How To Remove Stubborn Oil Stains From Your Garage Floor

Irrespective of how hard you try to keep your garage organized and clean, you'll always encounter inevitable messes. One common and often unavoidable mess occurs when oil stains you garage, whether it's from an accidental spill from an oil change gone wrong, or a small leak from the engine. Unfortunately, we know those splattered stains are hard to ignore. If you don't clean up quickly, oil will seep into the surface, conceal the beauty of your garage, and, even worse, affect the lifespan of your concrete.

In a hurry to avoid these mishaps, you might reach for harsh chemicals to combat stubborn stains. Before you do that, while they might help, it's worth noting that choosing the wrong type of cleaner could damage your garage floor. For instance, you'll want to avoid bleach and ammonia-based cleaners as they can lead to issues like warping and discoloration. Similarly, for epoxy garage floors, you should avoid abrasive materials like steel wool, which can damage your floor and result in costly repairs.

To effectively and quickly remove stubborn oil stains from your concrete garage floor, a can of WD-40 is pretty much all you need. Just spray the WD-40 directly onto the stain and let it sit for 30 minutes. Scrub it with a stiff brush and rinse the area with water to wash off the oil residue and WD-40. We can add this to the many genius practical uses for using WD-40 around your garage, and while it works best on fresh oil stains, it can also work on older spills.

You don't always need store-bought cleaners to get rid of that stubborn oil stain on your garage floor. Sometimes, the solution is in your kitchen pantry. For fresh stains, absorbent materials like cat litter, sand, and cornmeal are tried-and-tested products that work very well. 

All you need to do is sprinkle the absorbent material over the oil spill and let it sit for several minutes or overnight before scrubbing and rinsing it with water. If the stain is still there, sprinkle a small amount of baking soda atop the stain and leave it be for 15 to 20 minutes. With a heavy duty brush, give it a good scrub and hose down the area with water.

Another easy, yet effective way to remove stains on your garage floor is pressure washing. It is generally safe for most garage floors, except painted floors. Plus, it's chemical-free and cost-effective; you don't have to invest one right away, as you can rent a pressure washer from Home Depot, which will set you back around $33 for four hours. 

However, before you power wash your garage floor, there are things you'll want to consider. If you notice any major cracks or loose epoxy, you'll want to choose other garage cleaning alternatives. The pressure can easily erode the surface, causing irreversible damage. You'll also want to stick to 2,000 to 3,000 psi for concrete floors and 1,500 to 2,000 psi for epoxy flooring; a setting higher than that could damage the floor.