After a long winter of storing your vehicles in the garage and tracking in salt, slush, and mud on both your tires and your boots, you may soon find that your concrete garage floors are not as fresh looking as they used to be. To get ready for the days of barefooted backyard nights and summer guests, those floors could benefit from a pressure washing just as exterior walkways and hardscape do.
The first step in giving garage floors the attention they deserve is to determine the equipment necessary. Pressure washing can be dangerous for those who are not experienced, with the high-power water causing bodily harm and the potential for damaging property. Letting an expert decide which washer to use and allowing them to complete the process will always be the safest bet. If you do plan on taking this project on for yourself, it is best to do more than your share of research first.
If you do choose to wash the floors yourself, first wet the concrete completely. When the sun comes out for an afternoon, move the cars and equipment to the driveway for a few hours and wet the entire concrete surface to avoid streaking. You also may want to wet your driveway, to keep the dirt and grime that will be washed away from sticking.
Once wet, treat any heavy oil or grease stains on the concrete with a degreaser, which can be bought at any local hardware store. For best results, you may want to scrub these stubborn spots with a deck brush or any other heavy duty brush. Let these spots soak in the degreaser for at least 15 minutes.
In order for the cleaning to be most effective, you will need to add degreaser to the reservoir of the pressure washer as well. If the washer you’ve selected does not have a designated reservoir for this, you can easily mix the degreaser with water and mop it onto your floor. After letting it soak, you’re ready to wash. Hold the washer’s wand 6-12 inches from the garage floor while in use. Using a steady motion without over-washing particular spots will be most effective in order to avoid scratching or harming the concrete. Some areas may require two treatments in order to blast away all of the greasy grime, so be patient!
By doing your homework and following these steps, you should be able to achieve the clean, fresh concrete look that your garage floor had before the dead of winter. To insure the results you and your bare feet desire, however, pressure washing professionals are ready to help.
For more information on how to use a pressure washer to remove grease stains from your garage floor give Kwik-Klean a call today at (248) 852-7141.
