How to clean concrete floors

20040401_CONCRETESTAINS_page002img003 How to clean concrete floors

Before sweeping a large concrete floor or patio, sprinkle slightly damp coffee grounds on the surface. They will keep the dust down and pick up the dirt.
To get dried raw egg off a concrete floor, scrub the egg with a scrub brush while pouring on boiling water. Wear heavy rubber gloves for this process and be very careful to avoid burning yourself.
To clean grease and oil from a concrete floor, sprinkle TSP (or other product containing trisodium phosphate) over the area, add a little hot water to make a thin paste and scrub vigorously with a stiff bristle brush. Allow the paste to sit for 20 minutes, then rinse with water. Repeat the process if necessary.
If the oil spill on a concrete floor is a small one, you can treat it by covering it with a prewash spray designed for fabric stains. Let the cleaner sit for a few minutes, then sprinkle on a cleanser such as Comet. Scrub with a stiff brush or broom, then rinse with the hose.
Oil on concrete can also be removed by soaking the stain with paint thinner for 20 minutes or so. Then scrub with a stiff bristle brush as you add more paint thinner. Cover the stain immediately with fresh kitty litter or dry sawdust. As soon as the litter or sawdust has absorbed the oil, vacuum it up. Repeat with fresh kitty litter or sawdust until most of the oil has been absorbed.
If any residual stain is left on your concrete floor after one of the above approaches, you can get out the last of it with a solution of 1 cup of laundry detergent, 1 cup of household (5%) bleach and 1 gallon of cold water. Be sure the concrete is dry, then scrub the solution into the stain. When the stain is gone, rinse off the solution with the hose.
Remove superficial rust stains from concrete with 4 ounces of oxalic acid (available at hardware stores) dissolved in 1 quart of hot water. Oxalic acid is a strong poison; keep it out of the reach of children. Brush the solution on the stains and let it dry. Repeat if the stains remain. Oxalic acid is expensive, but you use only a little at a time.

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