3 Common Garage Stains and How to Fix Them
If you have a concrete garage floor, like most of us do, it’s likely that you will have to contend with stains from time to time. The good news is that stains on your garage floor don’t impact your day-to-day enjoyment of your home, most of the time. The bad news is that they’re easy to neglect, and you will have to remove them at some point. Here are 3 of the more common garage floor stains and how to deal with them:
- Oil Stains
Oil is probably the most common culprit if you have a stain on your garage floor. While various chemicals, oils and liquids can drip in the garage, oil leaks are not only common, but dark in color, making them obvious. If you have a fresh oil stain, first cover it in sawdust or kitty litter (the non-clumping kind) to help absorb as much as possible. If you skip this step, you’re going to end up smearing it around as you clean, so do damage control first! Next, try scrubbing it with a nylon brush and dishwashing liquid. You could also try shampoo, as it is made to break down oils. Rinse well. Any leftover stain might be able to be removed with non-diet cola; pour, scrub and rinse. Prevent further stains by flattening out a cardboard box and parking over it. If your car drips oil, it will stay on the box instead of staining the concrete below it.
- Rust
Rust occurs when you have metal aerosol cans or paint cans that are sitting for a while in the garage. When you remove them, you notice a ring of orange rust underneath. The best way to remove rust from a garage floor is to use sandpaper. Sand carefully by hand until you don’t see any more orange. Prevent rust by keeping a sheet of cardboard under your paint cans. You can keep aerosol cans in special holders or on shelving in order to prevent them from staining the floor.
- Sidewalk Chalk
If it’s a rainy or cold day, and you have the great idea to let your little ones play with their sidewalk chalk in the garage. This seems like a good plan, because sidewalk chalk just rinses away with the hose, right? Wrong: It stains concrete! What do you do now, with flowers and tic-tac-toe and stick figures stained into your garage floor? Your nylon brush will prove to be your friend. You’ll need to use some elbow grease, but you should be able to get the stains out. Prevention here is simple: Don’t let your kids use their chalk on concrete; send them out to the blacktop instead!
When removing stains from the garage floor, one important caveat to keep in mind is to avoid using wire brushes. These will create little grooves in the floor that will allow stains to set more deeply. If you’re scrubbing, use nylon. You can also ask at the hardware store for products made with muratic acid, which can safely remove some stains when used with caution.
{{cta(‘8db56c9d-71e0-436c-b8ff-e6eb739f199e’)}}