How To Clean Cement Patio – Looking for the best way to clean a concrete patio? I have tried and tested three popular cleaning methods for removing stains, grease, mold and algae from concrete surfaces. You won’t believe the results! (Also works on concrete floors and driveways).
Thinking of replacing your concrete patio because it’s full of hard-to-remove stains, grease, or mold? Let me tell you, you are not alone! We chose concrete slabs for our patio because they are cheap but strong, just what we need after spending all our money building a house.
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First, sandstone tiles are beautiful. The tile only needs a quick brush to remove leaves and dirt to keep it clean again.
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A few years later, we noticed grease stains, green algae, black mold, and rust spots accumulating on the concrete patio slabs.
Mold and algae were especially prevalent in shady areas, such as overhanging plants along patio edges and under tables and chairs. There were even paint and oil stains left over from the various DIY projects and bike repairs we’d done on the patio over the years.
Because concrete is a porous material, stains such as grease and oil can seep into the concrete and are difficult to remove. The good news is that there is a way to make your concrete look like new.
I took some photos and videos of the patio and got to the point where I was so confused by the condition of the concrete patio that I started putting drop cloths under my wood furniture to hide the stains on the floor. Pictures!
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In the photo below, you can see what the concrete floor looks like before cleaning. Photo from my article “How to whiten a pine table”.
Since the original patio stones were in such bad shape, we thought we could somehow use them in the garden and buy a new patio.
From now on, we stopped pulling out the weeds and grass growing between the patio stones because the stones were picked up pretty quickly anyway.
When we came to clean the concrete patio there was moss, grass and weeds everywhere. Needless to say, our yard was not pretty!
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We still needed to clean the old patio stones before moving them. That’s when we started searching the internet for the best way to clean a concrete patio and found a few solutions.
Most of the resources I looked at recommended similar instructions for cleaning concrete patios and floors. Cleaning methods range from pressure washers and mild solvents such as vinegar and baking soda to harsh chemicals such as trisodium phosphate, hydrochloric acid, or oxygen bleach.
A key point for us was the impact of concrete cleaning solutions on the surrounding green spaces, lawns and wildlife. That’s why we first decided to test the most natural solution for cleaning concrete.
We decided to always test a small area with the concrete cleaner before settling on the solution that worked best.
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Sorry I didn’t get photos of the pre-processes as I didn’t intend to blog about this project. It shows how little faith I have that we can do anything about the old yard. How wrong I was!
The preparation is the same for all of the concrete cleaning methods we’ve tried, so I’ll cover the dirty part of each patio cleaning solution before trying it.
Note about the products listed: If you order a product from an affiliate through the links on this page, I receive a small commission. I only recommend products that I have already used or that I have carefully selected.
By clearing the surface of dirt and leaves, you can take a good look at your yard and see what kind of spots you’re dealing with.
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Our biggest concern was getting rid of algae and mold stains on the patio, so we decided to tackle that first.
We started with the most environmentally friendly option for cleaning concrete, which was the baking soda and water method.
Mix equal parts baking soda and water in a spray bottle. Some people will tell you to add liquid dish detergent, laundry detergent or castile soap to the mix, which we chose not to do.
When working on small areas, spray the concrete patio stones with a mixture of baking soda and water. Make sure you wet the concrete so that the area is saturated with the cleaning solution. (puddles should remain on the surface).
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After thirty minutes, use a scrub brush or deck brush to work a mild cleaning solution over the concrete patio stones.
You need to use some elbow grease. Even if you use a long-handled brush to get rid of the backs, brushing your yard is hard work!
Our concrete patio stone is a little cleaner than when we started. Stubborn grease stains and mold were still present and the tiles were dirty.
Next, we decided to try the vinegar method of cleaning concrete. I often use a vinegar cleaner to clean the house, so I was looking forward to trying this method on our concrete patio. Vinegar is a non-toxic, natural cleaner and I love that it is so versatile.
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You should see how my chrome and stainless steel parts come out after cleaning them with vinegar cleaner, it’s amazing!
The cleaning process is similar to the baking soda method described above, except for the waiting time.
If your concrete patio is unfinished, you can leave the vinegar solution on for about thirty minutes. If you are cleaning ready-made concrete, then you need to leave the solution for only five to ten minutes.
Tip: I have only used the vinegar cleaner on my unfinished concrete patio, never on my concrete floor or indoor surfaces. Vinegar is an acidic cleaner and is not suitable for cleaning other polished concrete such as concrete. Always read labels or check with the manufacturer if you are unsure.
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It was still difficult to clean the concrete patio stones with the vinegar solution, but we got better results. We found that most of the greasy spots disappeared and the stones became much lighter after drying. The only problem was that the mold and algae were still there, yuck!
Even though we were dealing with tough stains, I didn’t want to use hydrochloric acid, chlorine bleach, or oxalic acid, so this seemed like the best way to get rid of the algae stains.
A commercial cleaner should always be a last resort. Although it is not as aggressive as other chemical cleaners such as bleach, it is still recommended to wear a respirator and eye protection when using algae.
Our algaecide was in a can and the first thing we did was give it a good shake before spraying the concrete sample. The instructions said to let the mortar sit on the concrete for at least twenty-four hours, so that’s what we did. (If it rains for twenty-four hours, you have to start over).
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After 24 hours, clean with a brush for cleaning concrete and rinse with clean water according to the instructions.
The algae remover removed some of the algae, but there was still a lot of it left. In fairness, it is worth noting that the instructions recommend repeating the process several more times until all the algae is gone. We hate to spray the whole yard with dangerous chemicals multiple times to clean those old patio stones.
At this point, we’ve decided to give up rock cleaning in the yard most of the time. The following fall, he came home with something he swore he would never buy. Power washer! According to him, it was sold and was named in his honor. Hmm, I know that saying somewhere, haha!
Well, you couldn’t wait to test the new pressure washer on your old patio stones, right? He was so engrossed in the challenge that he took it right out of the box and didn’t even try to attach the nozzles to the atomizer! (The standard Vario nozzle has a wider jet for larger surfaces).
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As soon as I saw this concrete area being dug, I took my shoe and my phone and started shooting. I could not believe my eyes! All the time we spent cleaning this old concrete patio with various methods now seemed like a waste of our time.
In case you are wondering, I was not paid to write this article. I’m just giving my honest opinion
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