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. 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.
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.
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.
Detergent or Dish Soap
Dish soap like Dawn and water has grease-cutting power, and it's safe and easy to use. This method works great for the entire floor before targeting specific areas with more powerful, stain-specific cleaners. Use soap and water on all concrete floors, but always rinse well.
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.
Dawn Dish Detergent
Since the soap is famous for washing poor birds that get covered in oil after tanker spills, it makes sense that Dawn can also remove oil from your driveway.
Baking Soda for Concrete Cleaning
Baking soda alone is a great cleaner for a few reasons. Sodium bicarbonate is an antimicrobial and alkaline, so it has the power to break up dirt and stains on many surfaces. By adding it to water, you get a great solution.
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.
Keep fertilizers away from concrete
Fertilizers often contain ammonium nitrate and ammonium sulfate which are harmful chemicals that can disintegrate concrete. Avoid using these on our near your concrete during its first year.
Use Dish Soap and Water
Ordinary household dish soap as a degreaser is extremely useful for cleaning up oily, grimy concrete stains while avoiding the use of harmful chemicals. Start with two gallons of warm water and a mere two teaspoons of dish soap in a standard bucket.
We recommend Ameripolish® Rejuvenating Floor Cleaner. This product is designed for polished concrete floors and will increase stain resistance when used regularly. If this product is unavailable, we suggest using natural soap, such as Dr. Bronner's castile soap when mopping your floor.
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.
Use Concrete Sealer After Power Washing
It soaks up everything! An effective pressure wash cleans the pores of your concrete. Make sure to apply concrete sealer after pressure washing.
Cleaning concrete with vinegar will not damage it! However, saturating concrete for an extended period will damage the cement that binds concrete together. Over time, vinegar erodes the concrete itself, so be careful.
Try using equal parts lemon juice and white vinegar. This creates a similar acidic solution that could lift your rust stains. For instance, you might use 1 part cleaning product with 10 parts water.
Can You Use Dish Soap to Wash Your Car? Never use dish soap to wash your car. According to Consumer Reports, dish soap isn't formulated for use on a car's paint. Even a detergent like Dawn is an abrasive cleaner and can strip away a vehicle's protective top coat.
Alkaline cleaners like baking soda (pH 8 to 9) and castile soap (pH 8.9) break down oil, grease, and other hydrocarbon-based grime. Higher alkaline cleaners like borax (pH 10) and washing soda (pH 11 to 12) tackle deeper, harder-to-remove concrete stains.
Spraying a vinegar solution (1 cup of vinegar per gallon of water) onto the surface, saturating it fully, should kill most strains of mold. Vinegar spray can be followed by power washing or manual hand scrubbing to remove the dead mold.
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.