here, as soon as I possibly can after the spill occurs.

On some of the bad spots, I'll spray on a generic degreaser and cover with
kitty litter again. Usually gets the worst out.

I've also found that the fine saw dust from my woodworking helps soak up a
little bit too.

it's time to deal with the cause of the oil stains

We don't park our cars in the garage unless I'm working on them, which
lately has been to fix some annoying leaks. Unfortunately, it's not
always possible to get a drip pan under the item that is leaking (like the
power steering hoses I just replaced). And then there's always the
unplanned "surprise" spills. So a few spills are unavoidable. I try to put
a sheet of cardboard or something down if I anticipate a messy job, but
again, some spills aren't planned...

Anthony

In article , "Joseph Meehan" wrote:

I like the Tide idea, at least give it a try first. You can also find
materials in the hardware store make for it. I use kitty litter to soak up
as much as possible then add more kitty litter and Naphtha. Let the kitty
letter absorb it and repeat a few time.

Kirkland Laundry Detergent from Costco is way cheaper and
works well. You can buy a huge tub for something like 12
bucks and it even includes specific instructions for using
the stuff on oil spills.

--
|~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~|
| Malcolm Hoar "The more I practice, the luckier I get". |
| Gary Player. |
| http://www.malch.com/ Shpx gur PQN. |
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

On Mar 16, 11:07 am, HerHusband wrote:
One of the projects I have planned for this spring is to clean my garage
floor. It's in great condition, but it has a few oil stains and dirty spots
I would like to clean up.

The floor is only a few years old, and has a very nice troweled surface.
So, I don't want to use anything that will etch or damage the concrete. I
just want to clean up the stains and dirt.

Any recommendations other than the basic soap and water?

Thanks,

Anthony



Not for everyone- heat the oils spots with a propane torch.
Not too hot or it'll flake off, sometimes with quite a pop!

Really not for everyone- soak the spots with flammable solvent for a
while, when it has wicked down add more, add a bit more and light that
sucker up. It won't get hot enough to spall the concrete, but it will
get hot enough to wick the oil-solvent mix up from a little below the
surface, and it'll burn right off.

Apply these methods at your own, um, risk!

Dave

On Mar 16, 3:39?pm, wrote:
On Mar 16, 11:07 am, HerHusband wrote:

One of the projects I have planned for this spring is to clean my garage
floor. It's in great condition, but it has a few oil stains and dirty spots
I would like to clean up.

The floor is only a few years old, and has a very nice troweled surface.
So, I don't want to use anything that will etch or damage the concrete. I
just want to clean up the stains and dirt.

Any recommendations other than the basic soap and water?

Thanks,

Anthony

Not for everyone- heat the oils spots with a propane torch.
Not too hot or it'll flake off, sometimes with quite a pop!

Really not for everyone- soak the spots with flammable solvent for a
while, when it has wicked down add more, add a bit more and light that
sucker up. It won't get hot enough to spall the concrete, but it will
get hot enough to wick the oil-solvent mix up from a little below the
surface, and it'll burn right off.

Apply these methods at your own, um, risk!

Dave

Concrete EXPLODES if heated with a propane or other torch. Its violent
and can cause injury, plus unsightly floor damage

They do have plastic mats designed to cover the entire floor, or epoxy
paint.

I guess my why try cleaning is from a life experience of failure. No
matter what its there forever. all vehicles drip a little

On 16 Mar 2007 13:39:31 -0700, wrote:

On Mar 16, 11:07 am, HerHusband wrote:
One of the projects I have planned for this spring is to clean my garage
floor. It's in great condition, but it has a few oil stains and dirty spots
I would like to clean up.

The floor is only a few years old, and has a very nice troweled surface.
So, I don't want to use anything that will etch or damage the concrete. I
just want to clean up the stains and dirt.

Any recommendations other than the basic soap and water?

Thanks,

Anthony



Not for everyone- heat the oils spots with a propane torch.
Not too hot or it'll flake off, sometimes with quite a pop!

Not for anyone.


