Spring Cleaning Tips For Your Concrete Basement Floor
Concrete is a common flooring material used in basements. While it has great durability, it also tends to attract grime, rust and oil stains. Unfinished basements are often damp and moist, which enables mold and mildew to build up in these areas. Although dehumidifiers work to get rid of the moisture, concrete basement floors still need regular cleaning.
Here Guardian Garage Floors NC, a garage flooring company, shares a few cleaning tips to keep your concrete basement in great shape this spring season.
Scrub with a cleaning solution. To make your cleaning solution, add detergent and a quarter cup of ammonia to a bucket of warm water. Then, brush the solution over the surface of your dirty concrete basement floor with a stiff nylon bristle brush. Avoid using a metallic brush since its fibers can get trapped in the concrete and rust. For stubborn stains, try adding trisodium phosphate to the wash water. Once done, rinse with a hose and leave the floor to dry. Remove any extra water with a shop vac.
Use bleach to get rid of mold and mildew. You’ll know there’9s mold and mildew growth on your concrete basement floor if you smell a musty odor within the area. To get rid of this smell, open the windows to let in fresh air and use fans to increase air circulation. Installing a dehumidifier is also a smart solution. For mold removal, mix one to two ounces of household bleach per quart of water in a spray bottle. Spray the solution on the walls and floors and scrub using a nylon brush. You may also sprinkle them with chlorinated lime and let it sit for a day to soak up the microorganisms that are causing the bad odor.
Clean the concrete with a power washer. If your basement has drainage, consider using a pressure washer to clean the floor and remove stubborn stains. This works great on non-porous surfaces for removing deep-seated grease and dirt, and is ideal if you plan to install a different flooring material over the concrete. You can either use water from the pressure washer nozzle or a cleaner in the machine. Make sure the floor surface dries completely after cleaning.
To ensure your concrete basement floor remains in good condition and protect it from dust, dirt and stains, you may want to install a polyaspartic floor coating. For top-quality garage floor coatings that can also be used in the basement, get in touch with Guardian Garage Floors NC. To book an appointment, call us today at (984) 205-9961 or fill out our online contact form.
