Technical How to/clean grease ridden shop floor

Winter is about to arrive here in Mn. Moving everything out of my shop to clean the floor and rearrange the old cars & stuff. Before I shove everything back in I want to clean the( Concrete) floor.I know it will never look like when the concrete floor was 1st poured, but maybe make it look a little bit better. Question ,what is a good inexpensive product/technique I can use to help remove the years of oil, grease and dirt ?? Note I do have a power washer to work with Gene In MN

 

I use purple power and a scrub brush…it works pretty well

 

gas and tide

 

Brake or carb cleaner for the stains. Then a good power wash and scrub with a stiff bristled brrom. May take a couple passes. Sweeping compound always helps a few times a year.

 

I use paint thinner with an old broom, then sprinkle the surface with powdered laundry detergent, use the broom to work the floor again, then hose off.
Same method we used in a Texaco station back in the 70's. We also used solvent which we sold at the station.

 

I know you said you don’t have a pressure washer but you would be surprised what an inexpensive electric pressure washer (around 1500psi) at $100 to $150 can do. Hit floor with pressure washer to get loose stuff off then scrub with Tide (or detergent of choice) and stiff broom keeping it wet to allow detergent to do its work then pressure was again. You will be amazed. Also you will find lots of work for the pressure washer. I have a gas powered 3200psi washer but find myself using the electric 1500psi more.

 

Note I do have a power washer to work with.

 

Now mind you I do not recommend this, but a friend of mine back in the day bought ba shop that had about four inches of crap on the cement floor. They tried everything and nothing worked! A few day later I stopped by and the floor was clean….really clean! I asked what he used….he went to the parts house when you could still buy H2 SO4 in bulk. That stuff cleaned the floor spotless!
Also back when I had my shop I parked my OT diesel leaker in the same spot every day. Had a huge grease spot. When the salesmen came in to sell me chemicals, I would show them that spot and say “ clean it” they would try……and leave! Lol
Just some of my experiences!





Bones

 

My old Cummins , and 2 Harley’s at the moment . Each one has its territory marked well . The old Harley’s and Cummins do not leak badly , just the slobber tubes , breathers drip .

I’m not saying to do this , I’m just sharing what I do , gasoline will clean it spotless , but it is as DANGEROUS as God has made anything .

Do what you are comfortable with , this stuff will creep into to the light switch and wreck the whole joint .

 

Power wash first - if you can - without damaging garage contents or wall.

Hot water and soap or degreaser after that. Keep brooming it around and scrubbing, It'll lift the heavy grease spots. Pretty soon the whole floor will be an even shade of cruddy.

If you have localized spots where a car sat and continually leaked, hit then with gas or kerosene first.

 

My local truck parts company sells a liquid product called bombs away and it will clean your floor it will take paint off with a hot water pressure washer it is not flammable and you put some on the floor and smear it around and use some oil dry or rags or pressure washer I have used it for years cleaning heavy equipment parts and truck parts and I always had a clean floor to work on using this product it has lye in it so watch your eyes and wear rubber gloves and wear long sleeves.

 

Darwin award winners use gasoline for cleaning things.

 

Gunk Swab. The stuff I have is OLD. It has plenty of balls and gets floors clean. I don't know if they have made it edible yet. The new stuff still says "corrosive". Mike

 

I have used kitty litter, scrub it in with my boot, or a brick…..brick now that I’m retired and can’t find my work boots…..

 

The shop I worked in used a mixture of gas, water and Tide to scrub the floors for years but the whole front of the shop was overhead doors that opened up to have a fully open area.

I've used Zep Big orange industrial cleaner before but it can get a bit spendy. Mixed with water in a 5 gallon bucket. It will eat paint if you let it sit on it but is one of the better cleaners I have found. It lives up to it's name with the smell though as you do smell oranges for a while.

 

A scraper, stiff broom, elbow grease, five kids and Simple Green.

 

Lots of kitty litter and the bottom of your boots

 

The old-style Cascade dishwasher soap (the powdered kind, never tried the liquid) worked really well. Spread it around liberally, wet it down, then scrub it with a stiff push broom a couple of times. Don't let it dry up, add more water if needed. Give it about an hour, then hose it clean. Dishwasher soap is a lot more aggressive compared to laundry soap.

 

That’s the ticket. Should be called “stain away” grind it in and Move it to the next spot.

 

I use Dawn on the concrete floors in the shop.

I wet the floors with water, and then I pour Dawn over an area maybe 10' x10' and I mop it in and then let it sit for 5 or 10 minutes before moping over and over with clean water.

Years ago Dawn was the product used to get the oil off the birds when Alaska had that bad oil spill.

When I go to junkyards and get the parts I need on my way out there is a sink for customers to wash their hands and the product they supply to wash your hand is Dawn because it works very well.

Jimbo

 

Alcohol is for drinking, gas is for cleaning parts, and nitro is for racing!
- Don Garlits.

Cheers,
Harv

 

Aaahh.. that's what I'm doing wrong. You need 5 kids. Tried getting my 4 to clean anything, and fail dismally. May need to borrow another one.

Cheers,
Harv

 

After going through all that work to clean it, I would apply some type concrete sealant or an epoxy floor coating. That'll make cleanup next time much easier

 

Take all precautions, be patient but this will make nearly new cement pretty fast. Soak in mineral spirits. Some spots need a scrub and reapply. When you see it get black cover it with sawdust. Oildry (kitty litter) works but it's slow, the sawdust sucks it right up fast. Sweep up and dispose in a well ventilated area. That wet area dries to almost new cement. Go to your favored lumber supplier and ask for sawdust. Most are happy to give you all you want. Its truly amazing how well it works.

 

I use acetone, thoroughly wet the area, allow to soak, re-apply, sprinkle Portland cement over the wet area. After an hour sweep up and smile. May require more than one treatment.
Tom

 

The problem is cement floors are porous there is the actual stain on top of the floor and the "stain" that has sunk into the concrete because cement is porous. Most cleaners will get rid of the surface stain but when you rinse and it dries the "stain" is still there because that "stain" has sunk into the concrete. We all know liquids flow downhill very hard to get that stain to come back up to the surface once it has sunk into the concrete. That is why most shops employ a coating that prevents oils and greases from penetrating the concrete in the first place. Pressure washing with a good soap is about the only thing that will bring the "stain" back up to the surface; the soap breaks down the oil and the pressure forces the oil to the top. It is not 100% but you will notice a significant dimming of the stain compared to just using a hose and a cleaner.

 

Tri-sodium phosphate or TSP is a safe and effective way of cleaning concrete, please be careful using gasoline, it's gotten too expensive to use as a floor cleaner and it can be dangerous. HRP

 

Mineral Spirits. No explosive fumes. Scrub floor with broom and wash it down with a hose. I don't recommend the H2SO4 (Sulfuric Acid very dangerous).

 

We have used Tide powder and would rent a floor buffer with a red scotch pad.