Your garage floor doesn’t have to be a Jackson Pollock painting of tire skids and stains made by grease, oil and other car fluids. You can keep things looking fresh by taking some steps both before and after things get ugly. While there aren’t a lot of practical reasons for keeping the surface clean, doing so is a helpful step before you sell or rent out your home.

TLC’s How Stuff Works tells you how to keep the garage floor looking good enough to eat off of — not that you’d want to.

* Close your door and spread kitty litter. The substance is excellent at absorbing grease and oil, leaving you less to mop up. Keep the door closed to the outside in order to stop breezes from ruining all your handiwork.

* Seal your floor. In order to make your floor easier to clean, spread a sealant over the concrete. You can usually spray away any stains atop a sealed floor with a hose, rather than having to scrub them.

* Mop up flagstone and slate. If your floor is made up of fancier stuff than concrete, you’ll probably want to avoid harsher cleaners and treat the surface with greater care, wiping it down with a damp mop.

Floor-cleaning Tips [TLC How Stuff Works]

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