Really not for everyone- soak the spots with flammable solvent for a
while, when it has wicked down add more, add a bit more and light that
sucker up. It won't get hot enough to spall the concrete, but it will
get hot enough to wick the oil-solvent mix up from a little below the
surface, and it'll burn right off.

Really not for anyone.


Apply these methods at your own, um, risk!

The OP wants little risk; trying to preserve the fine finish, except
needing to clean some oil spots.

--
Oren

"If things get any worse, I'll have to ask you to stop helping me."

"JoeSpareBedroom" wrote:

If appearance is your main goal, it's time
to deal with the cause of the oil stains (proper car maintenance, sloppy oil
changes, etc.)

Or use a coating that doesn't absorb oil. I highly recommend two part epoxy,
sold as an industrial coating at most real paint stores. Avoid anything sold at
the big box consumer stores. Also note that concrete sealers and stains are not
the same thing. Also note that basement floor paint will not work - the heat
from the tires will lay nice tracks the first time you drive on it.

Two part epoxies are avilable in most any color including a light grey that
approximates new concrete.

HerHusband wrote:
One of the projects I have planned for this spring is to clean my
garage floor. It's in great condition, but it has a few oil stains
and dirty spots I would like to clean up.

The floor is only a few years old, and has a very nice troweled
surface. So, I don't want to use anything that will etch or damage
the concrete. I just want to clean up the stains and dirt.

Any recommendations other than the basic soap and water?

Thanks,

Anthony

In addition to my first message I might suggest that once you get it
clean, a top quality true epoxy garage floor paint will make future cleanups
much easier. Note: unless you are willing to do a lot of work properly
prepping the floor and use good materials, you are wasting your time and
money.

--
Joseph Meehan

Dia 's Muire duit

One of the projects I have planned for this spring is to clean my
garage floor. It's in great condition, but it has a few oil stains
and dirty spots I would like to clean up.

I might suggest that once you get it clean, a top quality true
epoxy garage floor paint will make future cleanups much easier.

Thanks, but it's not that big of a deal. I sprung for a $5 box of Tide.
I'll have to see how it works when I can find the time on a dry day.

I may consider epoxy a few years down the road, but for now the floor is in
great condition. It just needs a bath.

Anthony

HerHusband wrote:
One of the projects I have planned for this spring is to clean my
garage floor. It's in great condition, but it has a few oil stains
and dirty spots I would like to clean up.

I might suggest that once you get it clean, a top quality true
epoxy garage floor paint will make future cleanups much easier.

Thanks, but it's not that big of a deal. I sprung for a $5 box of
Tide. I'll have to see how it works when I can find the time on a
dry day.

I may consider epoxy a few years down the road, but for now the floor
is in great condition. It just needs a bath.

Anthony

It is a lot easier and more reliable to use the epoxy on a floor in good
condition that to try and clean up an old floor enough to use the material.

--
Joseph Meehan

Dia 's Muire duit

Read cautions about Naptha inflammability and breathing hazards.

On Fri, 16 Mar 2007 15:22:12 -0400, "Joseph Meehan"
wrote:

HerHusband wrote:
One of the projects I have planned for this spring is to clean my
garage floor. It's in great condition, but it has a few oil stains
and dirty spots I would like to clean up.

The floor is only a few years old, and has a very nice troweled
surface. So, I don't want to use anything that will etch or damage
the concrete. I just want to clean up the stains and dirt.

Any recommendations other than the basic soap and water?

Thanks,

Anthony

Getting it really clean is not an easy project as it soaks into the
concrete.

I like the Tide idea, at least give it a try first. You can also find
materials in the hardware store make for it. I use kitty litter to soak up
as much as possible then add more kitty litter and Naphtha. Let the kitty
letter absorb it and repeat a few time.

wrote:
Read cautions about Naptha inflammability and breathing hazards.


Good point. It is not as bad as many other substances, but it is not
without possible harmful effects.

--
Joseph Meehan

Dia 's Muire duit

On Mar 17, 1:39�pm, "Joseph Meehan"
wrote:
wrote:
Read cautions about Naptha inflammability and breathing hazards.

* * Good point. *It is not as bad as many other substances, but it is not
without possible harmful effects.

