It’s that time of year where the leaves are turning colors and the temperature is getting a little cooler. If you’re anything like me, fall is my indicator to clean, maintain, and organize the garage so I have a nice space to park the vehicles and keep them out of the winter weather. 

Here are some tips and tricks to cleaning and maintaining your concrete to keep it looking nice and protected. 

Cleaning for inspection

A good sweeping and washing of the floor will give you a nice clean surface to see everything you need to.

Most cleaning can be done with simple products that you will find around the house. For regular cleaning and washing, a half cup of baking soda in a gallon of warm water will work wonders for removing dirt and light staining. We recommend a simple 4 step process for cleaning your floor:

1. Wet the floor and scrub the floor with a stiff bristle broom or a mop.
2. Put down your cleaning solution, scrub it in and let it set for 10-15 min. (Note: Keep the floor wet!)
3. Rinse out the floor twice to remove cleaning solution and dirt.
4. Squeegee and remove any standing water.

Removing oil and grease stains 

Oil and grease stains can be cleaned up using simple household cleaners. 

After the oil is cleaned up the stain can be removed or reduced by just pouring dish soap on the stain. Let that sit for 45 minutes and then scrub with a nylon brush and water (Be careful not to scrub too hard to avoid damaging the surface). Let sit for 10 min and rinse the area with warm water, hose, or light pressure wash to remove all soapy water.

Removing Rust stains

Shovels and snow blowers can leave unsightly rust spots in the floor. These can be easily removed by using a lemon or white vinegar.  To remove the rust stains squeeze a lemon or pour white vinegar on the stain and allow the liquid to sit about 10 min. Then scrub with a nylon brush and rinse the area with water. You may need to repeat the process several times for stubborn rust stains.

Inspection (what to look for)

Before winter comes it’s always a good idea to clean the floor and inspect it for any damage. That way you can address any issues or keep note of the condition before the snow flies.  After the floor has been cleaned and dried now you can see the true condition of the floor. 

Pitting and spalling 

These are seen as holes or flaking . Pits and spalls may indicate damage from road salt or bad concrete. 

Cracks.

You want to make sure that if there are any new cracks that you can keep an eye on them to make sure they are not getting any worse. Cracks that are 1/4in wide or larger may indicate you have shifting or settling. This is an indicator that you may have a bigger concern to address. 

Maintenance

Here are a few recommendations you can do to protect your concrete from the harsh winter and chemicals brought in by your vehicles.

One of the simpler things you can do is to keep the floor swept clean once every couple of weeks and once a month during the winter is to rinse off your floor. This helps keep the concrete clean and free from damaging chemicals. 

Before the snow flies we recommend you protect your concrete with a concrete sealer or a coating. This will help extend the service life of your concrete by protecting it from harsh chemicals and spills. Sealers and coatings also make the floor easier to clean and keep clean. There are many types of sealers and coatings that can be used to achieve what you’re looking for, so we recommend reaching out to your local supplier or coatings installer to pick the best product for you.