Freshly laid concrete is a wonderful sight, indoor or out. It makes the area looker cleaner, nicer, it even brings out the color of plants around better. Concrete floor maintenance needs to keep it this way.
However, after time nearly all concrete seems to develop stains, chips, rust, and various imperfections. These are the by-product of neglecting concrete.
As long as you use the right chemicals and deal with any problems before they become permanent, you can keep concrete looking great.
Concrete might be tough, but with the right approach and right equipment, you can keep it looking clear. Concrete floor maintenance isn’t too complicated.
The Right Equipment
You need to make sure you’re using the proper equipment to keep your concrete looking great.
- Concrete Cleaner – For for an indoor concrete floor, you need to use a pH-neutral cleaner. This will help to maintain any wax or sealer that you’ve used on your concrete. Although, an outdoor concrete floor needs an outdoor-specific cleaner.
- Scrubbing Brush – A scrubbing brush will soft bristles should be used for indoor concrete floor maintenance. Outdoors, you will need a harder brush to get out rust or stains.
- Broom – This is needed for sweeping any dirt out of the way.
- Mop – For an indoor concrete floor, you will need to mop it to keep its finish looking clear.
- Pressure Washer – This will be really helpful for outdoor floors.
Indoor Concrete Floor Maintenance
Indoor concrete has some specific needs, but it can be simple enough to clean.
- Prepare Cleaner – You should dilute the pH neutral cleaner to make it ready to use on your floor.
- Soak the Mop – Soak a mop in this cleaning solution and use it mop the floor. Do this from end to the other so nowhere is missed.
- Drain Mop and Bucket – Drain your mop and bucket and clean dirt from the mop. Use the dry mop to remop the floor, removing any excess water or soap that may be on there.
Do this every week as part of your cleaning routine. Outside of this, you should use gentle brushes to clean up any small messes that happen in-between.
This concrete floor maintenance schedule should keep indoor floors looking great.
Outdoor Concrete Floor Maintenance
Things are a bit different for outdoor concrete floors. These require a different maintenance routine to account for their different conditions.
Keeping an outdoor surface clean is similar for most materials. For outdoor concrete floor maintenance, you’ll need to use a different set of tools.
- Dilute the Cleaner – Mix the cleaner with water to prepare it for use.
- Sweep the Concrete – This will remove any loose bits of dirt before you begin to wash it.
- Soak the Concrete – Use the pressure washer to spray any dirt away and wet the concrete. This is an important part of concrete floor maintenance.
- Spread Cleaner Around the Concrete – Spread the concrete cleaner solution around the floor to work it is.
- Scrubbing – Scrub the cleaning solution into the concrete. You should work this into any spots with dirt in them.
- Rinse the Floor – Rinse the concrete floor with the power washer.
You need to perform Concrete floor maintenance regularly. This will keep concrete in its best state.
If you don’t have time for all of this cleaning, a professional cleaning service could be helpful.
This lets you have sparkling concrete inside or out, without the labor of a rigorous concrete floor maintenance routine.