How Do You Clean A Stained Basement Concrete Floor

Many of us have physical floors in our basements. This is usually the original flooring, and information technology seems similar a nice depression-maintenance floor for an extra living space. But how many of usa really know how to clean a concrete basement floor?

We oftentimes recall of concrete floors equally low maintenance. But low maintenance doesn't hateful no maintenance! While they certainly don't need the same attending equally carpeting or hardwood floors, they do need some maintenance if they are going to go on looking good and pass the exam of time.

In today's article, we are going to look at exactly how to clean cement basement floors. We'll look at the process involved, the best cleaning products to use and ones to be avoided, and also the other lilliputian things you should be doing to maintain your basement concrete.

So, read on to learn the all-time way to clean your concrete basement flooring.

How To Make clean Your Concrete Basement Flooring
Sealed vs Unsealed Physical
Cleaning Agents
Cleaning Agents To Avert
Protect And Maintain Concrete Floors
FAQs
The Verdict

How To Clean Your Concrete Basement Floor

i. Start By Removing Equally Much As You lot Tin From The Floor.
2. Thoroughly Sweep Or Vacuum To Remove Debris.
3. Care for Any Stains.
four. Scrub Your Floor With Your Chosen Cleaning Product.
v. Thoroughly Rinse Your Flooring.
half dozen. Let The Floor Dry Thoroughly Before Returning Article of furniture And Using The Room.

In that location is no ane way to clean a basement floor, but in that location are expert principles to follow to brand certain y'all get information technology right. Information technology's pretty uncomplicated, and you should have the time to do this kind of thorough clean at least twice a twelvemonth.

1. Offset Past Removing As Much As You Can From The Floor.

Cleaning around things means more than work for yous, and you are likely to push clay and debris underneath things every bit part of the cleaning process, pregnant there will exist hidden spots of your flooring that are still muddy.

How To Clean Your Concrete Basement Floor

If you can't move everything out of the room, clean the room in ii halves, moving everything to 1 side of the room and cleaning the other side, so vice versa.

two. Thoroughly Sweep Or Vacuum To Remove Debris.

You don't desire to leave any grit and debris on your floor when you add your cleaning amanuensis, as dust plus water equals sludge.

Y'all are amend off using a hardwood floor vacuum cleaner than a standard carpet vacuum. While your concrete slab probably won't be damaged by the carpet vacuum's beater bar, the sucking technology of rug vacuums is different from hard floor vacuums, so you'll pick up droppings more easily with a hard floor vacuum.

Check out our list of the all-time vacuums for hard floor here.

3. Treat Whatever Stains.

If yous are dealing with specific stains such equally rust or efflorescence (a crystalline or powdery deposit), you are going to want to treat those stains earlier you exercise your overall clean. How this is best done depends on the type of stain. You'll find recommendations for the best cleaning products for different types of stains further down.

iv. Scrub Your Flooring With Your Chosen Cleaning Product.

Once more, which cleaning product is right for you depends on the type of physical you have (sealed or unsealed), and the type of staining that you might be dealing with. Ringlet downward for more than information on this.

But whatever product you utilize, you will probably dilute the agent in water, apply information technology to your flooring, and so you volition want to go scrubbing.

Use a wire brush to piece of work the cleaner into the concrete. But don't use a metallic wire brush, as tiny bits of metal can interruption off these brushes and become stuck in the pores of the concrete. Over time they will rust, discoloring and damaging your floor.

If you are using a cleaner that gives off fumes, make sure the space is as well ventilated as possible throughout the cleaning process.

5. Thoroughly Rinse Your Floor.

Yous are going to want to thoroughly rinse the cleaning product off the concrete when you are done. First of all, it is the rinsing that leaves your floor clean, as the cleaning solution takes dirt abroad with information technology. Secondly, cleaning residue tin stain, and can too be toxic if information technology transfers from the floor onto your peel. This is especially problematic if you lot accept children or animals.

If you have a drain, great: Start in the corner of the room furthest away from the drain and work toward it. If yous don't, work toward a place where the water tin be pooled to be removed.

When it comes to rinsing, a power washer can be a great tool.

A wet dry out/shop vac is also a skillful tool. Information technology tin be used every bit part of the scrubbing procedure, and as well to rinse and remove cleaning products and liquids.

You tin find our listing of the v all-time wet/dry shop vacs here, too as instructions and tips on how to use them.

half-dozen. Let The Floor Dry out Thoroughly Before Returning Furniture And Using The Room.

Depending on the blazon of concrete you accept, if it is exposed to moisture, yous can develop mold and mildew. Minimize the likelihood of that past making sure the area is thoroughly dry out before returning items that might trap moisture or hinder the drying process.

