How to Clean Concrete

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Cleaning the strong concrete floor, a non-slippery has its methods and technique. Get to know how to clean your concrete floors either indoor or outdoor. Though cleaning the floor is as simple as that get to know the type of floor and the way to clean them with me.

How Often To Clean Concrete Floors?

For indoor:

1. You have to dust them daily and remove the dirt.
2. Mop the floor with floor cleaner weekly once.
3. Deep clean once a month.

For outdoor, clean them when needed.

General Cleaning – Sweeping and Mopping

For Sweeping:

1. A broom or a vacuum cleaner
2. Brush
3. Dustpan

Before sweeping take the things that are on the floor beforehand.

1. Start to sweep the floor with a broom.
2. Begin from the last room and to the living room at last.
3. Take the specks of dust in the dustpan in every room so that you no need to pile up the dust and go on sweeping that to every other room.
4. You can also use a vacuum cleaner to dust the floor.

For Mopping:

1. A multipurpose mop
2. Mop buckets
3. Floor cleaner

Before you start to mop, if you find any food or drink stains, remove them with the brush. Use detergent, and sprinkle some hot water. Scrub it thoroughly and wipe it with a cloth or paper towel.

1. Take the mop buckets and fill them in with water and floor cleaner.
2. Read the instruction on how to use the floor cleaner, because adding too much will lead to a slippery floor.
3. Submerge the mop fully in the bucket and swirl it a few times and drain the water as much as you can.
4. Now mop the floor from the corner of the room.
5. Split into divisions and cover the room fully.
6. Rinse the mop regularly to remove the dirt.
7. Change the water in the bucket if it becomes too dirty.

Mopping the floor will make the room clean and welcome. It will remove the dust completely and will have the fresh look.

Sweeping and mopping are general ways of cleaning the concrete floor. But there are many other ways to clean according to the need.

Use Detergent

Detergents can be used both indoors and outdoors. For indoors follow these steps.

1. Before cleaning the floor with detergent, dust the floor with a broom.
2. Take a bucket full of water and add some detergent.
3. Take a mop, better if you use a microfibre cloth to mop the floor.
4. Let the floor dry under the fan.

For outdoors, like patio or porch, the best way to clean concrete floor is by using a power washer.

1. Take the power washer and add some detergent with water to the soap tank.
2. Use turbo and soap nozzle. But before that remember to remove things in the area.
3. Turn on the pressure washer and keep the hose like 5 inches from the floor. This helps to clean the surface.
4. Repeat till the place is clean.

Try Deep Pressure Washing

Deep pressure washing is as same as power washing. The only difference is that the pressure washing water is not heated. This method should be effective for cleaning your driveway, garage, and outdoor space.

1. First remove any loose materials like dirt or small plants.
2. Protect the surrounding like plants, walls, vehicles with cover.
3. Protect yourself. The pressure of water will be very high so be careful and use leather shoes.
4. Use any degreaser on the surface. This helps to loose the dirt. Leave it for 10 minutes.
5. Start to clean from the higher-end so that water flows down.
6. Sweep the floor with the hose. You can witness the dirt going away.
7. Rinse the floor completely and now your concrete floor looks clean.

Tips: If you find any swirls or stripes on the floor that is caused by going too fast with the pressure cleaner or due to overlapping. So be slow and steady.

Use pH Neutral Cleaner

A pH-neutral cleaner is present in almost many floor cleaners. They have a mild pH level of around seven so they are chemical harsh-free. Use EZ clean for polished concrete floors. They are effective in cleaning and also maintain the gloss on the polished floors. Use a microfibre mop for good results. It can be used indoors and mildly soiled outdoor.

Follow the steps on how to use pH-neutral cleaner.

1. Clean the floor with broom or vacuum. This removes dust and dirt on the floor.
2. Take a pH-based floor cleaner and mix it with a bucket of clean water.
3. Use a microfibre mop and start to mop the floor.
4. It is effective for polished concrete floors as the cleaner retains the originality of the floor.
5. Let the floor dry before anyone steps on it.

Tips: Clean the spills on the floor soon, before it starts to stain.

For Rust Stains 

Having furniture over a long time on a concrete floor leads to rusting leaving behind a light reddish-orange color. That’s nothing but rust.

First, you have to find whether the rust is minor or major then follow these steps to clean rust from your floor.

