Guide · Floors, furniture and surfaces ·
How to Clean a Concrete Floor
Concrete floors are used in garages, workshops, warehouses, car parks and factories; their porous structure easily holds dust, oil and tyre marks. Cleaning with the right product and in the right order removes stains and prevents the floor from becoming slippery. This guide explains how to wash a concrete floor, how to remove oil stains and which mistakes damage concrete.
How to clean a concrete floor: step by step
- Clear the area: move portable items and take vehicles out of the area.
- Dry sweep: remove dust, sand and shavings with a stiff broom; wet dust turns into mud.
- Prepare the cleaner: add surface cleaner or liquid soft soap to the bucket water in the amount stated on the label.
- Scrub: scrub the floor section by section with a stiff floor brush.
- Rinse: rinse the floor with plenty of water and push the water towards the drain with a squeegee.
- Dry: ventilate the area; use a wet floor sign until the floor is dry.
How to remove oil stains from concrete?
- Soak up fresh oil: sprinkle sand, sawdust or absorbent granules over the spilled oil, leave it for a while and sweep it up.
- Apply the degreaser: apply degreaser to the remaining stain and leave it for the time stated on the label.
- Scrub and rinse: scrub with a stiff brush and rinse with plenty of water; repeat if necessary.
- Protect yourself: degreaser is a strong alkali; use gloves, safety glasses and non-slip boots.
- Mind the waste water: do not let oily water into rainwater drains; collect it according to the site's waste management.
- Old stains that have soaked into the concrete may not come out completely; repeated applications lighten them.
- For cleaning indoor and outdoor car parks: how to clean a car park.
- For terrace stones and interlocking pavers: how to clean a terrace.
Garage and workshop floors
In garages, oil drips from vehicles and tyre marks build up; in workshops, shavings, metal dust and machine oil. First sweep or vacuum up shavings and metal dust, clean oily areas separately with degreaser, then wash the whole floor. On large workshop and factory floors, a scrubber-dryer with a machine-suitable floor scrubber surface cleaner is used (scrubber-dryer detergent). Product list for car workshops: car service cleaning supplies.
Pressure washing
Concrete in outdoor areas such as open car parks, yards and pavements can be washed with a pressure washer. High pressure can wear joints and weathered concrete; work at the pressure and nozzle distance recommended by the machine manufacturer. Do not spray water at sockets, distribution boards or lighting.
Painted, epoxy and sealed concrete
Do not use degreaser on painted, epoxy-coated or sealed concrete floors; these coatings are cleaned with a neutral cleaner and according to the coating company's recommendations. According to its safety data sheet, our START all-purpose surface cleaner has a pH of 7–8. For details: how to clean epoxy floors.
Mistakes that damage concrete
- Hydrochloric acid and acidic limescale removers: they etch concrete and roughen the surface; use limescale and rust remover only on ceramics.
- Using degreaser on painted, epoxy or sealed concrete.
- Mixing degreaser with acidic products (can cleaning products be mixed).
- Letting oily waste water into rainwater drains.
- Opening a wet, oily floor for use without marking it.
- For the safe use of hydrochloric acid: how to use hydrochloric acid.
- For industrial cleaning products by sector: what are industrial cleaning products.
For factories, car parks and car workshops
START degreaser is produced in 750 g, 5 kg, 20 kg and 30 kg packs, and floor scrubber surface cleaner in 5, 20 and 30 kg packs. For safe use of the product, see our guide degreaser; for the product list for industrial sites, see Factory cleaning supplies; and request a quote for bulk purchases.