Sealed vs Unsealed Concrete

While the overall cleaning procedure is the same whether your concrete is sealed or unsealed, you do need to employ a bit more care if you are dealing with unsealed concrete. Why?

Sealed concrete has been treated with a waterproofing agent that stops water from soaking into your concrete. This means that spills shouldn't soak in, and that yous can utilise water liberally when cleaning.

Unsealed physical does not have this protection, so water soaks into the porous concrete. This means that spills tend to stain, and, if y'all aren't careful, yous tin can make staining look worse when cleaning.

And so, if you have unsealed floors, dry out clean as much equally possible using the minimum amount of water. This ways it will be easier to remove and dry faster, so there is less adventure of residue liquid damaging your floor.

If you do find that y'all have unsealed physical in your basement, information technology is a good idea to become ahead and seal it. At that place are a diversity of products bachelor to practise this, for instance:

KILZ Interior/Exterior Concrete, Brick, and Tile Liquid Bricklayer Sealer
Phenomenon Sealants Impregnator Penetrating Sealer
Essential Values Physical Sealer – Acrylic Emulsion Formula

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Cleaning Agents

pH Neutral Cleaner – Solar day-To-Day Cleaning
Baking Soda – Chemical-Costless Cleaning
Lye Soap – General Cleaning
Degreaser – Grease And Oil Stains
Dry Cement – Rust Stains
Trisodium Phosphate – Glue Stains
Wash Solution – Deep Cleaning

At that place are many different cleaning agents you can apply to successfully clean the physical floors in your basement. Which is right for yous depends on personal preference and what kind of stains you are dealing with.

Beneath is a listing of the all-time cleaning agents for physical and when it is best to use them.

pH Neutral Cleaner – Day-To-Day Cleaning

If you are looking for a commercial cleaner for your concrete, make sure you get something that is pH neutral. These types of cleaners won't damage your sealer if your concrete is sealed, and are too not-corrosive, and then they won't eat away at your physical over time.

Baking Soda – Chemic-Free Cleaning

If you lot are looking for an alternative to the chemical-based cleaners you can purchase, make your own with baking soda. Only mix one-half a cup of baking soda with a gallon of warm water and a balmy cleaner such as dish detergent, and y'all take a cleaner powerful enough to remove all of your stains, all without nasty chemicals.

Lye Lather – General Cleaning

Practiced old-fashioned lather is i of the best agents for cleaning your flooring. Though expect for lye soap or, alternatively, something that is olive oil-based. These are strong enough to remove even the toughest stains merely won't damage your concrete.

Degreaser – Grease And Oil Stains

If y'all are dealing with grease or oil stains, wait for a lather or cleaner that as well contains degreaser. The degreaser penetrates into the concrete and lifts away grease and oil when rinsing. However, information technology is non-corrosive, so it will leave your concrete intact.

Dry out Cement – Rust Stains

If you are dealing with rust, you are going to accept better luck with abrasion than with detergent. Simply sprinkle dry cement onto the stained surface area and rub it in with a piece of flagstone. This acts like a kind of pumice stone to remove the rust. You lot tin then sweep or vacuum upwardly both the dry cement and the rust.

Trisodium Phosphate – Mucilage Stains

Trisodium phosphate is the cleaning solution you lot need if you accept glue stains on your concrete, perchance from an erstwhile flooring covering such every bit rug. Mix iii ounces of trisodium phosphate with a gallon of warm water and let the solution sit for an hour. When you lot start scrubbing, the glue should come with relative ease.

Launder Solution – Deep Cleaning

If y'all feel similar y'all need to give your basement flooring a really deep clean, consider using a wash solution. These incorporate seventy percent alcohol, which makes them effective and as well means they don't evaporate. This in plough means that you have more time to work when doing a deep make clean.

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Cleaning Agents To Avoid

Ammonia
Bleach
White Vinegar

While nosotros have a squeamish long list of cleaners that are great for using on concrete floors, nosotros also have three mutual cleaners that are best avoided when working with physical.

Ammonia

Nosotros accept two very good reasons why you should avoid using ammonia for cleaning concrete basements. Showtime, it tin interruption downward concrete sealant, doing more harm than good to your floors. Secondly, it produces a poisonous gas that is terrible for your lungs if you breathe it in, and likewise irritates the eyes. Basements don't tend to be the all-time ventilated rooms, and so ammonia is all-time avoided.

Bleach

Bleach has similar problems to ammonia. Beginning, it tin can atomize your concrete floor if used over a period of fourth dimension. 2nd, bleach also tends to produce chemical fumes that are not good for you, and you lot don't desire to be breathing them inside the enclosed space of your basement.

