Pressure Washing a Garage Floor
How to Restore Your Clean Garage Floor
Every spring, homeowners set out to pressure wash their garage floors. However, a summer-long onslaught of spider webs, oil stains, and dried leaves can turn any garage into a grease-caked dirt haven.
To restore your garage floor to its previous glory, all you need is a good quality pressure washer, some degreaser detergent, and a little know-how. We'll start off with the know-how, and then we'll point you to where you can find the rest.
Be Cautious of Hazards
Pressure washers are powerful tools, and you exercise caution when using them. Wear steel-toed boots if possible, or at the very least closed-toe shoes. Since you'll be aiming highly-pressurized water at the floor near your feet, the last thing you want to do is slice through your toes.
Also, be extremely careful using a gas-powered pressure washer in a garage. They emit odorless and deadly carbon monoxide gas. Make sure you always place the pressure washer unit outside of the garage in a well-ventilated area where the fumes can vent away from you.
Apply Detergent
After you've moved your stuff off the floor, your natural reaction may be to start sweeping it with a broom. Don't! You can skip this step if you manage things correctly. Spray the floor with either a heavy-duty degreaser or a concrete cleaner first. By applying the soap and water combination under low pressure, you'll prevent the dust from flying into the air when rinsing under high pressure.
Use a Pressure Washer Brush
Don't be in a hurry to rinse. Give the solution time to work. You can sweep the larger particles outside by simply attaching a floor brush to your pressure washer wand. In addition to removing the bigger particles, the foaming bristles also work the detergent into the deeper stains.
Spray It Clean
Now comes the fun part. Switch to high pressure and start spraying. Start from the back of the garage and gradually push the dirty water outside. You don't have to flood your garage to get it clean. Pressure washers use 80% less water than a garden hose. The high pressure will force the majority of the water outside.
Make Your Finishing Touches
If you want to keep the water from splashing on your drywall, consider getting a surface cleaner. These revolutionary products use spinning jets contained within a housing to give it a uniform streak-free shine. If you want your floor to be squeaky clean, Use a squeegee to remove the remaining water.
Apply Detergent
After you've moved your stuff off the floor, your natural reaction may be to start sweeping it with a broom. Don't! You can skip this step if you manage things correctly. Spray the floor with either a heavy-duty degreaser or a concrete cleaner first. By applying the soap and water combination under low pressure, you'll prevent the dust from flying into the air when rinsing under high pressure.
Use a Pressure Washer Brush
Don't be in a hurry to rinse. Give the solution time to work. You can sweep the larger particles outside by simply attaching a floor brush to your pressure washer wand. In addition to removing the bigger particles, the foaming bristles also work the detergent into the deeper stains.Spray It Clean
Now comes the fun part. Switch to high pressure and start spraying. Start from the back of the garage and gradually push the dirty water outside. You don't have to flood your garage to get it clean. Pressure washers use 80% less water than a garden hose. The high pressure will force the majority of the water outside.
Make Your Finishing Touches
If you want to keep the water from splashing on your drywall, consider getting a surface cleaner. These revolutionary products use spinning jets contained within a housing to give it a uniform streak-free shine. If you want your floor to be squeaky clean, Use a squeegee to remove the remaining water.
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