Home Removal Services Blog

I’ve done quite a few articles on garage floor coverings and coatings, but I realize that a lot of people can’t afford to buy such things on a whim. Unfortunately, it’s those people that don’t have a lot of money that tend to change their own oil, which is probably the easiest way to stain your garage floors. Personally, I once had a Subaru that had this wonderful plastic cover whose bolts went up behind the bumper cover, going over the drain bolt. They were nice enough to leave a hole to get to the bolt, but unfortunately the oil did not drain in the direction that they must have intended, because I generally ended up with an overhead oil sprinkler. Great fun.

Preventing Garage Flooring Stains From Happening In The First Place

Now, I probably should have just paid for a garage floor mat to park it on or, if nothing else, a small compartment mat just for changing the oil, though there may not be a compartment mat big enough to contain this kind of mess. Regardless, the end result was a very gross, very stained floor.

Clean That Spill Up ASAP!

Getting the oil off the concrete as quickly as possible helps minimize the staining. The longer it sits, the worse it will be. Try to clean the spill with a rag or paper towel or something, and you will have a much easier time getting the stain up later. Even if it’s just a little bit of oil, the stain will be bigger and darker the longer you leave it there. Concrete, being porous, will soak in pretty much anything, but the rate at which it absorbs is fairly slow, and most chemicals that stain are on the thick side. They make crystals that will soak the chemicals up, but they can be pricy. They’re usually easy to use, though, and work just by sitting on the chemicals, but they rarely get it all. All you have to do is let the crystals sit on the spill for the specified time period, then sweep them up and toss them in the trash. Some people use kitty litter, and I tried that once, but although I didn’t get the type that was supposed to clump, it clumped anyway, and I basically had a few oily hills on my stained concrete.

Using Garage Floor Stain Remover

I’ve had, and heard of, mixed luck with garage floor stain removers. They seem to be hit or miss, and I haven’t heard of any cure-all. Even the best ones tend to leave a slightly visible blemish on the concrete, so I don’t know if that’s really worth it to you. They generally run around ten bucks for a bottle that’s meant to treat a smallish area, so if you have a big oil spill in your garage, you might need to find a bigger bottle.

If You Can’t Remove The Garage Floor Stain…

If nothing else, you can always buy a garage floor covering whenever you do get the money. These can be expensive, though. Sometimes you can use an epoxy garage floor coating once the floor is cleaned to the kit’s specifications, but you’ll have to find one that supports this. There’s also the option of just buying a set of snap-together garage floor tiles, or one of the many garage floor mats out there, and not worrying about the staining, or even future stains as both garage floor tile and mats are generally stain resistant. However, if you end up with a really big stain that just won’t go away, don’t use the peel and stick type of tiles since the sticky stuff won’t last very long placed up against oil. The stain may not want to come out at your behest, but it will have no problem eating the bottoms of garage floor paint or other garage floor coverings.

Visit Sweet Garage Floor for more information about every kind of garage floor out there.

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