Vinegar or baking soda: These natural cleaners work well to clean cement patios with stubborn charcoal or rust spots. Mix equal parts vinegar and water, scrub the patio with the mixture, then give it a good rinse. If stains don't dissolve, try undiluted vinegar.
Mix one part muriatic acid with 20 parts water in a bucket. Clean the stain off with the mixture. If the stain is not removed, strengthen the mixture by one part (1 part acid with 19 parts water). Continue making the solution stronger until the stains are removed.
Most stains on concrete floors can be removed quickly and easily, but a lot depends on how old the stain is and how porous the concrete surface is. Rust, oil, grease, paint or glue stains each have a recommended stain removal technique.
White vinegar and a little scrubbing with a brush is a very effective, eco-friendly way to remove rust stains from concrete—even those that are decades old. Pour the white vinegar directly onto the stain, allow the liquid to penetrate the area for 20 minutes, and scrub with a stiff-bristled brush.
Acid staining is a chemical reaction that permanently changes the color of the concrete surface. If you want to stain old concrete, using a true acid stain is always the best option.
Vinegar and Baking Soda
Cleaning concrete with vinegar or baking soda is a good option if you are looking for a natural cleaner. While cleaning concrete with bleach or detergent can be effective, it can also be toxic to plants.
Although concrete stain is permanent and won't flake off like paint, it penetrates only the top layer of the concrete surface and will eventually wear away as the surface is worn by traffic or weather exposure.
You can fill a spray bottle with a 50/50 mixture of vinegar and water, adding a few drops of liquid dish soap. Spray this solution directly onto the concrete, letting it rest for around half an hour. If you leave it on too long, the vinegar can eat through concrete parts.
A: While our CLR Calcium, Lime and Rust Remover (in the grey bottle) is safe to use on concrete, we recommend using a 50/50 blend of CLR and warm water solution, pick an inconspicuous SPOT TEST AREA FIRST (to see if there will be any chemical reaction between our product and your concrete).
Hot Cocoa
Cocoa is made up of some of the world's toughest stains. It is essentially made from chocolate, which by itself is already a big culprit for dark stains. Apart from this, the drink also proves to be a tough stain to remove because it has the strong combination of proteins, fat, and sugar.
The short answer is unfortunately no, not all stains can be removed, and here are three reasons why. The longer a stain is left untreated, the less likely it is to be removed.
If you need to get rid of rust from concrete, your best bet is to use some WD-40 Multi-Use Product, and some elbow grease. WD-40 is specially formulated to be a penetrant, so when you spray it on a rusted surface, it gets to work right away by getting under the rust.
WD-40 can do more than eliminate unpleasant door squeaks – it may also help remove oil stains in your driveway, according to Reader's Digest. That's because it has ingredients that can penetrate grease. Spray a liberal amount on the area and let it sit for 20 minutes, adds Organic Lesson, then wipe the area clean.
Concrete driveways are prone to dirt, residue, mold or mildew. Yes, you can clean them with bleach. In fact, bleach not only removes many stains, but it also deodorizes and kills mold and mildew when used properly.
With all the right choices, the color will remain gorgeous for 10 to 15 years or more.
A small amount of acid added to the water will pull the stain out of the concrete without etching the concrete surface. In essence, the acidic solution reverses the reaction, allowing you to pull the color back out of the concrete.
Coca Cola contains citric acid that breaks down the molecules in motor oil and unsightly grease, allowing the stains to be easily washed away. With the aid of a stiff brush, Coke can remove motor oil, grease and even rust stains from concrete surfaces like your garage floor with ease.
Since Coke is acidic, it's able to remove rust stains from concrete. But you can also use vinegar or lemon juice to do the same job and serve as an efficient concrete floor cleaner.
For large scale applications sprayers are faster and more efficient; whereas paint rollers are less expensive and are more readily available. If you are going to be applying a decorative acrylic sealer or an epoxy floor coating it is best to use a 1/4″ or 3/8 nap roller.
– staining one yourself is a surprisingly easy task (although you'll want to avoid one major pitfall we fell into). So anyone with a garage, sunroom, basement, porch, or patio with a concrete floor should seriously consider this super simple process that you can do without any fancy tools or equipment.
As long as it is properly sealed, concrete is non-porous, making it resistant to stains and exceptionally easy to clean and maintain. Stained concrete floors should always be protected with a good floor sealer to help it resist water, dirt and stains.