Rejuvenate Your Garage Floor

Are grease stains and dirt making your garage floor look like a pit stop at the Indy 500? Fear not. Removing stains from concrete is difficult, but not impossible. Follow these instructions to make your garage floor look new again:

1. Cover grease stains with a layer of sawdust or cat litter. These materials absorb excess oil remarkably well. Leave the sawdust or cat litter on the floor for at least one day.

2. Use a push broom with rigid bristles to sweep up the sawdust, cat litter and dirt.

3. Pour dry dishwasher detergent or a concrete cleaning agent on the stain. Let the detergent sit for 45 minutes, then pour boiling water on the area and vigorously scrub the stained section with the broom. This is the hardest part of the process and can take several hours to complete.

4. Use a pressure washer that produces at least 1200 pounds per square inch to clean the entire garage and driveway. Pressure washers are available at most equipment rental companies.

Once you remove the stain, consider applying a new surface to the floor. An epoxy applied directly to the floor provides a smooth finish that resembles garage floors found at auto dealerships. If you like, you can add sand or a similarly gritty substance to the mixture to create a better-gripping surface. Be sure to follow the product's application directions.

Paint is another floor-covering option. However, use an epoxy paint created especially for this job to avoid damage by hot tires.

By following these instructions you can revive the look of your garage floor at a reasonably inexpensive price. In fact, with the money you save on this project, you can afford to have your car's oil leak repaired.