Tips on Cleaning and Maintaining Your Concrete

Do you want to improve the look of your home exterior?  Instead of letting professionals do it for you, why not do it yourself.  It is less expensive and you only need three things: brush, garden hoses and power washer.  To improve the appearance of your patio, sidewalk or driveway and protect it from weathering, here are 5 simple ways to do it. And if you live in denver and need some concrete work done, check out denverconcrete.net for denver concrete services.

 

First step is to rent a portable power washer.  You can rent it from your local tool rental center or home improvement center.  It comes in either electric or gasoline-powered design that uses a garden hose as water source.  It delivers a stream of pressurized water that can clean your concrete.

 

Second step is to wet and clear your concrete of dirt and debris.  And then apply some cleaning product of your own choice.  Follow the directions found on these chemical products.  Chemical products are use to strip off grease, oil and dirt.Other products can also bleach and brighten your concrete.And also ask professional contractors on what cleaning and maintenance product to apply that goes well with your concrete.   

 

If you have very nasty stains that you can’t remove, you can follow these easy steps. First is to spread a thick layer of sawdust or kitty litter over the grease or oil, respectively.  Sawdust and kitty litter can absorb the grease or oil from your concrete.  Allow it to sit for a day or two and gently sweep it away.  Then, pour dry cement over the dried grease spot and allow it to sit for a day or two.  Then again, gently sweep the cement and throw it away.

 

For rust stains, you can use oxalic acid.  ZUD cleaning products contains oxalic acid, trying this would be the mildest approach. Wet the rusty area and sprinkle it with ZUD.  After that, spray the area until the powder is wet.  Let it sit for a few minutes and brush it.

You can repeat the procedure until the rust stain is removed.

 

Third step is to use a long handled scrub brush on the concrete.  This is to maximize the cleaning potential of your cleaning products.  Fourth step is to rinse the concrete thoroughly using a power washer.  Power washer is the most effective way to get your concrete clean.  You should make sure that all chemical solutions and loose debris are removed from the concrete.  Most power-washer is simple to use and straightforward.Five, let the concrete dry.

 

Concrete usually gets dirty over time.. To maintain your concrete you should keep it clean and sealed regularly.You should try to clean it once in a year even if you don’t realize that it is already dirty.  You may also want to seal your concrete to prevent any damage to your concrete.  How often you clean and reseal your concrete depends on the conditions of the concrete.  If the concrete is expose to too much to sunlight and vehicle traffic, then the concrete should be clean and sealed frequently.