How to clean a dirty/oily garage floor

[teeitup]

The golf course maitenance shop is 30 years old, alot of oil, grease, dirt, cat piss and poop (they are my bosses not mine) build up on the concrete floor. Any good stuff out there to clean it up. I don't want to Muratic Acid, but are there any other chemicals that will work. I have a pressure washer I can use. Thanks for any help, Randy

[Indian113]

I've sprayed mine down with Simple Green then power washed it,mine wasn't 30+ years of oil though

[cdowns]

you want to ruin that patina?? it's all the rage, patina patina patina and you're just willing to powerwash it away

[fastwillie 696969]

i know to get grease and oil use some tranny fluid it will break up the oil and cleans up easy too

[teeitup]

Thanks guys, its not packed to the floor, I'm just wanting to freshen it up some. I swept it all up today, nothing on it but stains. Thanks again, I have some simple green I may try it tomorrow. Randy

[hounddogs!]

Originally Posted by teeitup

Thanks guys, its not packed to the floor, I'm just wanting to freshen it up some. I swept it all up today, nothing on it but stains. Thanks again, I have some simple green I may try it tomorrow. Randy

Since you're now trained, why don't you come over and practice on mine? I'll provide the broom.

Loren

[babyJay]

Purple Power!

[usmcchevy]

Originally Posted by babyJay

Purple Power!

I'm pretty sure purple power ate threw my spray bottle in about a week

[vectorit]

I stay away from the toxic stuff, since basically my garage is my home. So I don't want stuff that's gonna kill plants or animals, or eat my flesh off if I get it on me...

Simple green is good, but this stuff is better IMO.

[GMC1965]

Originally Posted by usmcchevy

I'm pretty sure purple power ate threw my spray bottle in about a week

iv had straight PP in plastic bottles before never had an issue for well.. 2 years. I mix it 50-50 for a heavy degreaser.

Originally Posted by rcrahn

X2 on using Dawn. It's very effective for cutting grease.
Stay away from that purple crap, it's NaOH, Sodium Hydroxide, also known as lye and caustic soda. NASTY! Get it on aluminum parts and it attacks them. Produces dangerous fumes.

I use purple power on aluminum all the time. It does nothing so long as its diluted and not straight.. I have a 2009 brute force (atv) with aluminum rims, skids, and the engine/front and rear diff's are all aluminum. I wash the frame down in 50-50 like a dozen times a year if not more. Comes out like new. The atv now has over 12000km or like.. 10000miles. Thats a lot for an atv and it looks darn beautiful. Let it sit 5-10min spray off, works amazing. Everyone who says its to harmful then DILUTE it. Anyone who says it doesn't work never tried it. Simple green it good to but of coarse some times you just need something a little more powerful. Purple power also smells a little. Not bad but like chemical. Just open the windows Cant be any worse then the cat piss....

[unclesalty]

I went out looking for something to take up oil stains in my cement driveway, an older gent at home depot told me to pour some gasoline onto the oil stain, scrub it in and pour some cheap dollar store kitty litter over it, let it sit overnite, sweep it up. Worked pretty well. (and I didnt even scrub it, just wet it down and covered it)

[Riveted1]

Originally Posted by unclesalty

I went out looking for something to take up oil stains in my cement driveway, an older gent at home depot told me to pour some gasoline onto the oil stain, scrub it in and pour some cheap dollar store kitty litter over it, let it sit overnite, sweep it up. Worked pretty well. (and I didnt even scrub it, just wet it down and covered it)

I've used charcoal lighter fluid on the driveway. Just spray it on and walk away. I wouldn't use it in the garage though.

[Lower]

Tide detergent and some water, mix a little dawn dish soap in there for good measure and scrub it in with some water and let it soak. Power wash it off and see what you have.

[Lee H]

Originally Posted by Lower

Tide detergent and some water, mix a little dawn dish soap in there for good measure and scrub it in with some water and let it soak. Power wash it off and see what you have.

+ 1 Tide works wonders on garage floors.
Posted via Mobile Device

[CSGAS]

The last two are the best suggestions, IM(ns)HO. Another suggestion is TSP as a final cleaning step.

[six-T-seven]

I've got an uncle that spent 3 days in an ICU when a kid that worked for him decided to clean some greasy spots with gasoline. That was right before the compressor kicked on and blew both of them out the front of the building about 30 feet.

Please use something that isn't so likely to kill you if & when something goes wrong.

[cableguy0]

Tide or dawn will do a lot more than you expect. Try them first scrub in with a hard bristle push broom then pressure wash.

[rcrahn]

Originally Posted by cableguy0

Tide or dawn will do a lot more than you expect. Try them first scrub in with a hard bristle push broom then pressure wash.

X2 on using Dawn. It's very effective for cutting grease.
Stay away from that purple crap, it's NaOH, Sodium Hydroxide, also known as lye and caustic soda. NASTY! Get it on aluminum parts and it attacks them. Produces dangerous fumes.

[Maxxd07]

Coke (the soda pop) works for oil stains as well as about 1,000 other things.

[Weasel Diesel]

20 Mule Team Borax and scrubit with a stiff floor broom.

[bsmith76]

Muratic acid works well. Pour out then scrub with stiff Push broom then power wash off
Posted via Mobile Device

[unclesalty]

I worked on my drive way today while mowing the grass- I just wet down the oil and grease spots with a little gas from the lawn mower can and covered the spot with kitty litter. After it dried, I wet another spot and swept the kitty litter over to it . It doesn't work perfect, you can still see a little of the stain but it does get most of it up, and it couldn't possibly be any easier. I would try this first to get most of it up, it'll leave very little left for scrubbing. Dry time= 1 beer, give or take. I would stay away from the Coke though, it'd probly spall the concrete .
Posted via Mobile Device

[crushermechanic]

Powdered comet detergent works really well.

[barry h.]

zep flash works well.

[tkeduk8r]

Randy,
Plus three on laundry detergent (Tide etc.)!!!!! Works wonders.... look at how they cleaned up all that fuel during the fire after the impact with the track dryer at the Daytona 500 this spring....
--Mike