Hard Rock Concrete Coatings | Blog
When you think of Spring Cleaning your brain might offer up images of scrubbing bathtubs and mopping floors. If you take it outside it’s simply weeding the neglected flower beds and gardens, maybe doing a quick diagnostic of your sprinkling system. But if your Spring Cleaning leads you to your garage, patio, sidewalks or walkways then you may find yourself with a new challenge: cleaning concrete.
You may not have even realized how dirty or grimy your concrete has become over the winter (or longer if you’re not the type to deep clean your concrete each season, which most of us aren’t!). Your concrete takes a beating, especially during the snow, rain, and ice-filled months of winter. It’s not a bad idea to take a look at your concrete and see if it couldn’t use a little extra love. Of course water is a great start, but you may need to take it further to fix stains or repair unnoticed damage before it becomes a huge problem. Follow these easy steps to get your concrete looking clean and ready for barbeques.
Step One: Get everything off of it
Cleaning out your garage was probably on your Spring Cleaning to-do list, right? Perfect. Move everything out of the garage, and do the same for your patio, concrete pads, walkways, and any other concrete surface on your property. Go through the items and throw away trash and junk.
Step Two: Sweep it off
Much of the dirt and detritus is merely on the surface and can be swept away easily. Do your best to get into cracks and corners where everything settles and cobwebs abound.
Step Three: Spray it down
Using a hose, a hose with a spray nozzle, or a power-washer if you’re serious about it – wash the concrete with water. Use added pressure to clear out cracks, concrete joints and corners as best you can.
Step Four: Spot treat stains
Yes, concrete can stain. If you have hard water stains or high salt or alkalinity you may want to reach for an acidic cleaner to remove the white deposits that won’t go away with just water. If you have oil or grease stains you may want to choose an Alkaline concrete cleaner. If there are pet urine stains on your concrete you can remove those with enzyme or bacterial cleaners. There’s no reason your concrete shouldn’t be clean and free from unsightly stains.
Step Five: Search for damage or weakness
It’s easy to forget about your concrete, since concrete is such a long-lasting material. It can, however sustain damage over time. If left unchecked concrete damage will grow more and more problematic, and even become dangerous. Now, before you put everything back in its place, is the time to check every square foot of your concrete. Are their cracks? Weak spots? Crumbling? Displacement? Don’t ignore it. Concrete can be repaired and restored to its former glory by experts.
Hard Rock Concrete can help you get your concrete looking clean, fresh, and repaired if damaged. Give them a call to see what they can offer you this spring!
