How To Dry Out Garage Floor Quickly After A Leak?

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You may walk into your garage one morning and find a pool of water on your garage floor. Did it rain last night and there is a leak in the garage roof? Or has one of the plumbing or drain pipes burst? Maybe it is just all the snowmelt from the car. Whatever the reason you have to figure out how to dry out the garage floor quickly after a leak.

You need to go about drying out the garage floor, in a well orchestrated, methodical manner. That is the only way to not stress out and dry out the garage floor quickly and efficiently after a leak. And then you have to get to the root of the problem and fix that too!

So let me take you through a step by step process.

• STEP 1: Contain the Pool of Water
• STEP 2: Use a ShopVac to Suck out the Water
• STEP 3: Use a Squeegee to Push the Remaining Water to the Drain
• STEP 4: Mop the Floor Dry
• STEP 5: Dehumidify to bring down Moisture Levels

STEP 1: Contain the Pool of Water & Stop it from Spreading!

If you are lucky the pool of water is localized and has not spread all over the garage floor. So the first step is to contain this pool and stop it from spreading anymore. This is where a garage floor water dam comes in very handy.

The best product that will get the job done is New Pig Dike – Spill Control Barrier for Rough Surfaces – Stop Spills on Asphalt – 10′ x 2″ x 2.25″ – Yellow & Black – PLR230 available at Amazon.

Product Features

• Protect your garage from water damage and contain snow melt runoff & slush with the Vehicle Snow Melt Diverter by New Pig
• Also great for diverting rain runoff or water during wash downs
• Easy to install — Convenient valve for quick filling and emptying can be done by one person in minutes
• Easy to Reuse — Empty water and roll-up barrier for easy storage, then refill again with water when needed
• Barrier lays heavy on floor to block water
• Ideal for diverting water only, not water-tight – If looking for a water-tight seal and/or desire greater absorption and cleanup of water, consider pairing the barrier with a PIG Snow Melt Absorbent Sock or purchasing instead a Water-Tight Snow Melt Barrier
• If using in an unheated garage and where temperatures may go below 32 degrees: be sure to fill the berm only half-way with water and never drag the berm around as it could tear

You can get a lot more information on water containment and diversion on my earlier blog post How To Keep Water Out? Garage Floor Water Diverter Is Best.

STEP 2: Use a ShopVac to Suck out the Contained Water

The next step is to transfer the contained water to a drain or some other disposal point in the backyard. But you got to scoop up the water first. You could use:

Nilfisk Attix 33-01 IC Wet/Dry Vacuum

Built for cleaning in workshops, construction, garages, and other industrial settings, the Nilfisk Attix 33 IC Wet/Dry vacuum uses a 92-inch water lift and 148 cubic feet per minute (CFM) airflow to deliver an unmatched cleaning experience.

Available in 2 models, you can choose between a traditional 11-foot hose or a 13-foot anti-static hose. With a washable PTFE filter, this vacuum captures the smallest and finest dust and dirt particles.

Operation and maintenance is simple with its soft start and automatic filter cleaning system. Use this 8-gallon vacuum in most wet or dry applications.

Should you wish to purchase your shopvac from Amazon then CRAFTSMAN CMXEVBE17595 16 Gallon 6.5 Peak HP Wet/Dry Vac, Heavy-Duty Shop Vacuum with Attachments is a really good buy, and will get all your dry & wet vacuuming done with ease.

STEP 3: Use a Squeegee to push the Water to the Garage Drain

You would have been able to suck most of the water out with the help of the shopvac. But there will still be plenty on the floor that the shopvac will not be able to suck. 

Remove the water barrier that you had installed in STEP 1. It is time to use a squeegee. Push the remaining water towards the garage drain or towards the garage door if the garage does not have a drain.

Yocada Floor Squeegee Scrubber available at Amazon is a Heavy Duty Household Broom Perfect for the Garage and comes with a 54in Long Adjustable Telescopic Pole.

Product Features

• 3 Section Poles
• Easy To Use
• Perfect For Garage Courtyard Shower Bathroom
• Multifunctional
• Telescopic

Now that the water level on the garage floor has gone down substantially. You may be able to see the water leak. Install the water dam around the leak, if it is from the wall or the garage door. You do not want more water to be entering the garage if possible.

STEP 4: Use a Mop to Dry Out the Garage Floor

Now that there is no more water on the floor you can use a mop to dry out the garage floor quickly after the leak. Start from one end and in smooth strokes mop up the remaining water film on the garage floor.

Do not feel like doing this chore. Well get your self a

Floor Police Motorized Electric Mop

from Bulbhead. You can now do your mopping in a jiffy!

Product Features

• Motorized spinning mop cleans, doing the work for you
• Cleans 10X faster than your ordinary mop
• Dual-spinning heads tackle tough messes fast
• Powerful motor spins at 100 RPMs
• Rechargeable lithium-ion battery
• Microfiber loosens, lifts & locks in dirt
• Self-propels forward for you
• Easily go from room to room on a single charge
• Swivel head reaches around furniture, even reaching high vertical surfaces
• Includes 2 microfiber pads, 2 scrubbing pads, and 2 polishing pads

In case the garage floor has interlocking tiles or vinyl mats, water would have gone under these through the seams. Do you hear a squishing sound when you walk on the floor?

If so, then it is best to dismantle the interlocking tiles or vinyl mats, and mop the underlayment dry.

STEP 5: Use a Dehumidifier to Bring Down Humidity Levels

After STEP the garage floor may look dry. But in fact it is not. In case of a concrete garage floor the water would have seeped into the concrete pores. 

The moisture content of the concrete floor would have gone up. This is not good for the durability of the concrete garage floor.

To truly dry out the garage floor after a leak, you must now run a ventilation fan or a dehumidifier. The fan / dehumidifier will suck out the moisture content in the concrete floor and restore it to acceptable levels. 

Thank you very much for reading the post. I do hope you found it informative and useful.