Minor Stains:

1. Clean the floor with any soap and water. This will help to remove the surface-level dirt from the area.
2. Pour lemon juice directly over the affected area. Let it be for some minutes. This helps in acidic reactions.
3. After that scrub the area with a brush. Use a nylon-based brush for delicate floors and use a wire brush for a strong base.
4. Rinse the area and let it dry.
5. The rust must have gone, if not use vinegar in the place of lemon juice.

Major Stains:

If the rust hasn’t gone while following the above s then the rust is a major stain.

1. You can clean the major stains with a rust cleaner.
2. The rust cleaners are most dangerous as they have oxalic acids, trisodium phosphate, and hydrochloric acid.
3. Read the instructions carefully and it’s always better to use gloves.

Tips: Don’t use metal bristle brushes to clean the concrete floor, they break and create rust.

For Mold, Mildew, Or Moss 

Mold and mildew grow mostly on the wet surface areas. So the basement might be a good place for them. So to safely remove them follow these steps.

• To clean mildew:

1. Broom – Clean the area first.
2. Gloves for cleaning as the fungus might be dangerous.
3. Use bleach with water in a spray bottle.
4. Wet the area and use a scrub with a long handle. This is done to prevent contact with the fungus. Scrub the surface in both directions.
5. Reapply the spray. And scrub it again.
6. Use a mop and clean the surface and let it dry.

• Things needed to clean mold:

1. Use Stonetech Mold and Mildew Stain Remover. It helps to remove the dirt and could be used directly without any dilution. Could be used both indoors and outdoors.
2. Spray the remover on the mold and let it dry.
3. Clean the area with water.

Tips: Use acrylic sealer for the concrete to prevent mold and mildew. Let the concrete dry fully under the sun for two days without any rain and then use this sealer.

Remove Grease Using Degreaser 

Having grease in your garage due to parking is so common. You can clean the grease on the concrete floor by using alkaline-based products. Follow the steps to clean the grease.

1. Use a paper towel, newspaper, or cloth to remove the grease.
2. Saturate the place so they don’t miss while cleaning.
3. Use a degreaser, and add hot water, start to scrub.
4. Rinse the place with water and add some cat litter over the place. This helps to absorb the grease. Let it be overnight, sweep it off by morning.
5. You can DIY degreaser by using vinegar, water, baking soda, and soap.

Tips: Use cardboard or plywood in the place of your car parking to prevent stains on the concrete floor.

Remove Oil Using Adsorbent Material

• Baking Soda:

1. You can remove the oil spill on the concrete floor using an absorbent material like baking soda.
2. The oil can be cleaned with a paper towel immediately and drizzle the baking soda over the oil stain.
3. This helps to absorb the excess oil present on the floor.
4. Clean it in the morning with a degreasing liquid or soap.
5. Scrub the area and wipe it.

• Cat Litter / Coconut Husks/ Salt / Sawdust

1. Cover the oil with any of the oil absorbent materials.
2. Let it be for 12 – 24 hours
3. Clean it with a broom and use soap and brush the place.
4. Wash it with water.

For Tough Stains Use Muriatic Acid or Trisodium Phosphate

If none of these methods seems to be effective, use trisodium phosphate. This is known to be a savior as it can clean any dirt in a go. Follow the steps on how to use TSP.

1. Use gloves and a mask for safety because it is very powerful and dangerous.
2. Mix one part of the acid with three parts of water.
3. Spray or pour over the affected area.
4. Scrub it off and clean it with water.

Using Bleaching Method

If you have to clean an entire outdoor space, with low cost and time, use bleach.

1. Use gloves and a mask as a prevention
2. Combine a quarter to a half cup of bleach in a bucket of hot water
3. Mop the area fully and leave it for some minutes.
4. Clean with water and mop if it is interior
5. For outdoor use hose and pressure washing.

Cleaning With Vinegar In A Natural Way

If you have plants and are worried about using chemicals for cleaning use vinegar. It has been an eco-friendly, effective solution for all cleaning purposes. Here is the best natural way to clean the concrete floors

1. Use vinegar with water equally and add some liquid detergent.
2. Spray it over and scrub the place.
3. Rinse and wipe the floor.

Conclusion

The concrete floors were mostly used outdoors before. But now it is being used indoors for its exceptional classic look and sturdiness. Whether indoor or outdoor good regular care is needed for cleaning the concrete floor. The best way is to protect the floor by sealing and waxing. Do it and keep your concrete clean always.