What will clean concrete

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How to Clean Concrete. By Andie Huber. Pinterest Email Pocket Flipboard. General Maintenance of Concrete Floors Concrete floors should be cleaned at least once a year to keep them in tip-top shape. Step 2: Spot Treat Stains One of the most budget-friendly ways to spot-treat stains is with liquid laundry detergent and water.

Step 4: Enlist a Power Washer If the stain persists, try a pressure washer. For more specific concrete stains, follow this guide: Grease and Oil Stains To clean oil from concrete, sprinkle sawdust, cornmeal, or baking soda directly onto the stain to absorb as much of the spill as possible. Rust Stains White vinegar and a little scrubbing with a brush is a very effective, eco-friendly way to remove rust stains from concrete—even those that are decades old.

Water Stains, Mold, and Mildew Cleaning concrete floors in a basement that is has a mold or mildew problem is different from cleaning a concrete patio with the same issue.

Or should I look into a cleaning agent for those areas? Since your stamped concrete is dark-toned, my guess is that the other areas have faded with exposure to the elements. Probably not much you can do about that, but you might want to ask a concrete professional. Your email address will not be published. Skip to content.

Materials You Need: Baking soda Hot water Liquid dish soap Oxygenated bleach some stains Cornstarch or clay cat litter some stains Distilled white vinegar some stains. General Cleaning for Dirty Cement Before you begin cleaning cement stains, general cleaning of the entire surface.

Sweep the surface with a push broom to remove debris. Use a push broom or stiff brush to spread this around and scrub dirty spots. Rinse, and let it dry. For lingering stains, rewet the surface and sprinkle it with oxygenated bleach. I use OxiClean. Rinse the surface and your broom. Let both fully air dry.

Spray the moss stain on your cement with equal parts of distilled white vinegar and hot water. Using the push broom, scrub the area well after spraying.

Rinse with a bucket of fresh water and let the area completely dry. Grease or Oil Stains Oil leaks from cars, lawnmowers, or other equipment can leave a slippery stain on your concrete floor. Soak up the surface spill by sprinkling the area heavily with baby powder, cornstarch, clay cat litter, or diatomaceous earth.

I keep a bag of the latter on hand for cement stains and also to keep ants out of the house. These substances are all very absorbent and can pull greasy messes out of cement. When cleaning a concrete patio, you will want to go at heavily soiled areas using something a bit stiffer, something such as a hard bristle broom or a scrub brush made for flooring, decks, and patios like this one on amazon. If the stain is still not coming up after a good scrub, you will want to spray it with undiluted vinegar and give it around 10 minutes or so to sit.

When the vinegar has had a chance to set, you can then scrub it again. This should pull up pretty tough stains with relative ease. Then you can simply use your hose to spray away both the cleaner and the loose debris created by the scrubbing. Another natural, environmentally-friendly method of cleaning your concrete patio is to use baking soda. If you have a soiled hardscape, try mixing a half cup of baking soda or so into about a gallon of water to create your natural cleaning solution.

If you want something a bit stronger, you can even add in about an eighth of a cup of liquid dish detergent. When you have created your concoction, spray it on the stains or on the entire surface of the patio if you want a total clean and let it sit for about 20 minutes. This gives the baking soda and detergent a chance to break down the dirt and grime. When you have successfully scrubbed the area, you can then use the hose to rinse off the area and begin enjoying your freshly cleaned concrete patio once again.

Using bleach on your concrete patio should be a last resort when dealing with really tough stains or with sticky points of grime. Remember that bleach is an extremely potent and dangerous chemical and it should be kept away from both pets and children for their safety. You will also want to take the proper protective measures. Use gloves to keep the bleach from contacting your skin and a mask to avoid having to inhale the fumes.

From there, mix the bleach in with water equally and then put that solution into a spray bottle so that you can avoid a concentration of bleach in a particular area. When cleaning garage floors, be prepared to pull out all the stops.

You may need to scrub the area with TSP and then hit it with the hose to lift the stains. When it comes to outdoor concrete, the first and easiest approach should be power washing. This cleaning method can penetrate the pores in the concrete and wash out the dirt and grease. If necessary, you can really concentrate the water pressure with a 0-degree nozzle.

Muriatic acid can work wonders on filthy concrete, and it can also be very effective at cleaning excess smears of dried mortar and grout, or tackling tough rust stains. Before you use muriatic acid on concrete, make sure to take extra care prepping your space, and clean up carefully afterward. Start by mixing up a solution of 1 part muriatic acid to 10 parts water in a bucket or spray bottle and soak the stained area. Wait about 10 minutes and then spray the area with a solution of 1 cup of ammonia to 1 gallon of water to neutralize the acid.

Pro tip: You must be extremely cautious with muriatic acid. A concrete sealer is a reliable option for avoiding stains in the first place.

Choose a clear silane- or siloxane-based water-repellent sealer like Rainguard Micro-Seal Penetrating Concrete Sealer , a favorite from our researched guide to the best concrete sealers.