White Vinegar

White vinegar and other acidic cleaners should likewise be avoided when cleaning concrete. The vinegar can strip away the sealing glaze and leave your concrete floors vulnerable to further h2o damage. In the case of unsealed physical, it can etch into the concrete and change the overall finish of your floor.

Protect and Maintain Concrete Floors

Regularly cleaning your concrete floors is important to go along them looking good. Just if you really want to maintain your floors, in that location are a variety of things that y'all should exist doing to keep your concrete in tip-top shape.

Sweep or vacuum regularly. How regularly depends on traffic, but minimizing debris minimizes the hazard of damaging abrasions.
Damp mop regularly. Once more, how regularly depends on the blazon of employ your floor gets. But a quick damp mop once a week to target stains yous can't see means that you can pick up on stain-causing agents earlier they accept a chance to set in.
Clean up spills as they happen. This is peculiarly important with unsealed concrete, every bit liquids tin soak in quickly. But it is always a good idea to clean up liquids before they take a chance to stain.
Deal with cracks. If you see a little scissure develop in your concrete, don't get out it assuming that it isn't a big deal. Dirt tin easily get trapped in these tiny grooves.
Seal your concrete. If your concrete isn't sealed, information technology is a proficient idea to practise and so. This will brand information technology more than resistant to h2o damage and abrasion damage over time.
Invest in a dehumidifier. If you observe yourself repeatedly dealing with moisture-related stains such as white efflorescence stains, this is a sign that there is besides much moisture attacking your concrete. Invest in a dehumidifier to limit this trouble.

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FAQs

How Do You Make clean An Unsealed Concrete Basement Floor?
What Is The Best Concrete Floor Cleaner?
What Kills Mold On Concrete Floors?
Tin I Mop A Basement Concrete Floor?
Can I Pressure Wash A Concrete Floor?

How Do You Clean An Unsealed Physical Basement Floor?

The procedure for cleaning unsealed physical floors is the same equally for sealed concrete floors, except that you want to be careful not to let cleaning agents or water, used to rinse cleaning agents, sit on the floor for likewise long. If the liquid sits, information technology tin can soak into the physical and crusade further staining.

Dry clean as much as possible, and remove liquid as quickly as possible, perhaps using a moisture/dry out shop vac to remove sitting liquids.

What Is The Best Physical Flooring Cleaner?

The best concrete floor cleaner depends on the type of stains that you are dealing with. Notwithstanding, if you are looking for a practiced overall cleaner, get something with a neutral pH balance, or use baking soda or lye soap.

You have other options if y'all are dealing with specific types of stains such as grease or glue. Avoid cleaners containing ammonia or bleach, equally these tin can be corrosive on your floors, and they also requite of poisonous fumes that are not good for you.

What Kills Mold On Concrete Floors?

Dish lather or lye soap should effectively remove mold that may have developed on physical. If this proves ineffective, y'all can effort bleach. However, bleach should not be used as a regular physical cleaner, as information technology can erode the concrete over time.

Also make sure that the room is well ventilated when using bleach as it tin can give of poisonous fumes that are non good for your lungs and can irritate your eyes.

Can I Mop A Basement Concrete Flooring?

Yep, you tin can mop your concrete flooring, and information technology is a good idea to do this on roughly on a weekly ground to pick up on any spills, visible or invisible, that might stain your concrete if left to sit down.

If your concrete flooring is sealed, yous can safely wet mop your flooring. Nevertheless, if it is unsealed, dry mop and remove wet as quickly as possible. Sitting moisture tin soak into the concrete and cause new staining.

Tin I Pressure Wash A Concrete Floor?

Aye, force per unit area washing is a great fashion to clean sealed concrete floors. It is best avoided for unsealed floors, as they are probable to absorb much of the water that floods your basement. A pressure washer will be able to remove nearly stains without any cleaning amanuensis, including grease, rust, and mold.

The Verdict

Deciding to leave your concrete basement floors exposed does not mean resigning yourself to having "slightly grimy" floors in your basement. Physical floors are easy to maintain, and you tin can keep them looking like new, as long as you make clean and maintain them properly.

In addition to regular sweeping or vacuuming and mopping, y'all should be giving your basement concrete floor a thorough clean at least twice a yr. This is uncomplicated to do and means that your floors will always await sparkling and fresh.

Do yous have physical floors in your basement? How do y'all keep them clean? Share your tips with the community in the comments section below.

Source: https://floorcritics.com/how-to-clean-concrete-floor-in-basement/

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