Tips For Removing Stains from Concrete
Periodically cleaning your concrete will avoid staining and prevent
hard-to-clean dirt and grease from accumulating. Often, the build-up is slow --
too slow to notice -- so scheduled cleaning will keep your concrete looking
great!
Power Washing
Power washing is an effective means of cleaning concrete without causing any
damaging to it. You can get a great general cleaning with a pressure rating of
about 3000 psi and a flow rate of four gallons per minute. Paint or tire marks
on concrete might take a bit more pressure to remove. Power washers are easy to
use and well worth the small effort.
Cheaper power washers use cold water to clean dirty and stained concrete. If
your cleaning job is small and your main target is simple dirt, a cold water
power washer is perfectly suitable. If you need to degrease, get rid of skid
marks or other difficult stains on concrete, a hot water power washer is a
better bet.
Chemical Cleaners
Sometimes, power washing with water only is effective in cleaning concrete.
Often you will need the help of cleaning chemicals designed to remove certain
difficult stains. The chemicals work best when sprayed directly on the stain and
left to sit for 15 minutes or so before rinsing.
Oil and grease are ubiquitous on parking lots, driveways and pavement. Using hot
water with a degreaser is most effective in cleaning concrete. The hot water
lifts the oil and the degreaser flushes it away.
Cleaning rust stains on concrete is tough because rust stains often penetrate
deeply into the concrete. For cleaning rusty areas in concrete, use a cleaner
that contains oxalic acid.
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