Pros and Cons of Common Concrete Cleaners

Posted on: July 22nd, 2022 by webolutions

Concrete is one of the most common substances used for driveways, walkways, patios and many other outdoor surfaces. While concrete is a magnet for stains, there are many stain removal methods you can use to restore a beautiful appearance on your concrete surface.

It’s important to understand that cleaning concrete isn’t an exact science. All of the most common concrete cleaners have their own set of pros and cons, and the right solution for you will depend on your specific cleaning application. Below is a discussion of the most common concrete cleaners to help guide your decision regarding the right solution for your needs.

Power Washers

Power washers are an effective way to remove stains from concrete and restore a beautiful appearance. This method uses water pushed out of a hose at extremely high levels of force, enabling it to get heavy dirt, grime, mold and other stains out of your concrete.

Advantages of using power washers as a concrete stain remover include:

• Versatile – Power washers are an effective way to clean just about any concrete surface, including driveways, patios, sidewalks, pool decks and stamped concrete.
• Easy to use – Power washers are very straightforward and easy to use. All you need to do is plug them in, hook up a hose and press a lever to release the water. Keep in mind that while they are easy to use, it’s important to follow safety instructions provided by the manufacturer.
• Reduces cleaning time – Power washers can make your concrete cleaning project significantly faster than is possible with many other solutions. Keep in mind that the actual cleaning time will depend on the size of the concrete stains being cleaned.

There are also several drawbacks of using power washers as a concrete cleaner:

• Easy to damage concrete surfaces – If you’re not careful, you can potentially cause irreversible damage to the concrete surface you’re cleaning. There are many variables involved which can result in damage, including the type of concrete being cleaned, the nozzle used, the water pressure, and how close the power washer is to the surface of the concrete.
• Injury risk – Power washers release water at extremely high pressure, and the force of the water can potentially result in an injury to you or someone around you.
• Professional-grade cleaning agents aren’t used – In many instances, professional-grade cleaning solutions must be added to the water to effectively clean mold, mildew and other substances staining your concrete. While you can add cleaning agents to the power washer, they generally won’t be professional grade unless you hire a professional power washing company to clean your concrete. Once you hire someone to perform this service, power washing becomes a lot more expensive.

Vinegar

Vinegar is an effective and eco-friendly concrete cleaner. While it is highly acidic, it is also biodegradable, providing a great solution for environmentally conscious individuals. One of the reasons why vinegar is an effective concrete stain remover is due to its versatility. It can be used to remove:

• Paint
• Mild oil stains
• Mold
• Algae

To ensure proper results, make sure you use either distilled white vinegar or cleaning vinegar as your concrete cleaner. However, there are certain caveats to keep in mind when removing concrete stains with vinegar:

• It’s crucial to get the ratio of water to vinegar correct. Use equal parts of water to vinegar to remove light to medium concrete stains. For heavy stains, use undiluted vinegar.
• While vinegar won’t damage concrete, it can be harmful to the cement that binds concrete together when left on the stain for too long. To avoid damaging the cement, don’t leave vinegar on concrete surfaces for more than 30 minutes.

Baking Soda

Baking soda is another natural, environmentally friendly concrete cleaner. It’s mildly abrasive, making it effective at removing grease, oil and grime from concrete surfaces. It’s highly alkaline, which means it won’t damage your concrete. This gives you peace of mind that you can handle the concrete stain removal job yourself. Simply dissolve the baking soda in water and you’re ready to go.

One potential downside of using baking soda as a concrete cleaner is that it may cause skin irritation and in severe cases, even burns. Therefore, it’s crucial to protect your skin when using this cleaning method.

Bleach

Bleach is another highly effective concrete stain remover. This versatile solution delivers great results with:

• Spot stains
• Mildew
• Moss

It can also serve as a disinfectant to sanitize concrete surfaces which have been contaminated with harmful bacteria. Another advantage to this cleaning agent is that it won’t damage your concrete.

However, there are several downsides to using bleach as a concrete cleaner. While it won’t damage concrete surfaces, it can eat away at paint or sealants applied to the concrete. In addition, the fumes from bleach can have a harsh impact on your body if there isn’t proper ventilation while cleaning. One final drawback is that this chemical cleaning agent isn’t very eco-friendly, so you may want to seek a different solution if you’re environmentally conscious.

Muriatic Acid

Muriatic acid is an extremely powerful concrete cleaner. However, great care must be used when working with this highly toxic chemical. Always make sure you wear protective gear such as gloves, boots, long sleeve clothing and masks to avoid serious injury.

Advantages of muriatic acid include:

• Versatile – It is highly effective at removing a wide range of concrete stains, including oil stains, rust stains, mineral deposits and paint.
• Brightens concrete – You can restore the bright white look of new concrete more easily than with other cleaning methods.

However, the drawbacks often outweigh the benefits:

• Can damage concrete surfaces – If you don’t dilute muriatic acid properly, you can damage the concrete. In addition, there is a risk of causing an explosion when water isn’t mixed with muriatic acid properly.
• Can damage plant life – If you’re cleaning concrete near landscaping, the strength of the acid can potentially kill your plant life.
• High risk of injury – Muriatic acid is highly toxic and will burn your skin if exposed. It will also burn your lungs and the inside of your nose if you breathe in the fumes. Extreme care, and the proper protective gear, must always be used to prevent injury.

Due to the serious risk of injury, muriatic acid should only be used as a last resort if other concrete stain removers haven’t worked.

Terminator-HSD Makes Concrete Cleaning Easy

While the cleaning methods discussed above will work, there is an easier and more effective way to remove oil and grease stains from concrete. Terminator-HSD concrete cleaner is a biodegradable, eco-friendly solution that will completely remove hydro-carbon based stains such as oil and grease. Simply cover the stain with the Terminator-HSD powder and nature will do the rest of the work for you. Over the next few days, moisture in the air will activate billions of microbes in the concrete cleaner, allowing it to dissolve even the toughest stains.

Benefits include:

• Eco-friendly solution that breaks down and dissolves oil into naturally occurring byproducts of water and CO2, eliminating the damage to the environment when oil is rinsed into sewers
• Ability to remove large stains
• Versatile cleaner can be used on just about any concrete surface
• Easy to use – just spread on the stain and mist with water (no scrubbing required)

For best results, reapply Terminator-HSD to the stained area once a week for 4-6 weeks.

Take the hassles out of concrete cleaning once and for all. Save time and money with Terminator-HSD. Purchase our cleaner online today.