When a business makes use of concrete inside or outside of a facility, it must always look clean and presentable. Whether you’re dealing with concrete walls or floors, keeping the concrete clean comes with numerous considerations. Here’s what you need to know about cleaning your commercial concrete and keeping it clean.
The Importance of Clean Commercial Concrete
Concrete walls or grounds show you take your business seriously. Inside, concrete can give your property a look of strength and elegance. Polished concrete flooring makes your property look fit for royalty. Stains on your concrete can make all those impressions go away.
Potential clients, investors, or others may keep the stained walls, floors, or grounds firmly in mind. Commercial property owners want to avoid all these things, and they can do so by keeping their concrete clean.
Clean concrete can also help with the curb appeal of a commercial property. If you’re trying to sell the property, looking for partners, or seeking to attract tenants, a clean concrete façade will go a long way towards making a good impression.
The Causes of Commercial Concrete Stains
When you stain concrete on purpose to give it color, you’re taking advantage of the porosity and absorbency of concrete. However, other things can take advantage and give your concrete unsightly staining.
Stains to concrete floors and walls can come from various sources, including the weather. Some sources of concrete stains may even surprise you.
Rust
If you have metal objects affixed to your concrete walls or sit metal objects on your concrete flooring, there’s a high possibility of your concrete picking up rust stains. Some concrete aggregates can also contain small amounts of iron which can create rust over time.
Oil and Grease
Extended exposure to oil will stain your concrete. These types of stains mostly affect outside concrete installations as the oil and grease can come from cars or other things people may drop or leave on the concrete.
Traffic
The more traffic on your concrete floors, the more dirt and debris the concrete will collect and the faster staining will occur. Traffic also increases the possibility of concrete staining from other sources.
For example, excessive foot traffic increases the amount of stains you will have to deal with from things like beverages and food items falling on the floor. Chewing gum on floors and walls also plagues many commercial concrete installations.
Outside, bikes, cars, and other things that ride on your concrete can also add various types of staining. These stains can come from tires, exhaust, leaking fluids, and other sources associated with moving items and vehicles.
Salt
Commercial properties tend to use a lot of salt in the winter months to protect people and mitigate liability. Unfortunately, many types of salt can leave behind white stains that last for a long time. People can also track that salt into the building and stain your indoor concrete flooring.
Defacement
When someone draws on your concrete walls or floors, they introduce the possibility of hard to remove stains. Some art products have specific properties that allow you to easily clean them off the concrete. For example, some chalks and markers exist specifically for use on concrete.
Intentional defacement, such as from graffiti, can cause the type of staining to your concrete that’s hard to remove. These problems have more to do with outdoor concrete, but defacement can happen indoors as well.
Mold, Mildew, and Algae
Mold and other biological stains can develop on concrete walls and floors. Biological stains are just as much of an eyesore as any other type of stain on your concrete. However, mold and mildew stains can also create a health hazard.
Other things can stain concrete as well. With so many potential sources, unsightly stains can represent something of an inevitability. Nevertheless, you can do a lot to keep stains from ruining the look of your property.
The Steps Necessary to Keep Commercial Concrete Clean
The best possible way to keep your commercial concrete clean and presentable is to maintain it and deal with stains immediately. Sealing the concrete once you’re sure everything is clean is a good way to prolong the concrete’s life and look while preventing easy staining.
Dealing with concrete stains immediately will require different tools and methods depending on the type of stain. Make sure you have all the right janitorial supplies on the premises so that you or your facilities people can deal with anything that pops up.
For the best results, invest in a pressure washer. A pressure washer is one of the best tools for dealing with most concrete stains without damaging the concrete itself. A suitable wet and dry vacuum can help with indoor concrete floors, as well as auto floor scrubbers.
At Ben’s Cleaner Sales Inc., we have the tools, equipment, chemicals, and supplies necessary for any concrete maintenance or cleaning needs. Make your commercial concrete shine by ordering from us today.