Cleaning stains of various sorts from garage floor

[beachside]

My last tenant has left heavy staining on the garage floor - as in something was probably spilled. I can't tell from the photo what it is, I doubt if paint unless it happened to be brown. It looks more like I would expect of something less dense such as a timber stain etc. There is nothing around the property that I can think of where this may have been used to give me an idea of what it is. There are a few dirty oil marks as well.

What are the best things for trying to clean, and not knowing what it is. What order would you try them? I'm guessing there is paint stripper in case it is the remains of a paint spill, hydrocloric acid, caustic soda (great for cleaning paint brushes in a tin, not sure about mixing and brushing onto concrete). Also need to make sure it does not eat into the concrete. Would you get away with brushing something on and hosing off or need to get a high pressure gernsy.

Here is a pic

 

[beachside]

Anyone, Bueller!

 

[neK]

I would try a high pressure hose first (if you have one at your disposal)

 

[Mitch1]

Hey Beachside,

Kinda looks like deck stain or rust...try spraying heavily with WD40 leave it for couple of hours (make sure it stays wet) then hose it off.
Or you can get rust remover and or concrete cleaner at the hardware. But wd40 is a good start!

 

[Mitch1]

Oh and as an add on, I used coconut oil to get oil based paint off a car when one of the kids dipped their hands in a can off paint and put lovely handprints all over one side of the car so oil on oil works!!

 

[beachside]

I don't think it is rust as it looks like a spill rather than something rusting on the concrete.

WD40? That is kero and oil ain't it? Any advantage of this over oil/grease remover, at least for the oil marks. Would this remove timber/deck stain if that is what it is?

Concrete cleaner - what is it targeting?

Coconut oil? Was that to remove the wet paint rather than use turps - assume it had not dried. Handy to know.

thanks

 

[Mitch1]

I don't think it is rust as it looks like a spill rather than something rusting on the concrete.

WD40? That is kero and oil ain't it? Any advantage of this over oil/grease remover, at least for the oil marks. Would this remove timber/deck stain if that is what it is?

Concrete cleaner - what is it targeting?

Coconut oil? Was that to remove the wet paint rather than use turps - assume it had not dried. Handy to know.

thanks

Petroleum type stuff in contents but not sure of ingredients...saw this earlier
http://www.concrete.net.au/publications/pdf/RemovingStains.pdf
Might be useful.
Coconut oil was used on hours old dry oil based paint, it pretty much wiped off. Wd40 can remove lipstick and oil based paint, and shoe polish from floors which is why I suggested it as a method to use if hosing did nothing. Hope you get rid of it.

 

[Rentwithpets]

WD 40 worked for me last time. I had a massive oil stain in the garage that I had been too lazy to remove until I got the car fixed. I soaked it several times with WD 40 and used lots of paper towel to remove the oil, then scrubbed and hosed floor, got out 90% of the oil stain.

Yen

 

[beachside]

Petroleum type stuff in contents but not sure of ingredients...saw this earlier
http://www.concrete.net.au/publications/pdf/RemovingStains.pdf
Might be useful.
Coconut oil was used on hours old dry oil based paint, it pretty much wiped off. Wd40 can remove lipstick and oil based paint, and shoe polish from floors which is why I suggested it as a method to use if hosing did nothing. Hope you get rid of it.

I actually came across the same publication later yesterday when googling. I also came across this for WD40 as I had never heard of it being used to clean concrete before. I have some reservations about some of those uses /like leather boots

 

[Mitch1]

And using WD40 for arthritis pain???? Not sure that would be on my things to do list (not the bucket list one!)

 

[Rentwithpets]

And using WD40 for arthritis pain???? Not sure that would be on my things to do list (not the bucket list one!)

There are better things for arthritic pain...heat packs, ginger, acupuncture. I'm not that keen on rubbing a petroleum product on my joints either

 

[Gillies]

Water based degreaser with high pressure, we do this regularly

 

[Corey Batt]

Degreaser, buy it in bulk from supercheap. Spray it until the discolouration leaches out, then high pressure hose it down.

Otherwise a little bit of acid will no doubt improve the look.

 

[chindonly]

And using WD40 for arthritis pain???? Not sure that would be on my things to do list (not the bucket list one!)

Shouldn't it be windex for arthritis pain?

(Big Fat Greek Wedding...) lol

 

[beachside]

I'm in the process of trying a few cleaners on my own garage floor at home, have used degreaser before with good results. The WD40 really dissolves, gets into the grease - let it sit.