Cleaning Exposed Aggregate Driveway – Today our article is a great DIY concrete patio cleaner based on science! In addition to this DIY cement cleaner, we also have some essential tips for cleaning your concrete.
Now in cold Texas, we are working on cleaning up the lawn in preparation for the colder months.
Cleaning Exposed Aggregate Driveway
Fall is the time to really clean things up in our area. We’ve had several months of 100 degree weather and a drought, so you’ll see everyone in my neighborhood doing yard work, painting, cleaning, holding garage sales, and all kinds of activities!
Seal And Protect Exposed Aggregate Concrete
We’ve had a lot of readers asking for my DIY concrete cleaner, so I’m excited to finally publish this post for you!
The best thing about this solution is that you don’t need to apply pressure to wash it off. Regular (unsealed) patio concrete is very porous, so this DIY solution gets deep into the concrete’s pores and allows it to come clean. You don’t need a pressure washer, just rinse with a regular hose at the end!
Baking soda alone is an excellent cleaner for several reasons. Sodium bicarbonate is antimicrobial and alkaline, so it has the power to break down dirt and stains on most surfaces. Adding it to water gives you a great solution. By mixing it with other ingredients in this mixture, it increases this strength!
As you know, we always use Dawn Blue dishwashing liquid in our solutions. Why? Because it’s been tested to work well in all DIY chemistry cachet solutions! Dish soap is a strong surfactant, so it pushes dirt and grime off surfaces, even concrete. It is essential to clean this homemade concrete.
Driveway Cleaning & Sealing In Sunshine Coast
If you don’t have Blue Dawn, you can use any dish soap you have on hand. Remember, it will not work hard.
You will find that many homemade concrete patio cleaners contain bleach. I hate using bleach for a number of reasons! First, it can get into the lawn when you wash and kill the grass. Second, if you have pets or children coming through the area, it’s not a good idea. Although bleach has a great whitening effect, you can use peroxide to achieve this. Hydrogen peroxide is an oxygenated bleach. It’s safe for plants, so when you wash this solution off, it won’t harm anything. It works together with dish soap and baking soda to remove grime and whiten dirty concrete.
This solution can also be used on concrete with moldy or moldy areas. If your concrete is really bad, you can add some tea tree oil to kill the fungus. It also removes stains. You can read more about using tea tree oil for mold in this DIY mold removal article. If you don’t have or don’t want to use tea tree oil, adding baking soda and peroxide to this homemade concrete cleaner will still be effective. They work similarly to fungicides, but whiten and remove stains from mold.
We’ve had many people cringe at the mention of using tea tree oil as it can be toxic to pets, so I’ll include an important tip for those who decide to try adding some tea tree oil to mold on concrete. Yes, tea tree oil is toxic to animals. However, many essential oils and cleaning products are generally toxic to animals. Do not use it during cleaning or immediately if you know your pet will be around your patio. If you keep your pets away while cleaning, they may return to the area after the patio is washed and dried.
Maui Driveway Cleaning
Most professionals recommend using nothing but water and a small amount of soap on sealed or sealed concrete. The purpose of sealing concrete is to protect it and make it easier to clean. Our DIY concrete patio cleaner should not be used on sealed concrete. Double check with the person who installed your sealed concrete or a local professional if you have this particular concrete to see what they recommend.
This cleaner can also be used for driveways! Adding dish soap can help remove grease or oil. If your driveway has grease or heavy grease stains, increase the amount of dish soap in this solution to 1/4 or 1/2 cup.
Another thing I like to use to clear the track is a spike and span. This is the product we talked about earlier in the year in our ancient cleaning product post. This powder formula is very effective for cleaning porous concrete with oil or grease stains. So if you have one or find one, you can try it on concrete.
As we mentioned at the beginning of this post, fall is our favorite time for outdoor cleaning in Texas. The weather is still in the 70s or 80s so it’s a good time to clean outside. It is also great for use in spring or summer.
How To Clean Concrete
The only time I would avoid using this particular recipe is when the temperature is lower than winter. This is mainly when you cannot use your water tap or the tap is blocked.
I hope you enjoy using this great science-based DIY concrete patio cleaner! Exposed aggregate concrete is a decorative concrete display that enhances the appeal of driveway walkways, pool decks, walkways and patios. This is achieved when the top layer of concrete is removed to expose the underlying rock.
A properly applied sealer will keep this finish pristine so that the concrete does not crumble or stain over time. You can apply sealer to a new or existing surface and it’s not just pleasing to the eye. Protecting the surface from winter freeze-thaw cycles and hot 90-degree summer days can extend the life of concrete. Sealers can block UV light that causes fading and prevent mold and mildew growth. choose
When it comes to sealing exposed aggregate, there are two most common types of concrete sealers: penetration and topical.
Cleaning Concrete Without Killing The Grass
Clear sealers maintain concrete without altering the appearance, allowing the exposed aggregate to retain its natural appearance and color. They seal the aggregate without leaving a visible surface layer. They usually last seven to 10 years and require little or no care. Penetration seals do not secure loose stones or prevent stone dislodgement. If you need to secure loose rocks, acrylic sealer is a better choice.
The second and more common option is a coating acrylic concrete sealer that preserves the concrete and enhances it with a glossy finish often referred to as the “wet look.” 8 out of 10 of our customers choose Honey Brown High Gloss Sealer for exposed aggregate surfaces. It provides a semi-transparent brown color that helps highlight the natural features of the underlying aggregate.
The high-gloss coating is UV resistant and helps reduce concrete dust, stains, hot tire pickup, mildew, mold and efflorescence. Brown gives a uniform appearance that darkens exposed surfaces.
Another advantage of using acrylic sealer is that it is topical. Instead of penetrating 1/2 inch into the concrete, the sealer sits on the surface. This will help keep the aggregate in place, reduce pitting and extend the life of the exposed aggregate concrete. Depending on weather and traffic, exposed aggregate concrete should be sealed every 12 to 36 months when acrylic sealers are used.
Outside Surface Cleaning
Eight out of 10 Stephens Concrete Sealing customers choose Honey Brown High Gloss Sealer for exposed aggregate surfaces.
Before applying a penetrating or topical sealer, you must clean the exposed concrete aggregate. Pressure wash dirt and grime from surfaces, use a rust remover to remove rust and a cleaner/degreaser to deal with heavy oil spills. After cleaning the concrete, let it dry for a day.
Once the concrete is dry, begin the sealing process. Using an inch roller and pump sprayer, begin applying the sealer. If the project is a driveway, start with the garage door leading to the street, being careful not to step on the sealer.
Apply sealer quickly to avoid overlap and roll marks. It is best to work in small sections of 4 by 4 feet. You should apply the sealant at the manufacturer’s recommended level of spread. This is usually between 100 and 150 square feet per gallon.
Spray Jet Cleaning Exposed Aggregate Concrete Stock Photo 797198956
Allow sealer to dry 1 to 4 hours for foot traffic and 24 to 48 hours for car traffic. If the sealer does not dry evenly, apply a second coat to even out the appearance.
Can the aggregate be refreshed to maintain a non-slip surface? What do you recommend? The answer is from concrete decorations
Current VOC laws make concrete sealers somewhat difficult to work with, especially when coating existing surfaces. Do you have records of what this particular yard/road was used for prior to sealing?
If the previous seal is acrylic, it probably is
Zep Driveway And Concrete 128 Fl Oz Degreaser In The Degreasers Department At Lowes.com
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