My wife's van gets those giant ice bergs behind the wheel wells in the winter time, then when the van is parked in the garage, they fall off and melt, and all the road salt that's in the ice bergs soaks into the cement floor. What I'm left with is a giant white section of the floor. I tried filling a bucket with water and a strong mixture of Dawn dish washing liquid and scrubbing it with a stiff bristled brush. It didn't do anything. Literally nothing. Is there anything that will clean the salt off of my floor?
Will anything remove road salt from garage floor?
- Thread starter grampi
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Vacuum the loose stuff then hose out the rest. Hot water works better than cold.
Concrete is porous, but you know that.
It helps to time it with a warm day followed by low humidity. This early in Spring, low humidity usually means below-freezing temps.
But think back to last fall. Was there salt there then? No, it found its way out somehow.
Concrete is porous, but you know that.
It helps to time it with a warm day followed by low humidity. This early in Spring, low humidity usually means below-freezing temps.
But think back to last fall. Was there salt there then? No, it found its way out somehow.
I wonder if the Salt-Away product has something magical in it that might work better? http://www.saltawayproducts.com/ApplicationsPage.htm
I also wonder if the DOT is using stuff that is harder to remove than just salt? Brine solutions, beet juice, etc.. Sorry I can't offer any diy experience.
I also wonder if the DOT is using stuff that is harder to remove than just salt? Brine solutions, beet juice, etc.. Sorry I can't offer any diy experience.
Try some white vinegar.
Every spring I empty out all floor stored contents of the garage and pressure wash the floor. Gets rid of all the dirt and salt easily
Don
Don
Originally Posted by Dadillac
Every spring I empty out all floor stored contents of the garage and pressure wash the floor. Gets rid of all the dirt and salt easily
Don
I can see where this would work. I was also thinking about an acid. There is supposedly some sort of acid that's supposed to be used on concrete floors prior to applying floor paint. I just don't know what it is or where to buy it...
Every spring I empty out all floor stored contents of the garage and pressure wash the floor. Gets rid of all the dirt and salt easily
Don
I can see where this would work. I was also thinking about an acid. There is supposedly some sort of acid that's supposed to be used on concrete floors prior to applying floor paint. I just don't know what it is or where to buy it...
Originally Posted by eljefino
Vacuum the loose stuff then hose out the rest. Hot water works better than cold.
Concrete is porous, but you know that.
It helps to time it with a warm day followed by low humidity. This early in Spring, low humidity usually means below-freezing temps.
But think back to last fall. Was there salt there then? No, it found its way out somehow.
The salt on my floor never goes away...
Vacuum the loose stuff then hose out the rest. Hot water works better than cold.
Concrete is porous, but you know that.
It helps to time it with a warm day followed by low humidity. This early in Spring, low humidity usually means below-freezing temps.
But think back to last fall. Was there salt there then? No, it found its way out somehow.
The salt on my floor never goes away...
Originally Posted by grampi
Originally Posted by Dadillac
Every spring I empty out all floor stored contents of the garage and pressure wash the floor. Gets rid of all the dirt and salt easily
Don
I can see where this would work. I was also thinking about an acid. There is supposedly some sort of acid that's supposed to be used on concrete floors prior to applying floor paint. I just don't know what it is or where to buy it...
Phosphoric Acid aka concrete etching solution. Here's just one example. Shop around. It comes in many concentrations and quantities: https://www.amazon.com/Miracle-Seal...;qid=1552770403&s=gateway&sr=8-7
Ray
Originally Posted by Dadillac
Every spring I empty out all floor stored contents of the garage and pressure wash the floor. Gets rid of all the dirt and salt easily
Don
I can see where this would work. I was also thinking about an acid. There is supposedly some sort of acid that's supposed to be used on concrete floors prior to applying floor paint. I just don't know what it is or where to buy it...
Phosphoric Acid aka concrete etching solution. Here's just one example. Shop around. It comes in many concentrations and quantities: https://www.amazon.com/Miracle-Seal...;qid=1552770403&s=gateway&sr=8-7
Ray
Water.
Lots...
Lots...
Originally Posted by Imp4
Water.
Lots...
with pressure - Ie: the pressure washer helps dramatically with ours. No chemicals needed.
Water.
Lots...
with pressure - Ie: the pressure washer helps dramatically with ours. No chemicals needed.
Originally Posted by Char Baby
Try some white vinegar.
+1 from a former school janitor. We even had special salt removing chemicals but I would just pour a cup or two of vinegar in my mop bucket along with a cup of detergent and it was just as effective.
LOL @ phosphoric acid for removing salt.
Try some white vinegar.
+1 from a former school janitor. We even had special salt removing chemicals but I would just pour a cup or two of vinegar in my mop bucket along with a cup of detergent and it was just as effective.
LOL @ phosphoric acid for removing salt.
Originally Posted by Dadillac
Every spring I empty out all floor stored contents of the garage and pressure wash the floor. Gets rid of all the dirt and salt easily
Don
This- I pressure wash the garage every spring. It's a must because MNDOT dumps a billion tons of salt on the roads.
Every spring I empty out all floor stored contents of the garage and pressure wash the floor. Gets rid of all the dirt and salt easily
Don
This- I pressure wash the garage every spring. It's a must because MNDOT dumps a billion tons of salt on the roads.
Kestas
Staff member
A few responses above make no sense from a basic chemistry point of view.
Salt has a neutral pH and is perfectly soluble in water.
Acid acts on calcium deposits; they have no effect on salt.
Surfactants - typically found in soaps - can help lift away solvent insolubles.
What is it we're trying to remove here?
Salt has a neutral pH and is perfectly soluble in water.
Acid acts on calcium deposits; they have no effect on salt.
Surfactants - typically found in soaps - can help lift away solvent insolubles.
What is it we're trying to remove here?
We spray a quarter of a bottle of simple green on the floor and hose it out, works great .
I've pressure washed our garage floors for years, and never had an issue with salt resettling. I pull everything out off the floor, pressure wash it, bring in some fans to help with drying, put the stuff back in, and done. No noticeable amount of salt anywhere.
No chemicals, no soaps either. Neither one will do a thing for salt, but the soap would help clean up the other stuff that has deposited.
No chemicals, no soaps either. Neither one will do a thing for salt, but the soap would help clean up the other stuff that has deposited.
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