If you want to give your garage floor a new look, or simply clean it for the first time, power washing is a great way to do it. You can purchase a pressure washer at home improvement stores and rent one from Home Depot or Lowest. If your garage has oil stains or grease spots on it, you will need to use a degreaser before washing.
Steps on how to Power Wash Your Garage Floor
To power wash your garage floor follow these steps:
Move out of the garage anything that is not firmly attached
First, move out of the garage anything that is not firmly attached. This includes items on the floor, walls and ceiling. In addition to things like boxes and gardening tools, remember to take down pictures and decorations as well. Next, check the door for any hardware that may be in the way of your power washing process.
Make sure all shelves are empty as well; you don’t want to risk damaging delicate items by accidentally knocking them over while cleaning. Finally, go through your cabinets one by one and make sure nothing has been left behind. You’ll definitely thank yourself later when you realize everything is clean.
Pre-treat oil and grease stains by using a degreaser or detergent and scrubbing brush
Oil and grease stains are common on garage floors. If you have such a stain, you’ll need to pre-treat it by using a degreaser or detergent and scrubbing brush. Degreasers can be purchased at any home improvement store, while strong detergents can be found at grocery stores.
Apply the degreaser or detergent liberally over the entire area of the stain
Use a scrubbing brush to work into the stain until it’s absorbed into your cleaning product. This will help loosen up any oil residue that’s trapped in your concrete surface for easy removal later on during power washing. If you don’t have a scrubbing brush handy, use a stiff bristle brush instead.
Attach your power washer to a water source
Attach a power washer to a water source. If you have an outdoor spigot, attach the hose and turn on the water. If not, use another method of getting water to your pump. Use a shutoff valve if necessary. Shutoff valves are typically used in conjunction with flexible hoses because they allow people to switch between sources without having to disconnect and reconnect their houses every time they want to change locations while washing the floor.
For stubborn stains use a narrow spray pattern
For stubborn stains, use a narrow spray pattern and hold the tip of your power washer closer to the surface at an angle. Use gentle side to side motion. The key is to avoid putting too much pressure on one area of your garage floor while cleaning it, which could cause damage.
Conclusion
Power washing a garage floor is not difficult once you know how to do it. There are many different products available for cleaning garage floors and each one will yield different results depending on the type of stain.
