Content

• To step
• Method 1 of 3: Make your own cleaning products
• Method 2 of 3: Using the cleaning agent
• Method 3 of 3: Remove stubborn stains
• Tips
• Warnings

With everything that happens on your concrete patio and what it is exposed to - weather conditions, barbecues, children playing, spilled oil - it's no wonder that you need to give it a thorough cleaning every once in a while. By preparing the right cleaning agent, carefully cleaning the concrete and dealing with stains the right way, your patio will be spotless again in no time.

To step

Method 1 of 3: Make your own cleaning products

1. Make a paste of baking soda and bleach. If you want to remove stains that have appeared during a season (for example, stains that appeared after leaves gather on your patio during the fall), prepare a simple concrete cleaner by mixing three parts baking soda with two parts bleach.
   • The paste should be about the thickness of pea soup - thin enough to pour onto the concrete, but thick enough not to run off like that.
2. Make a vinegar and baking soda paste. If you want a more eco-friendly cleaner, mix vinegar with baking soda. Exactly how much you use of both products is less important than how thick the cleaner becomes. The cleaner should be as thick as paste.
   • Start by pouring some distilled white vinegar into a bucket or bowl and then slowly adding baking soda. The mixture will foam, so add the baking soda slowly so that the bucket doesn't overflow. Let the mixture bubble for a while until it starts to soften so you can see how thick the mixture is before adding more baking soda.
3. Make a vinegar and water mixture. For smaller areas with stains, you can use a vinegar, water, and salt mixture that you can mix in a spray bottle. This way you can apply the cleaner in a more targeted manner and the agent will not end up in places where you do not want it, such as flower beds and your lawn.
   • Use equal amounts of distilled white vinegar and warm water, then add one or two pinches of salt.
   • Let this mixture soak into the concrete for about twenty minutes.

Method 2 of 3: Using the cleaning agent

1. Tidy up the surface to be cleaned. Sweep away all debris such as leaves and twigs and set garden furniture aside so it doesn't get in the way. Keep your pets and children from walking on the patio, especially if you are going to use bleach.
2. Protect nearby plants and shrubs. Make sure to protect plants near the patio. Spray them with a garden hose to provide them with a protective layer of water, which will allow all the bleach and vinegar to run off the plants. You can also cover them with a piece of thin plastic.
   • It is also possible to create barriers between the area you are cleaning and your lawn by placing rolled up towels or sheets along the edge of the lawn.
3. Rinse the patio. Use your garden hose or buckets of water and rinse the area you want to clean. You can also use a bucket of water and a mop if you are concerned that the water is not draining properly.
4. Apply the cleaner. Depending on the type of cleaner you are using, spray, pour or spread the agent over the surface you want to clean.
   • Wear gloves and a protective face mask for this step, especially if you're using bleach.
   • You can soak the mixtures for a few minutes to half an hour if the stains are particularly dark in color.
   • If you still see the stains after scrubbing, you may need to reapply cleaner. Wait 15 minutes, scrub the areas again and then rinse them clean with a garden hose.
5. Scrub with a short scrub brush. When the cleaner has been able to absorb, scrub all stains with a short scrub brush. This way you loosen all the stubborn dirt and dust that the cleaner has not yet loosened.
6. Rinse off the cleaner. When you're done scrubbing, use a garden hose, sprayer, or bucket of water to rinse the area you cleaned. You may have to do this several times, depending on the size of the stains you removed and the amount of cleaner you used.
   • You can let the patio air dry, especially if you're cleaning on a hot day.
   • Don't forget to spray-clean any plants and plant beds near the concrete patio that might have gotten cleaner.

Method 3 of 3: Remove stubborn stains

1. Use an enzyme cleaner to remove pet stains. If you have stains made by pets or other animals on your concrete patio, try using an enzyme cleaner. These types of cleaners target and break down the proteins in the stains. You can buy enzyme cleaners at pet stores and hardware stores.
   • Apply an enzyme cleaner to the stains without diluting it with water. Then let the cleaner soak into the stains.
   • However, it can take a few days for an enzyme cleaner to break down the stains in the concrete.
2. Use an oil-based cleaner for stains caused by non-washable chalk. An oil-based cleaner like WD-40 works well for removing stains caused by non-washable chalk. Apply the cleaner and let it soak in before scrubbing the stains with a short, stiff brush. Then rinse the surface with water.
3. Use detergent to remove grease stains. If there are grease stains on your concrete patio, you can remove them with detergent. For grease stains, make a paste of washing powder and water. Apply the paste to the stain, cover it tightly with plastic wrap (you can tape the edges to the concrete) and leave the paste on for 24 hours. Then scrub and rinse the area.
4. Sprinkle cat litter on oil stains. If you have oil stains in your concrete patio, cover the stains with cat litter and crush the granules with your feet while wearing old shoes. Leave the grit on for up to 24 hours, then sweep it up and rinse it off.
5. Use a degreaser for stains caused by oil, grease or hydrocarbon. Basic cleaners, also called degreasers, can help remove stains caused by oil, grease or hydrocarbon. These products break down the stains. Apply the degreaser to the stains and scrub it into the concrete. Leave it on for a few hours or as long as it says on the product packaging. Blot the stains with an old cloth to remove the dirt, then remove the residue with clean water. Reapply the degreaser if necessary.
   • You can dilute the degreaser if the stains are new.
   • You will have to apply a degreasing agent several times on some stains.
   • You can buy concentrated degreasing agents on the internet and at most hardware stores.
   • Basic products can also neutralize acids that have drawn into the concrete.
6. Use bleach and laundry detergent to get rid of mold. If you have plants on or near your concrete patio, the moisture trapped under the leaves can leave mold stains on your patio.
   • Mix 1 liter of bleach with 3 liters of water. Add 250 ml of detergent and mix well. Apply the mixture to the stains with a stiff brush and let it soak in until the stains turn white. Make sure not to let it dry.
   • You can also move your plants to another part of your patio and let the sun and air remove the fungus stains naturally.
7. Use vinegar to remove algae. If you have algae on your concrete patio, you can use undiluted distilled white vinegar and a stiff brush to remove the stains. If a larger area has been affected by algae, you can also fill a liquid fertilizer sprayer with chlorine for a swimming pool and spray it on the surface through a garden hose.
8. Use a pressure washer. If you don't want to scrub or use cleaners, you can use a pressure washer to remove most of the dirt and dust from the concrete. Remember that the water jet coming out of the unit is very powerful, so do not aim the pressure washer at plants as they will be destroyed by the force of the water.
   • Choose a high-pressure sprayer with a pressure of at least 200 bar and a spraying power of at least 15 liters of water per minute.
   • With this method you remove dirt and dust, but not grease.

Tips

• Wear protective gloves and a mask, especially if you're using bleach.
• You can use any of these methods to clean indoor and outdoor concrete surfaces. However, you cannot use a high-pressure cleaner indoors.
• In the case of particularly stubborn stains, let the cleaners soak into the concrete for up to half an hour.
• Regular cleaning of the concrete and impregnation of the concrete with the correct impregnation agents are important parts of maintaining your concrete properly. How often you have to clean and impregnate the concrete largely depends on the conditions to which the concrete is exposed, such as extreme weather influences, the sun power and how often the concrete is walked and driven over.

Warnings

• Do not use wire brushes as they can scrape the concrete. If you use bleach and have pets and children, keep them away from the patio.