Removing Organic Stains
Question:
How do I remove stubborn stains from decorative concrete prior to sealing? For example, organic stains caused by leaves, acorns, dog urine, and sap that sat on gray or colored concrete for a few days.
Answer:
Because organic stains are carbon-based, they tend to be some of the most stubborn stains to remove from concrete. Organic pigments and oils can be very tough stuff, as anyone who has tried to remove grass stains from clothing or clean pine tree sap from hands can attest.
One reason you may be having limited success in removing these types of stains on concrete is that you are using the wrong cleaners. Organic stains require special cleaners targeting organic material. Your typical inorganic concrete degreaser, acid or soap will do next to nothing to remove these types of stains.
The other factor at play is time. Organic cleaners are made up of enzymes and bacteria that actually eat or break down the organic material making up the stain. This digestive process is slow, and most organic cleaners require a minimum of 24 hours and possibly as long as 48 hours to work before you can reapply them. Organic cleaners typically do not affect the concrete color or harm the surface because the enzymes only go after organic material, and concrete is as inorganic as you can get. Organic cleaners are readily available at pet stores (dog and cat urine are the most common organic stains) as pet odor and stain removers, as well as through janitorial supply outlets and online directly from the manufacturers. To learn more about removing organic stains, the Internet is a great place to start. A Google search for “Organic Stains” or “Organic Stain Removers” reveals a lot of good information.
How do I remove stubborn stains from decorative concrete prior to sealing? For example, organic stains caused by leaves, acorns, dog urine, and sap that sat on gray or colored concrete for a few days.
Answer:
Because organic stains are carbon-based, they tend to be some of the most stubborn stains to remove from concrete. Organic pigments and oils can be very tough stuff, as anyone who has tried to remove grass stains from clothing or clean pine tree sap from hands can attest.
One reason you may be having limited success in removing these types of stains on concrete is that you are using the wrong cleaners. Organic stains require special cleaners targeting organic material. Your typical inorganic concrete degreaser, acid or soap will do next to nothing to remove these types of stains.
The other factor at play is time. Organic cleaners are made up of enzymes and bacteria that actually eat or break down the organic material making up the stain. This digestive process is slow, and most organic cleaners require a minimum of 24 hours and possibly as long as 48 hours to work before you can reapply them. Organic cleaners typically do not affect the concrete color or harm the surface because the enzymes only go after organic material, and concrete is as inorganic as you can get. Organic cleaners are readily available at pet stores (dog and cat urine are the most common organic stains) as pet odor and stain removers, as well as through janitorial supply outlets and online directly from the manufacturers. To learn more about removing organic stains, the Internet is a great place to start. A Google search for “Organic Stains” or “Organic Stain Removers” reveals a lot of good information.
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