Don't let oil & grease ruin your epoxy!
Epoxy resin and concrete are incredibly resistant materials, more than most, but spills are nothing if not inevitable. Anyone with a garage knows oil stains are some of the most annoying to treat. Oil needs to be immediately cleaned so the stains don't set in, or worse! Untreated oil can degrade the chemical structure of your floors over time. But Xtreme Polishing Systems is here to help!
Our guide here will help you understand the possible repercussions, treat any oil stains, and have a safer, cleaner floor!
Oil Stains, Your Floors & You
What You Need to Remove Oil Stains from Concrete
As with anything, if it's worth doing, it's worth doing right. The highest quality cleaning materials will give you that new floor shine like nothing else can! Here's what we recommend:
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Quality Cleaner / Degreaser: Choosing the right cleaner is non-negotiable. You need a solution designed to not harm the concrete, but strong enough to clean stuck-in stains. Our XPS brand Concrete Cleaner or AmeriPolish's Stain & Oil Remover are the best products on the market.
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Stiff Brush Scrubber: For simple stains, you can just use our XPS brand Microfiber Floor Care kit. But, not all stains are simple. For anything stuck-on or stubborn, use a stiff brush to carefully scrub the affected areas with your cleaning solution.
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(Optional) Pressure Washer: With great power, comes great responsibility. Stubborn stains that might not respond to scrubbing might need a pressure washer treatment. But be careful! Adjust the pressure to a level that effectively removes dirt and oils without causing harm to the concrete. It's crucial to be conservative with pressure to prevent cracks or other damage.
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Protective Measures: This should be a given on any jobsite. Your safety is the number one goal of any project. To be fully covered, grab a few essential pieces of personal protective equipment from the XPS store.
How-To: Removing Oil Stains in Concrete
Step 1: Prepare the Floor
You'll need a clean floor with no obstructions to start. Sweep or mop any lingering dust or dirt from the area, and deal with the easiest stains first. Don't forget to put on your gloves and safety glasses before getting started. Deal with the freshest stains first, either with a mild cleaning solution or with your high quality concrete/floor cleaner.
Step 2: Scrubbing the Floor
With a clean, unobstructed floor ready, you can start going to town. Use your stiff brush and concrete/floor cleaning solution and carefully, but firmly, start to scrub the stained areas. If you're dealing with a larger floor, you can divide it into sections to make the work easier.
If all the stains are stubborn, or there's a layer of oil covering the entire surface, go right ahead to your degreaser. Make sure you read the manual for the degreasing solution to avoid improper usage. And, if you have any questions about products from our store, we're happy to answer!
Step 3: Pressure Wash (Optional)
Sometimes, scrubbing alone can't get stubborn stains out. And if the degreaser doesn't work either, then where do you turn? You can use a pressure washer as a last resort. Concrete is an incredibly strong solution, and it won’t wear down easily, but that doesn't mean that going at it with the highest pressure won't damage it!
A pressure washer is a powerful tool. At its highest pressures, you can actually start to damage the surface of an epoxy resin or concrete floor. And you don't want cracks! So, tread carefully, and get those stains without any damage.
Step 4: Rinsing the Floor
Once you feel happy with the stains you've cleaned, all you need to do is rinse away any lingering oils, cleaning solution & other contaminants. Just a simple warm water & mop job will do the trick, especially when you're working with a high quality epoxy resin floor!
Then you're all done! Let your floors dry for a few hours, and take a look at your new, glossy, sleek and clean floors. And remember - the best cure is prevention. Try to avoid any major spills in the future. If any spills do happen, try to work at them as they happen to prevent any of them from setting in.
Conclusion
With a little bit of elbow grease and the right toolkit, any stain is fixable. Don't settle for living with unclean, oil-stained floors - especially because they might be causing long term damage! Follow our guide and live with safer, cleaner floors today.
If you have any cleaning questions or want more information on maintaining concrete or working with concrete, contact our professionals. You can find all the materials you need to install, clean & maintain, and polish & grind concrete at our Xtreme Polishing Systems (XPS) online store.
