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.
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.
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.
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.
Wash the concrete > Mix a solution of ⅓ cup powdered laundry detergent, such as Tide, per gallon of hot water; the granules will act as a mild abrasive. Working in sections, pour some solution onto the floor and scrub with a stiff bristle brush. Wait about 10 minutes for dirt to loosen, then repeat.
Before you can clean concrete, determine what type of sealer was applied, if any, since it can affect the appropriate cleaning methods. If a sealer wasn't used, stick with a mild detergent or a solution of trisodium phosphate (TSP). Avoid acids since they can damage unsealed concrete.
As a gentler cleaner, bleach can't harm concrete's durable material. Aside from being an effective cleaner and stain remover, it also acts as a disinfectant to the concrete surface.
Hydrogen peroxide is an oxygenated bleach. It is safe for plants, so when you rinse this solution, it won't harm anything. It works together with the dish soap and baking soda to remove dirt and whiten dirty concrete.
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.
Whether your patio is sealed concrete or cement, or even sealed concrete pavers, a bleach and water solution makes it easy to clean away built up soil, stains from leaves and pollen, mold, mildew and algae.
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.
Simple Green Oxy Solve Concrete and Driveway Cleaner can be used with a power washer or for manual cleaning of concrete surfaces including driveways, sidewalks, patios, and walkways.
OxiClean Outdoor Multipurpose Ready to Use - Cleaning Supplies - Cleaning Products - Cleaner for Concrete, Vinyl, Grill, Patio Furniture - Degreaser for Cement and Brick (1 Gallon)
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.
'A homemade cleaning solution for your patio can be made by mixing equal parts water and white vinegar,' says Zak. 'This natural cleaner is effective in removing dirt, mildew, and algae. For stubborn stains, you can add a few drops of liquid dish soap to the mixture.
Tide (or a similar powdered) detergent: Mix the detergent with a little water to make a paste. Wipe the floor with a wet cloth first, apply the paste, then use a brush to scrub. Rinse the area with clean water.
Vinegar is the perfect option in such cases. Used similarly to bleach, vinegar is known to kill many species of fungus including harmful mold. Spraying a vinegar solution (1 cup of vinegar per gallon of water) onto the surface, saturating it fully, should kill most strains of mold.
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.
Powered by his legendary cleaning skills, Mr. Clean® knows how to clean concrete floor messes quickly and efficiently. For a clean concrete floor, follow these simple steps.
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.
If you need to get rid of rust from concrete, your best bet is to use some WD-40 Multi-Use Product, and some elbow grease. WD-40 is specially formulated to be a penetrant, so when you spray it on a rusted surface, it gets to work right away by getting under the rust.