How to keep your garage floor clean and presentable 365 days a year?

If you’ve been overlooking your garage floor consistently, here’s something you would like to know. Whether it’s the snow during the winters, or the oils and the grease stains, the mud, slush, and the debris need to be cleared at regular intervals. You don’t want all that mess to make way to the insides of your home, would you?

In fact, most of the garage floors are made of concrete and it’s easy to clean such surfaces. However, concrete is also prone to damage due to salt and constant deposition of water into the porous surface. To avoid this, you would need to scrub the surface on a regular basis and ensure that it does not get cracks. Wondering how to keep your garage clean? Here are a few tips to keep your garage floor clean and presentable 365 days a year.

1. Declutter before cleaning

You must start with clearing the space by removing toys or any other items. Focus on organizing all of them in storage areas specially designed for these items. For instance, you can hang your bike on the walls, placing the toys or tools in storage lockers, and so on. This way you keep a lot of dust and debris away.

2. Clean your Garage of oils, grease, and stains

Cleaning the garage should start with washing the floor thoroughly. All you need is a push broom, garden hose, bucket, and laundry detergent. Sweep the floor first using the push broom to clear the floor of dirt and grime. Now, scrub the floor well using the detergent, wash it off, and sweep away the additional water. Let the floor dry.

3. Remove rust stains, oil, and grease

You must clean the oil spills immediately to avoid the floor catching grease stains. Leaving the oil or the solution for long time can make it harder to remove later on. Mopping the floor with paper towels or disposable rags is a great idea since you can be done with them once you are done.

For rust stains, using acid-based solutions like lime juice or vinegar can work well. Once you have poured the solution, you can now use a scrub brush to rub the stain off. Sprinkling cat litter on grease stains leaving them overnight, or using a grease remover from a local store, can also work as great alternatives.

4. Apply epoxy coatings

To add that shiny and professional look to your garage floor, you can apply epoxy coating. These coatings are easy to clean and offer a long-lasting surface that add to the resale value of your home. There’s more to it. These coatings also work as filler for the concrete when applied in form of paste. Once the repair is done, scrape of the added epoxy, and give it a smooth finish by doing some sanding. This option is little expensive, but gets the job done. 

5. Mop up the epoxy floors

Begin with mopping the epoxy floor at least once a week. A broom or a dust mop should do the job. This must be followed by a washing session every 3 or 4 months. You can use a mix of ammonia (1/2 cup/120ml) with a 1 gallon of hot water. Mop the garage floor using this solution and then let the floor dry. Avoid using laundry detergents to leave behind any leftovers.

To clean any residue stains from road salt, you can use hot water for complete removal. Once finished, clean it dry with towel or simply wash it off with plain water.

6. Use the right tools for cleaning

Before even you start cleaning, make sure that you have all the required tools handy. This to ensure that you are not scrabbling around when in need of a mop or a brush.

• Push brooms
• Paint brush
• Water spray or hoses
• Scrub brush
• Concrete floor cleaner
• Frame and sheaths for paint rollers
• Garage floor epoxy set
• Epoxy paste

 

7. Spread out the containment mats

Extreme weathers like a snowy winter can easily damage your concrete floor. Water seeps into the concrete pores, freezes with temperature drop, and then start expanding. This causes severe damage to the garage floors with cracks, chips, and dents.

Laying containment mats on the concrete floor helps protect the surface. These mats are known to block loads of water till you squeeze the mat off it. Additionally, these mats also help hold your vehicle back from slipping or sliding when you park or drive off. These mats are cheaper than Epoxy, and helps maintaining your garage 365 days a year. Get a quote on garage containment mats from us now!

Source: CanadaMats

8. Repair the door gaps

While you may not drive much during the winters and keep your car parked in the garage, you would still find snow and ice piling up. This is majorly due to the loosely sealed garage door. There are high chances that ice and snow can sneak in through the garage door gaps during snow storms. This is when you need to seal the gaps between your door panels.

9. Time to check the heating or cooling systems

If your garage is equipped with an AC or HVAC system, it’s time you check if the filter is working fine. The health of the filter will ensure proper heating or cooling effect. If it’s dirt clogged, the HVAC system is bound to push harder to cool or heat the garage, thereby, causing a steep rise in the energy bills.

In absence of an HVAC, you can also use an air filtration system to keep the inside air clean.

10. Clean the vehicle

This is basic, since you are constantly parking and pulling of your vehicle into the garage. The vehicle attracts all outside dust and debris, causing the garage floor to gather all the dirt. Keep your vehicle clean after your done with the day. Clean the top of the vehicle using brooms with long handles. Keep a regular check on any oil leaks that may cause harm not just to your vehicle, but also to your garage floor with the oil stains.

Conclusion

Garage floor is a highly used place due to the constant driving in and driving out of the vehicle. Whether it’s the weather outside, constant opening and closing of the garage door, or the accumulated dust and debris from the vehicle, cleaning the garage in a disciplined manner will sure that you have a professional looking garage.