concrete brightener?
 

My sidewalk leading up to my front door is startin to get kinda dark. I cant
tell if its mold , mildew, or dirt...or all 3. but it definately looks like
its in there pretty good. is there some kind of brightener or bleacher that
works to help restore the original concrete look?

any info would be appreciated.

thanks
mike

"mike" writes:

My sidewalk leading up to my front door is startin to get kinda dark. I cant
tell if its mold , mildew, or dirt...or all 3. but it definately looks like
its in there pretty good. is there some kind of brightener or bleacher that
works to help restore the original concrete look?

Power washer, just water.

"mike" writes:
My sidewalk leading up to my front door is startin to get kinda dark. I cant
tell if its mold , mildew, or dirt...or all 3. but it definately looks like
its in there pretty good. is there some kind of brightener or bleacher that
works to help restore the original concrete look?

any info would be appreciated.

You may greatly enjoy the fun of renting a pressure washer from your
local home depot. It's remarkable how it can clean up concrete.

Careful with distance and the tip and use just enough pressure to get
the dirt up, but not so much to break the surface.

They do sell brightener and such but I htink you might be surprised at
what a pressure washer alone can do.

Best Regards,
--
Todd H.
http://www.toddh.net/

In most cases, apply household bleach, diluted 50/50 with water. Brush it
in with a broom, and just let it dry out normally. I have cleaned concrete
like this for years.

Yes, the power washers are also great. In fact, if you have an extremely
mildewed sidewalk, putting bleach on about 30 minutes before washing will do
an even better job.

--James--

Hi,

Without getting into chemicals that might damage your lawn, try high
pressure washing. That will remove dirt, mildew, mold, etc and make the
concrete look almost new again.

David

"mike" wrote in message
...
My sidewalk leading up to my front door is startin to get kinda dark. I
cant tell if its mold , mildew, or dirt...or all 3. but it definately
looks like its in there pretty good. is there some kind of brightener or
bleacher that works to help restore the original concrete look?

any info would be appreciated.

thanks
mike

David Alexander wrote:
Hi,

Without getting into chemicals that might damage your lawn, try high
pressure washing. That will remove dirt, mildew, mold, etc and make
the concrete look almost new again.

David

Agreed.

Then, in the fullness of time, it's back to black.

Anything that's a preventative?

thx guys, great advice.

Sequence of choices:
1) Powerwashing - safe, quick and easy. It removes dirt, mold, moss, etc.
Generally, It does not remove stains.
2) Bleach - dangerous to lawns & plants. It is also pretty harmful to
auto & home carpets when tracked in. Note that "dry" bleach is
still dangerous - the bleached area should be rinsed extremely well.
Bleach removes many stains such as the brown stains on concrete
from leaves in the fall. It also kills mold, moss, etc. It does not
remove dirt.
3) Sandblasting or sand-entrained powerwashing. This removes everything
listed above since it works by removing a layer of the concrete itself
and everything attached to it. If used intelligently and sparingly,
it is somewhat safe, but I'd recommend it only as a last resort.
Any form of sandblasting is similar to using rubbing compound
(abrasive) to clean automobile paint - you are removing part of
what you are cleaning.

Good luck,
Gideon

=================

mike wrote in message ...
My sidewalk leading up to my front door is startin to get kinda dark. I cant
tell if its mold , mildew, or dirt...or all 3. but it definately looks like
its in there pretty good. is there some kind of brightener or bleacher that
works to help restore the original concrete look?

any info would be appreciated.

thanks
mike