Concrete is among the most common flooring materials in building construction. Decorative concrete is even gaining more popularity today than ever before. But unlike many other surfaces, concrete floors do not have joints, pores, or fibers that can trap dust easily. It also does not absorb water or stains as fast as many other surfaces.
Therefore, concrete surfaces are easier to maintain, and they naturally last longer. But that does not mean that concrete does not require proper cleaning. How best can you clean your concrete surface, and how can you keep it clean over long periods of time?
Ways to Keep Concrete Surfaces Clean
It may be difficult to tell exactly when a concrete surface requires cleaning as dirt may build up gradually without being conspicuous. To ensure your concrete surface is always clean, you must follow these basic steps:
- Mop the concrete surface with cleaner immediately if it is stained
- Dry mop every day if there is no stain
- Damp-mop with cleaner occasionally
How to Choose Concrete Cleaners?
If you have a decorative concrete floor, it is better to ask the contractor what the best way to maintain the floor is. The contractor will tell you what to use and what not to use. Generally, there are four main types of cleaners in the market. They are categorized based on their pH.
- Neutral cleaners
- Alkaline cleaners
- Acidic cleaners
- Oxidation cleaners
The fifth type of cleaner available is a combination of the above cleaners. These are cleaners that are specially designed to remove a specific stain like rust. This cleaner is called a specialty cleaner.
Your choice of cleaner will depend on the kind of stain you are trying to remove.
- Use neutral cleaners for routine cleaning of a concrete surface if there is no serious dirt or stain.
- Use alkaline cleaners to clean surfaces that are contaminated by oil or greasy stains that will not mix with water.
- Use acidic cleaners to clean surfaces that are stained by insoluble metallic salts that will only dissolve in acids, like efflorescence.
- Use oxidation cleaners to clean surfaces stained by pet urine and other types of organic substances.
- Use specialty cleaners to remove special stains.
Apart from removing a particular stain or dirt, how do you ensure that your concrete surfaces are always clean?
How to Keep your Concrete Surface Always Clean
To properly maintain your concrete surface so that it is always clean, it is essential that you follow the following steps:
- Polish your floor surface
Choose a polished floor over any other types of concrete floors. Polishing will prevent stains and dirt from penetrating the surface and, therefore, make it much easier to clean. Polished floors also last a lot longer.
- Use floor mats in an area that is experiencing heavy foot traffic.
Places like the entrance to your building usually have more people passing through it and may require cleaning every day. To prevent this, you may cover such surfaces with floor mats or rugs.
Finally, cleaning the surface regularly will ensure that your concrete surface is clean. In other words, observing a routine cleaning pattern will be ideal.
