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Tips for Maintaining and Cleaning Your Home’s Concrete Surfaces

house conrete

Concrete has come a long way as a material. Concrete used to be limited to sidewalks, but it has made its way into virtually every part of our homes. There are concrete floors, counters, patios, siding, and more.

Concrete is well-loved because it’s cost-effective and incredibly durable. However, despite its durability, it requires specialized care and maintenance to keep it in tip-top shape.

What are the best practices for cleaning and maintaining your home’s concrete surfaces? Here are some of the top tips to keep your concrete surfaces looking great for years to come.

Tip #1: Routine Cleaning is a Must

Whether we’re talking about your concrete kitchen counters or your backyard concrete patio – it’s critical to have a routine cleaning schedule in place. Dirt and grime can build up over time, and if it’s not washed regularly, it can cause structural damage to your concrete surfaces.

Tip #2: Only Use Certain Cleaners

It’s essential to use certain cleaners with your interior concrete surfaces. Your outdoor concrete can typically withstand a power washer, but your concrete counters are going to need a special kind of cleaner.

Indoor concrete usually has polishes, sealants, or finishes. Harsh chemical cleaners can break down these sealants, destroying the integrity of your concrete. Check the manufacturers’ recommendations for cleaning products. If you can’t find them, your best bet is to go with a non-abrasive cleaner, like dish soap and water.

Tip #3: Seal It

The best way to protect concrete from moisture damage and stains is to seal it. There’s no shortage of sealants on the market. Some sealers are better for outdoors, and some are better for indoors. Some have higher levels of protection and last for years, while others aren’t as strong and require regular reapplications.

The right sealant for your concrete surface depends on the location of your concrete and the amount of moisture exposure you expect it to have. While a sealant isn’t necessary for outdoor concrete, you’ll definitely need sealant for your countertops and indoor floors.

Glaze N Seal Natural Look Penetrating Sealer

Tip #4: Avoid Moisture

While a sealant will protect your concrete from moisture damage, you still want to avoid unnecessary moisture exposure. Concrete is naturally extraordinarily porous. Like a sponge, concrete soaks up liquids, and over time, these liquids can cause cracks and reduce the concrete’s durability and longevity.

Tip #5: Repair Cracks and Damage Promptly

If your concrete surface begins to crack or show visible signs of wear or tear, it’s imperative to fix it right away. Small fixes with concrete are relatively cheap and simple to DIY. However, if you let the issue continue to fester, it will cause more significant and complex damage to your concrete.

There are several signs that your concrete is damaged, but here are few of them:

Cracks – Moisture, temperature changes, and poor-quality concrete can cause concrete to crack.
Blisters – When bubbles get stuck beneath a sealed surface
Curling – When the edges of concrete begin to shrink, dry, and curl
Scaling – When the surface of the concrete degrades

If you see any of these indicators or notice anything peculiar with your concrete, it’s essential to repair it right away.

Tip #6: Remove Stains Immediately

Stains happen. As with any surface, the sooner you clean the stain, the better your chances are of getting it up. With your sealed concrete, it will be much easier to clean these stains, because the sealant should protect the concrete long enough for you to address the spill. However, outdoor concrete tends to absorb spills and permanently stain.

The way to handle set-in stains depends on what stained the concrete in the first place. For instance, the difference between how to remove grease stains from concrete and how to remove rust stains are two completely different processes.

Your best bet when dealing with set-in stains on outdoor concrete is to search for your specific situation. Regardless of what stained the pavement, the quicker you remove it, the better off you’ll be.

Maintaining Concrete Surfaces is Simple

If you follow these six tips, you’ll have no problems maintaining your home’s concrete surfaces. Ultimately, it’s about being proactive. Keep a cleaning schedule going and stay on top of any issues that arise. As long as you do those things, you can enjoy all your concrete surfaces for years to come.

Skylar Ross is a contributor to Innovative Building Materials. He is a blogger and content writer for the residential and commercial flooring industry. Skylar is focused on helping fellow homeowners, contractors, and manufacturers discover materials and methods of installation that increase property value, improve durability, and discover innovative flooring options for their home or commercial space.

Top 5 tips for making your tile and stone floors sparkle

If you’re looking for a natural look for your floor, which adds character and sparkle to your home, our tile and stone ranges are a great choice. To keep that sparkle all year round, it’s important to know how to clean your floors properly, particularly during the busy summer months. Here we’ve put together our top tips for keeping your floors happy.

Ensure flooring is properly sealed

Your flooring installer should do this, but prompt them to be sure. Also make sure the area between the flooring and wall is caulked to prevent moisture from damaging the floor beneath, which may rot and cause flooring to become soft.

Use the right vacuum

Why? Because sand, grit and dirt are abrasive and can damage your floor’s surface. Use a vacuum, but be sure to use an attachment with a brush or soft surface to avoid scratching the finish. Our Microfiber Cleaning Pad, does just as good a job!

Use doormats at all entrances

Doormats prevent dirt and moisture being tracked onto your floor. While vacuuming is great, keeping the dirt out in the first place is even better! Keep them clean by running a vacuum over weekly.

Easy on the soap!

Damp mopping your tile or stone floor will keep it looking shiny and new. Use soap, rather than detergent, but be sure to rinse well. Too much cleaner or soap can leave a film and cause streaks. Also avoid products containing lemon juice, vinegar or acids, which dull your tiles.

Dry quickly after mopping

What happens when you wet the floor and someone walks through it? The new dirt will quickly set in wet areas, soon becoming hard-to-remove grimes. Use a dry mop straight after to avoid this happening.

Tile and Grout Cleaning on Your Floors

grout cleaning tiles — A professional cleaner cleaning grout with a brush blade and foamy soap on a gray tiled bathroom floor

If you want to clean between tiles for grout then you need to make sure you know the right way to do so. This is because you can loosen and remove the grout on your own prior to having to hire a professional to come do so at your home. This is something that is beneficial when the time comes to save some money, plus everything that you have to use can be found in the home and they are all natural just like the cleaning products that the tile & grout cleaning uses on your floors.

There is a number of tile & grout cleaning services to bring home, but using lemon juice and baking soda might be the better way to go depending on how much time you have. If you have a scrub pad and both of these items, you can try to remove the grout on your own easily. This is something that can be done simply, and without much hassle but it can be tedious if you find that you have a lot of cracks and crevices to cover when it comes time to get down and scrub the grout out.

You can also choose to clean the grout within the tiles by using a brillo brush to scrape in between the tiles to ensure that all of the grout is lifted from between the tiles and moved out of the way from the cracks of the floor. This is something that is beneficial since you want to ensure that the grout is completely removed and nothing is caked in between the cracks. You also want to make sure you get everything out by picking through the cracks. This is a more lengthy procedure and you’re going to want to make sure you remove everything, and keep upkeep on the tiles throughout the time so you do not have to keep removing the grout this way.

There are many other ways to remove grout from in between tiles. You can become creative with them when the time comes. All you have to do is find out what solutions are needed, and the best way to go about removing the grout. This is beneficial when the time comes to get everything together when it is needed. Make sure to maintain your home tiles as much as you can with minimal effort and by using natural eco friendly products. You will find that cleaning is easier than you originally thought.

Learn even more tips and tricks when you find out where you can get the carpet cleaning that you need. This is because you will be able to get the dirt and debris removed when the time comes to clean out between the cracks. Not only will it look and feel better, but it also will smell better which is a definite plus when it comes to the health and feel of your home and floors. You can learn more when you visit www.flooringSupplyShop.com. They will be able to give you all the tile and flooring information you need to know for a cleaner, healthier way of living.

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