--
Joseph Meehan

*Dia 's Muire duit

Heres a list of things that clean really well oil from concrete.....


scroll down



scroll down


scroll down



NOTHING

I have a friend who had oil get on his preetty new driveway, from a
tree pruning truck that pulled in his driveway.

He went ballistic, the insurance company for the tree guy paid various
contractors over a grand for pressure washing and all sorts of
attempts by finally 3 different clean up contractors.

The marks are still there 5 years later, and he took it to court. By
the time of the trial other drips had occured and the case got thrown
out. No doubt the lawyers mad a mint Judge visited the home owner
wanted new driveway.

His experience was like mine, concrete is porous, the oil gets in the
pours and will not come out. Perhaps thompsons water seal right after
concrete is new would help. although that darkens concretye just like
oil does.

On Fri, 16 Mar 2007 13:56:32 -0500, HerHusband
wrote:


save lots of work, you cant get it all and it will just reoccur.
get over it a stained floor is normal.

That's like saying "why clean house, it'll just get dirty again".

Exactly.

Two words: KITTY LITTER.
Buy a bag of the cheapest kitty litter you can find. Pour a handfull
on the grease or oil spot. Mash it around with your shoe until it
turns to powder.
Sweep and repeat.
No chemicals, no flames, no water or rinsing required.

Vin - On-line old maps for genealogical, local history, real estate
and gold claims research at http://MenotomyMaps.com


On Mar 17, 7:44 pm, mm wrote:
On Fri, 16 Mar 2007 13:56:32 -0500, HerHusband
wrote:



save lots of work, you cant get it all and it will just reoccur.
get over it a stained floor is normal.

That's like saying "why clean house, it'll just get dirty again".

Exactly.

OldRoads wrote:
Two words: KITTY LITTER.
Buy a bag of the cheapest kitty litter you can find. Pour a handfull
on the grease or oil spot. Mash it around with your shoe until it
turns to powder.
Sweep and repeat.
No chemicals, no flames, no water or rinsing required.

In my experience, some brands work, some don't. I suspect the first one
I tried successfully was the same stuff as Oil-Dri but I forgot the
brand name.

--
Martians drive SUVs! http://oregonmag.com/MarsWarm307.html

Two words: KITTY LITTER.

In my experience, some brands work, some don't.

I have found the cheapest brands (usually store brands) to be the most
effective at soaking up the oil stains. The more expensive brands have
additives that are supposed to reduce dust and odor, and these seem to
reduce their oil soaking abilities too.

Anthony

On Mar 16, 8:07 am, HerHusband wrote:
One of the projects I have planned for this spring is to clean my garage
floor. It's in great condition, but it has a few oil stains and dirty spots
I would like to clean up.

The floor is only a few years old, and has a very nice troweled surface.
So, I don't want to use anything that will etch or damage the concrete. I
just want to clean up the stains and dirt.

Any recommendations other than the basic soap and water?

Thanks,

Anthony

Zep Driveway Cleaner. Does better than Tide and you won't slip and
crack your back.

Mrs. Clean (expert cleaner)

On Mar 21, 9:43 am, "MRS. CLEAN" wrote:
On Mar 16, 8:07 am, HerHusband wrote:

One of the projects I have planned for this spring is to clean my garage
floor. It's in great condition, but it has a few oil stains and dirty spots
I would like to clean up.

The floor is only a few years old, and has a very nice troweled surface.
So, I don't want to use anything that will etch or damage the concrete. I
just want to clean up the stains and dirt.

Any recommendations other than the basic soap and water?

Thanks,

Anthony

Zep Driveway Cleaner. Does better than Tide and you won't slip and
crack your back.

Mrs. Clean (expert cleaner)

Also, Tide can leave a film if you use a strong solution which
increase work time in rinsing.

Always trust Mrs. Clean in cleaning matters.

One of the projects I have planned for this spring is to clean my
garage floor. It's in great condition, but it has a few oil stains
and dirty spots I would like to clean up.

Zep Driveway Cleaner. Does better than Tide
and you won't slip and crack your back.

Any suggestions on where I can buy Zep Driveway Cleaner?

Thanks,

Anthony