Cleaning Concrete

Midwestpro · Posted: Sat Oct 13, 2007 4:54 pm Post subject: Cleaning Concrete

A pressure washer can be used to clean concrete patios, porches, steps, sidewalks and even your driveway. It a great way to increase your home's curb appeal but can be a very tiring and tedious job without the right equipment.

Even with a small consumer grade machine and a wide fan patterned nozzle you can clean a small area of concrete in a reasonable amount of time. Be sure to use the widest fan tip that comes with your machine, this is usually the white colored tip which is a 40 degree fan. The red tip or 0 degree nozzle is a bad choice, the wider the fan the better for this job.

On concrete that is dirt and mold covered or has tannin stains from sticks and leaves you can use a weak solution of house hold bleach and soap. A good mix is 1 part bleach to 2 parts water and a couple of squirts of dish soap for every gallon of mix. For more mold and mildew killing power use 1 part bleach to 1 part water. You can apply this with a garden sprayer or use a brush to apply it. Let it dwell for a few minutes and then wash the concrete with a pressure washer at about 2000-3000 psi holding your tip a couple of inches from the concrete. Tackle each section of concrete one at a time, move back and forth across the concrete keeping your nozzle the same distance away from the surface. Clean at a nice steady pace but move slow enough that you get a good clean even look. Be careful when you are cleaning around the edges of the concrete slab as landscaping debris and dirt can be blown around from the water pressure. Always be sure to wear safety glasses.

masterwasher · Joined: 03 Nov 2007 Posts: 2 Location: Tennessee

We wash a lot of driveways that were partially washed by the home owners before giving up. We wash the entire driveway, re-washing what they already cleaned, to get a uniform look.