Concrete surfaces can be found on the floors, countertops, driveways, and patios of almost every home. Moreover, despite its durability, concrete can still get messy and stained. Fortunately, using the appropriate products may make maintaining concrete easy. We’ll go over how to clean concrete and get rid of rust, oil, and mildew stains below.
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How Often Should Concrete Be Cleaned?
Just like with any surface, stains can be removed more easily the sooner you treat them. Don’t wait until you have enough time to clean the entire surface when you notice stains from oil or grease. Handle them immediately. Concrete countertops should be cleaned every day after meals are prepared, and indoor concrete floors should be dust-mopped at least once a week. Ddebris should be regularly cleared from driveways, patios, and walks, and they should be fully cleaned once a year or as needed.
How to Clean Concrete Floors
A patio can be cleaned with just a few tools and some elbow effort. When cleaning outdoor concrete, pick a day that is mild and cloudy to prevent the cleaning solution from evaporating too quickly.
Get the concrete cleared
- Take everything out of the concrete you wish to clean, including cars, patio furniture, barbecues, plants, and toys.
- To remove any loose debris or leaves, use a leaf blower or broom.
- Using a yard hose and spray nozzle, moisten the concrete.
Create a Cleaning Remedy - Combine one cup of baking soda and two cups distilled white vinegar in a bucket. Depending on the size of the area you wish to clean, you may want to double or quadruple the quantity.The mixture will foam, but as you mix it slowly, the foaming will subside.
Spread, Scrub, Rinse, and Dry
- Using a mop, evenly apply the cleaning solution to the concrete, then let it sit for half an hour.
- To clean the concrete, use a nylon scrub brush with strong bristles and a long handle.
- Make sure to rinse away any residue that may have landed on the grass or shrubbery as you clean the surface.
- To assist avoid discolouration, wait until the concrete is totally dry before rearranging furniture or adding plants.
How to Get Rid of Stains in Concrete
Eliminate mildew and mold
The vinegar and baking soda solution should eradicate the fungus and erase the stains if the mildew development isn’t too heavy. If it’s heavy, though, you’ll need to use chlorine bleach to get rid of the black streaks and effectively kill the spores. Make sure the area has adequate ventilation before cleaning the floor of a garage or basement.
- Put on protective goggles, old clothes, and rubber gloves.
- In a plastic bucket or spray bottle, combine one part chlorine bleach with two parts water.
- To avoid burning, cover grass and plants with old towels or plastic sheeting.
- Apply the bleach solution to the mildew-stained areas using a spray bottle or a mop.
- Let the cleaner operate for five to thirty minutes, depending on the extent of the surface stains.
- Using a brush with nylon bristles, scrub the pavement and then give it a good rinse with the outdoor hose.
- Once the patio has been cleaned, rinse the vegetation.
Eliminate Grease and Oil Spits
Because concrete is porous and grease seeps deeper into the surface the longer it remains on the surface, it is best to treat grease stains as soon as they appear. It will take more treatments to completely eradicate older stains.
- Apply a thick layer (at least one inch) of cornstarch or kitty litter to the stain.
- Give it a minimum of 24 hours or a maximum of 3 days to stay on the stain.
- Check the stain after sweeping up the cat litter. Remaining there? Reapply a layer of cat litter.
- Once the stain is almost completely removed, use a commercial degreaser and scrub the surface with a brush with nylon bristles.
- After using a yard hose to rinse, let it dry.
Tire Marks
- After moistening the region, apply a degreaser to the spots.
- Give the cleaner four hours or more to work.
- Use a nylon brush with strong bristles to scrub the marks.
- Before driving on the concrete, thoroughly rinse and let it air dry.
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