Use a detergent such as Dawn or Ajax dishwashing liquid mixed with water to brighten a concrete patio that hasn't been cleaned in a while. Just as you would regularly vacuum the floor and dust your furniture inside your house, you should keep your patio clean so it's ready at a moment's notice to entertain.
Some good cleaners include Castile soap, liquid dish detergent, stone cleaners and mild floor cleaners.
Bronner's castile soap is our favorite non-specialized product for surface cleaning indoor concrete floors. Dr. Bronner's is a nearly pH-neutral cleaner that comes in a variety of natural scents. Because the soap is concentrated, a few drops in a gallon of water is plenty.
If your area is more prone to algae and mold, then you may want to wash your concrete more often. You should pressure wash your concrete at least once a year to protect your concrete and the value of your home. Using a concrete sealer can also prevent damage to your concrete after it has been washed.
Wash the Entire Floor
(Use two ounces of Borax per gallon of water.) Use a mop or nylon bristle brush to clean. The Borax will dissolve and remove any residual cleaning agents. Use a wet mop to pick up any remaining Borax, then dry mop the concrete.
dish soap, 1 cup white vinegar and 1 gallon warm water in a bucket. Recipe #2 – Make a solution of 1 part all-purpose cleaner, 2 parts warm water and 4 parts ammonia. Recipe #3 – Mix 1/3 cup Tide to 1 gallon of warm water. Any of these should work well for cleaning unsealed cement garage floors.
Microfiber Mop: Microfiber mops are great for concrete floors as they are gentle on the surface and can effectively trap dirt and dust particles. They can also be used dry or dampened with water or a cleaning solution.
Interior Concrete Floors:
Clean with water. Use a mild detergent as needed. Such as Dove or Ivory dish soap. Do Not use Dawn, Simple Green, Ammonia or harsh cleaners as they will work to damage and even strip the wax.
Grab some Dawn dish soap from under your sink and get a bucket of hot water, boiling if you're able to. Mix the Dawn and hot water together and pour it on the spot. Grab a brush and scrub it into the stain, after minutes the stain should start to disappear.
Detergent, grease-cutting dish soap and degreasing products work well to clean garage floors. You can also use concrete cleaner. Avoid harsh products, such as trisodium phosphate (TSP), as they can harm the environment.
Vinegar and Baking Soda
Simply fill a spray bottle with equal parts water and vinegar (or water and baking soda), and add a little bit of liquid dish detergent. Spray the mixture on your concrete surface and let it sit for about 30 minutes. Then scrub and rinse your concrete.
Handwashing small loads: Dawn® Platinum can help remove stubborn oil and food stains, making it an ideal option for handwashing small loads of laundry.
Don't: Never use everyday floor cleaning products, such as Pine-Sol; always select a pH-neutral cleaner. Never use products such as ammonia, vinegar, bleach, muriatic acid, or other harsh cleaners on concrete floors.
Vinegar is an all-natural solution for cleaning concrete. It kills mildew and mold, removes grime, and helps treat set-in stains. Before cleaning concrete with vinegar, it's essential to dilute it so you don't affect your sealer.
A pH-neutral cleaner is always a good option for a final cleanse or to routinely mop with. No matter what is used to clean, it's crucial to allow the unsealed concrete to fully dry.
In fact, vinegar removes mold from concrete better than bleach. Bleach will only remove the top layer of mold, causing the mold to return.
Poor curing of the concrete; Bad mixing of the concrete; Excess water on the surface of the concrete; or in some cases. Changes in the local manufacturing of concrete involving excess silt in the mix.
For lightly soiled concrete, you can remove dirt by using bleach mixed with water. Add 1/8th cup of liquid dishwashing detergent to the solution and pour it into a spray bottle. Spray the solution onto the surface, and let it sit for a few minutes. Scrub with a nylon-bristled brush.
Use hot water
Hot water pressure washers clean more efficiently than cold water units. Plus, most pressure washer detergents work better with hot water.
Generally, you'll want your concrete driveway pressure washed at least once a year. This lets you treat sunbaked dirt, grime buildup, and stubborn oil stains, making regular cleaning in between professional washes much more manageable.