We just moved into our house, and the basement floor has a layer of
mud/dirt on it. I pressure washed it, but it still is really dirty
looking. What can I use to clean it so I can seal it?

If you pressure washed it and it is still dark pour laundry bleach on an
area, if it lightens in a few minutes its mold. If its mold use a garden
sprayer with 50% bleach, or mop it on let it sit for hours, then
powerwash again, if its mold do your basement walls also . You may have
a high water table keeping the floor damp, a dehumidifier would be best,
if its mold.

wrote:
We just moved into our house, and the basement floor has a layer of
mud/dirt on it. I pressure washed it, but it still is really dirty
looking. What can I use to clean it so I can seal it?

When you pressure-washed it, did you use plain water, or did you use a
detergent?

The dirt you see could be fine clay. It's difficult to remove with
just water.

Try mopping with a solution of TSP (the real stuff, not the substitute)
and brushing the solution with a broom, then rinsing.

By the way, when you pressure-washed, where did all the dirty water go?
Into your sump pit? Does that drain into your septic tank?

I figured a picture would be much easier than trying to explain it.
It's not mold, it's just where there was about 2 inches of red clay mud
in the basement and all the builder did was sweet it out....so
basically...there was about 2 inches of red clay mud still in my
basement when I moved it. I pressure washed it, adding a detergent
first. It worked wonders, however, I do not feel its clean enough to
seal. There are still some splotchy areas of clay that seems to be
embedded in the concrete? The first two pictures are of the pressure
washed area - and the third picture is of an area that hasn't been
pressure washed yet.

Oh yeah, and when I pressure washed the first time, I just squeegied
the water out into the driveway/yard.

http://utseay.smugmug.com/photos/78617295-O.jpg

http://utseay.smugmug.com/photos/78617441-O.jpg

http://utseay.smugmug.com/photos/78617381-O.jpg





Ether Jones wrote:
wrote:
We just moved into our house, and the basement floor has a layer of
mud/dirt on it. I pressure washed it, but it still is really dirty
looking. What can I use to clean it so I can seal it?

When you pressure-washed it, did you use plain water, or did you use a
detergent?

The dirt you see could be fine clay. It's difficult to remove with
just water.

Try mopping with a solution of TSP (the real stuff, not the substitute)
and brushing the solution with a broom, then rinsing.

By the way, when you pressure-washed, where did all the dirty water go?
Into your sump pit? Does that drain into your septic tank?

wrote:

when I pressure washed the first time, I just squeegied
the water out into the driveway/yard.

Please explain how you squeegie water off a basement floor out to the
driveway. Is your driveway at the same level as your basement floor?

Yes, it's an above ground basement. The house is a split fourer (sp?),
up is the "house", down is the basement.


Ether Jones wrote:
wrote:

when I pressure washed the first time, I just squeegied
the water out into the driveway/yard.

Please explain how you squeegie water off a basement floor out to the
driveway. Is your driveway at the same level as your basement floor?

On 29 Jun 2006 17:55:56 -0700, wrote:

We just moved into our house, and the basement floor has a layer of
mud/dirt on it. I pressure washed it, but it still is really dirty
looking. What can I use to clean it so I can seal it?


Follow the directions on the can of sealer.

wrote in message
ups.com...
We just moved into our house, and the basement floor has a layer of
mud/dirt on it. I pressure washed it, but it still is really dirty
looking. What can I use to clean it so I can seal it?

A solution of muratic acid and water..mop on...wait about 20 minutes and
rinse...it gets everything.But do not leave it on too long as it will start
to eat the concrete.

http://lexingtonpaint.com/howto/concrete.htm