Concrete flooring is a beautiful and nearly maintenance free choice for the interior of your home. Popularity of these floors is increasing and rightfully so. Concrete floors are beautiful and with the treatments available today, you don’t have to be left with a solid gray finish. Decorative polymer overlays, colored glazes, and paints can add color and detail to a concrete floor. However, an oil stain or two can damage the look of your concrete floor. There are a number of chemical products on the market that claim they remove stains from concrete. While that may be true, these products are usually very dangerous and not suitable for use around children and pets. As long as you act quickly, you can remove oil from concrete flooring with soap and water.
Tools and Materials Needed:
• Dish washing liquid
• Water
• Nylon bristle scrub brush
• Water
• Nylon bristle scrub brush
Step1—Apply the Soap and Water
Apply the dish washing liquid to the soap and add water. When choosing your dish washing liquid, make sure to use the best one you have on hand. The cheaper brands don’t usually cut grease as well. You want to create a dense lather that will lift the oil out of the concrete. As the stain lifts out, oil carried with the soap can cause a secondary stain. To prevent this, wet down the surrounding area. If the surrounding concrete is wet it shouldn’t absorb the excess oil. Grab the scrub brush and get to work! Don’t use a metal bristle scrub brush. This type of brush will remove the oil but it will surely damage your floor in the process. If you have a floor with a smooth finish, a metal bristle brush will leave a large scar that cannot be repaired.
Step 2—Blot Up the Soap and Oil Residue
Because the concrete floor is inside your home, hosing the area down isn’t really an option. Instead, use towels to blot the water/soap/oil mixture from the floor. Cleaning the residue this way also eliminates the chance of oil getting on your rugs or furnishing. If your oil stain was rather large, you can blot up the residue with fresh cat litter. This dry compound will absorb all of the moisture left on the floor and can be swept up and thrown in the garbage once it is completely dry. Simply lay a layer of the cat little on the wet areas and rope off to eliminate foot traffic. The litter is usually dry and ready for disposal in no more than 24 hours.
This method of removing oil from concrete is easy and environmentally friendly. Not to mention it is safe to use around your children and pets. This method also works well on the porous concrete found in patios and driveways. However, the slicker finish of interior concrete makes it all the more effective. With a scrub brush and a few minutes your concrete floor will be oil free and beautiful!
Source: www.DoItYourself.com
