Dish soap and water: Dish soap is a degreaser, and it works well to clean oily and grimy concrete. Create a cleaning solution of warm water and few drops of dish soap and apply it to the surface. Let it sit for a while, then mop the patio and rinse it with fresh water. Repeat the process as many times as needed.
'Too much pressure washing can wear away the patio and leave it looking tired and worn,' cautions designer and garden specialist Beril Yilmaz from Garden Furniture Sales. 'It can also damage the sealant used to protect the patio if used too often.
In most cases, sealant will last for years, and its presence makes cleaning with a standard garden hose feasible between professional pressure washings. It also helps prevent mold and dirt from penetrating surfaces, so the driveway can have a like-new look for years to come.
If you want to clean your concrete, there are a few things to keep in mind. You should use a pressure washer or other high-pressure water source to remove stains such as oil and grease. When using a pressure washer, be careful not to damage the sealer on your driveway by putting too much pressure on it.
Scrub the concrete with a nylon-bristled brush and then rinse thoroughly with the garden hose. For extremely heavy stains, a power washer provides a much stronger stream of water to blast away the grime. Use a hose to rinse greenery after the patio is clean.
You should never attempt to clean your sealed or polished concrete floors with ammonia, bleach, citrus cleaners, pine based cleaners, vinegar or any highly acidic substance. These are not pH neutral, and could break down or dull the sealant on your concrete flooring.
For some reason, this idea that vinegar will remove concrete sealer has become one of the more pervasive myths about concrete, and it is just that: a myth. That's because almost all concrete sealants are made to be resistant to acid, which vinegar is. As if that wasn't enough, vinegar can actually damage concrete.
In fact, vinegar removes mold from concrete better than bleach. Bleach will only remove the top layer of mold, causing the mold to return.
The other benefit to sealing concrete is improved cleaning and maintenance. Sealers prevent spills and debris from staining the surface and make it much easier to clean.
Routine dust mopping, sweeping, vacuuming, etc. This will help remove any dust, dirt, grit, etc., which can dull the appearance of the concrete sealer if left on the surface. Routine damp-mopping with a commercially available, MILD cleaner.
Short answer: yes! Steam vapor can be used on both sealed and unsealed concrete surfaces. As for the "why", there are plenty of reasons: No extra chemicals.
Yes, vinegar is an excellent concrete cleaner. This solution can strip surface-level messes from concrete. Due to its acidic properties, vinegar can be a powerful tool for breaking down offensive materials such as dirt, stains, and bacteria.
You can use Simple Green Oxy Solve Concrete and Driveway Cleaner to clean a concrete patio with or without a pressure washer. It removes oil, grease, grime and most stains and discolorations. Its biodegradable formula is safe for lawns and pets.
Cleaning concrete with muriatic acid can be a highly effective solution if used correctly, providing ultra-bright white concrete and removal of many types of stains. In one application, you can remove rust stains, oil stains, algae, and paint splatter with a quick chemical application followed by pressure washing.
Use a mild grease-cutting detergent such as Dawn or Ajax dishwashing liquid mixed with water and a natural or synthetic bristle scrub brush to help brighten the patio surface. NOTE: Never use a wire brush as it can leave rust stains and scratch the concrete surface.
This usually goes away in a few days, but the bigger problem is that the product will take on a milky white appearance every time the sealer gets wet. The sealer will turn back to clear once the moisture has evaporated, and this oddity seems to have no effect on durability.
All concrete to be acid washed must be free of any previous sealer or paint treatments, oil, grass, overhanging plants, leaves, soil etc. Prior to acid washing, the concrete should be thoroughly saturated using a hose or watering can. Ensure that the acid solution is poured on wet surfaces only.