How To Clean Serious Concrete Stains
Do you have stained concrete that you want to clean up? If you are able to give your concrete a deep cleaning, you can essentially make it look brand new. This article explains a few techniques that you can use to deep clean your concrete. The best cleaning method for your concrete definitely depends on exactly what is going on with it. For instance, is your concrete stained? Is it green from plants and leaves, or is it brown from dirt? Are there oil spills?
Obviously, some of these problems are going to be much harder to clean up than others. Additionally, you have to remember that your concrete might just be faded from the sun. So, it might be impossible to restore it 100% to the original color, but it is usually not that difficult to make it so the entire surface so it is at least uniform in color. This is the most important factor when it comes to making your concrete look nice.
Pressure Washing
A pressure washer is probably the most important thing you need to clean concrete. You should start off by trying to just clean the surface with some mild soap and strong water pressure. This usually does enough to remove green and brown stains from dirt and leaves. But, you might need to use more heavy duty cleaner to break down black stains from oil or tire markings. Trisodium phosphate (or TSP) can be very useful for heavy stains. You basically spray it on to the damaged area, get it moist, and let it soak in for a bit to break down the dirt. Then, you use the pressure washer to spray it out and get the dirt out of the pores.
In addition to the pressure washer, it might be necessary to use a scrub brush for the stubborn stains. This can loosen the dirt, which makes it much easier to wash away. You might have to scrub very vigorously, but it will be well worth it in the end when you have a clean and uniform concrete finish. If you can't satisfactorily clean your concrete surface, you can consider adding a glazed finish to it. A colored glaze finish can restore the concrete and largely cover the blemishes and staining. It is a great solution if you want to change the way that you concrete looks, while also protecting it from future staining.
Contact a service, like Claggett & Sons Inc, for more help.