Cleaning concrete with vinegar or baking soda is a good option if you are looking for a natural cleaner. While cleaning concrete with bleach or detergent can be effective, it can also be toxic to plants.
When it comes to cleaning concrete, vinegar emerges as a natural and eco-friendly alternative that can effectively remove stains and enhance the overall appearance of your surfaces. At Roof Care PDX, we believe in the power of safe and sustainable cleaning solutions.
Cleaning dirty concrete is fairly easy using a detergent or degreaser. You can use something simple like Dawn dish soap to various degreasers you can find at Lowes or Home Depot. Zep Purple works well on concrete. Eventually you'll need to find the chemical distributors in your town and see what's available.
Vinegar is an acidic cleaner that can etch concrete if used undiluted or left on for too long. However, when used appropriately, diluted vinegar can effectively clean concrete driveways, removing stains and grime while being a cost-effective and natural cleaning solution.
Not only is it a dangerous chemical, but the ion structure of bleach keeps it from penetrating porous materials So it isn't good at killing the roots. Vinegar, however, kills very nearly as many types of mold, including the dangerous kinds. Not only that, it's safer too!
Combine 1/4 cup of liquid bleach with 1 gallon of hot water in a large bucket. To avoid damaging your lawn or walkways, always dilute your bleach and control your runoff when rinsing. Soak your brush in the solution and scrub the entire area until it's fully saturated.
Pour enough undiluted white vinegar into the empty spray bottle to cover the area of mold growth. Spray the mold directly, fully saturating it with the vinegar, and allow the vinegar to sit for at least an hour. Don't be tempted to scrub or rinse; the mold needs time to completely absorb the vinegar.
While bleach will not harm concrete, it might eat away at a concrete sealer or coating, especially if the bleach solution is not rinsed off well after application. Bleach is highly corrosive and can be a serious environmental and health hazard when used incorrectly (see Precautions to Take When Using Bleach).
Yes, you can leave vinegar on mould overnight, though this isn't necessary as it usually takes effect after an hour. However, you can't use any type of vinegar, for mould removal you must use distilled white vinegar.
WD-40 can do more than eliminate unpleasant door squeaks – it may also help remove oil stains in your driveway, according to Reader's Digest. That's because it has ingredients that can penetrate grease. Spray a liberal amount on the area and let it sit for 20 minutes, adds Organic Lesson, then wipe the area clean.
Sweep off or vacuum up any loose dirt, dust, and debris from the concrete surface. Using a garden hose, wet the concrete. Then, apply a mixture of trisodium phosphate and water, scrubbing the solution onto the surface using a stiff-bristled broom. You can also use a pressure washer for this step.
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.
If your deck is made from concrete, pavers travertine, brick, stamped concrete or composite decking, you can clean and refresh it for summer using OxiClean™ Versatile Stain Remover.
Which Is Better? Because of its non-toxic nature, it's safer to use vinegar on almost all home cleaning needs, including eradicating mold.
Bleach. Bleach is a great solution for tough stains like oil, although some scrubbing is necessary. Stronger than vinegar and without the layer-stripping effect of hydrochloric or muriatic acid, bleach is a medium strength cleaner.
Never use cleaners such as Pine-Sol, ammonia, vinegar, or bleach as they will dull, discolor or etch polished concrete and stained concrete floors. The frequent use of harsh cleaners will greatly reduce the life of your polished concrete floor.
Vinegar is better at killing mold because it can work on both porous and nonporous surfaces. It also terminates molds at their roots so the mold won't return and is also safer than bleach. You can even combine it with baking soda to make it more effective.
White vinegar, also known as distilled vinegar or spirit vinegar, is made by fermenting grain alcohol (ethanol) which then turns into acetic acid. Water is then added to the vinegar, so white vinegar is made of five to ten percent acetic acid and ninety to ninety-five percent water.
Mix one cup of bleach to 1 gallon of water. It can then be sprayed onto the concrete and scrubbed. Most of the mold should be removed through this method. A less aggressive method is to mix 1 cup of vinegar with 2/3 cups of water in a spray bottle.
You should note that while vinegar is good at drawing a stain up and out of the concrete, it will damage the concrete if left on it for too long. It's best to keep the vinegar on for no longer than 15 minutes. This should create the desired cleaning effect without damaging your concrete.
Apply the bleach solution
Prime the pump sprayer, then use it to apply the bleach and water solution evenly across the patio surface. Allow the bleach solution to contact the surface for up to 15 minutes. Work in smaller sections if the patio is too large to finish in that time.
Vinegar is acidic, but biodegradable. So although it can potentially damage delicate surfaces, it's safe for use on harder surfaces like concrete and asphalt.
Cleaning vinegar and white distilled vinegar are very similar in their composition (namely, acetic acid and water), but the key difference lies in the acidity levels between the two. "Cleaning vinegar generally contains a higher acetic acid concentration than regular white vinegar," says Sokolowski.
The primary danger of using vinegar as a weed killer is that it will also kill your lawn or garden plants if you're not careful. If you spray too much vinegar on your yard, or if there is a light wind blowing when you do so, some of it might drift onto neighboring plants (including grass) and damage them as well.