Which concrete cleaner to choose? BETOFF or BETOFF-Bio?
Concrete is the most widely used building material in the world. The word concrete comes from the words: solid, immobile. The phrase “concrete jungle” you should be interested in this, as it will help you answer the question of how to clean concrete?
For example, muriatic acid is sometimes used to clean concrete and masonry. But the binder in concrete,
Portland cement, is dissolved in the acid. Dissolving the glue that holds all the sand and aggregate
together is not a good idea. Most cheap concrete removal fluids contain hydrochloric, muriatic, phosphoric and other dangerous acids. Only Betoff series fluids contain specially modified substances that are stronger than hydrochloric acid, and at the same time safer.
Another example of the challenges faced by people who want to clean a concrete surface is efflorescence
when the concrete hydrates and produces calcium hydroxide as a by-product (concrete is an alkaline
material). Calcium hydroxide further reacts with carbon dioxide in the atmosphere to form calcium
carbonate, which is a white, dusty material that is often found on the surface of concrete (called
“efflorescence”). The sediment may become so heavy that it needs to be removed.
Then the Betoff or Betoff-Bio liquid will help. Occasionally, calcium carbonate will deposit on cars which are parked near the construction site. Then the desperate owners of cars stained with cement try to clean their cars at allcosts. In this case, the use of fluids that contain acids is very dangerous as the car may begin to rust.
The only liquid that is safe for car paint and will remove dried lime layers from the car is Betoff-Bio.
While some may think of cured concrete as a hard, dense rock, it is not. A mixture of cement, sand and
aggregate is porous when mixed with water. This allows stains such as rust and oil to penetrate into the
concrete. To remove dirt, you need something that can also penetrate the concrete and draw the dirt to
the surface. (The porosity of concrete causes freezing and thawing which lead the surface to “peel off”. Never use de-icing salts on concrete. Because it gets into the top concrete layer and increases the process of freezing and thawing).
Concrete is a unique material that requires knowledge and care to be properly cleaned and to remove
stains from it without causing further damage.
Let’s move on to the concrete cleaning tips!
Concrete cleaner. How to manually clean a concrete garage floor?
General routine cleaning is a good idea to start with. The concrete floor collects dirt and residue. Items
such as leaves, grass clippings, dead worms, blooms, etc. can accumulate on it. Concrete floors should
be swept regularly to keep them clean.
If greasy stains appear on concrete, they can retain water on it. This trapped moisture will absorb stains
from organic materials and the above-mentioned white dusty bloom will appear.
So, one of the simplest strategies to keep your concrete floor in good shape is to sweep it regularly. It
sounds easy, and it is (especially if you’re using a high-quality wide broom, which you’ll get at the
construction hardware store).
At some point, greasy stains and heavy soiling of concrete floors may appear. Then you will have to do
more than just sweeping.
To clean your floor, you will need to use a cleaner called Betoff or its plant-based Betoff-Bio.
Concrete cleaning process with Betoff:
– Choose from among concrete cleaning fluids Betoff or Betoff-Bio
– If necessary, mix the cleaning agent with water
– Apply the product to the floor
– Scrub
– Wait from 1 to 3 minutes
– Scrub again (sometimes not necessary)
– Rinse thoroughly with water
Concrete cleaning agents such as Betoff-Bio and Betoff solvents can be bought on our website betoff.eu
Mix the Conlix cleaner (some stains require the use of the concentrate product directly on the floor). For a
less dirty floor, a household cleaning agent such as betoff can be mixed in a ratio of cup of the product
with a litre of water. You can vary the mix and its proportions depending on the required cleaning power
and concrete quality. For more dirty floors, you will probably need to increase the amount of the product.
ATTENTION!!! Before cleaning concrete over a large area, test the product on a small area.
After choosing and mixing the concrete cleaner, apply it to the floor. The floor should always be wet. If it
dries, the stain will be difficult to remove and the agent may leave residual traces. Once you finish using
Betoff, wash off the dirt and fluid with plenty of water, preferably under pressure.
After applying the solvent, scrub the surface and then let it dry for five to fifteen minutes. If you use a
household cleaner, wait ten minutes. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions if you use commercial cleaner
like Betoff.
Cleaning a concrete floor in a garage or driveway is a simple process, but some details are important. So, remember the following rules!
Never let Betoff Liquid dry out with the stain. The stain will become difficult to remove if you let the stain
dry with the fluid. Always rinse the stain and liquid with water.
Divide the floor into sections. As mentioned, the cleaner must not dry out and the contact time of the
cleaner with the floor must be minimal for the safety of the surface. So, clean the surface gradually, in
sections. Do not clean the entire surface at once, do it in stages.
Use plenty of water to secure your surroundings, otherwise everything in the area will saturated with
water. Protect walls, garden furniture, and other items from water and liquids that may get mixed together at some point.
Select the appropriate scrubber tool for the treated surface. There are special scrub brushes for this task.
Using the correct brush will result in a clean, pleasant floor.
Concrete cleaner. Be careful with concrete cleaners that contain acids and trisodium phosphate!
One of the general cleaners we need to mention is trisodium phosphate (“TSP”). This chemical was a
proven and good choice for concrete and masonry cleaning. Some people still use it because it’s cheap
and cleans well. In addition, it is alkaline, so it does not harm the concrete like an acid-based cleaner.
However, this measure can harm you!
Trisodium Phosphate is alkaline enough to cause skin irritation and even burns, or acute breathlessness,
phosphate itself is not considered ecological. For these reasons, it is no longer considered the first choice
for routine cleaning.
Concrete cleaner Betoff bio
Concrete cleaner. Cleaning a concrete garage floor with a floor buffer?
To clean the garage floor, you can use a floor buffer equipped with a special scrubbing pad intended just
for cleaning concrete. These electrically powered buffers will scrub the floor, replacing manual scrubbing
with a brush. Buffers can be rented and the companies that deal with them often sell scrub pads as well.
Remember to clean the floor piece by piece. You still need to prevent the product from drying out.
Concrete cleaner. How to clean a concrete garage floor with a pressure washer?
One thing you can do to speed up the concrete cleaning process and increase the cleaning power is to
use a pressure washer (not to be confused with an electric washer which uses hot water).
For concrete floor cleaning, the equipment used should have a minimum nominal pressure of 3000 psi
and a flow rate of at least 12 litres per minute (both pressure and flow rate are needed to clean the
concrete floor at an acceptable rate
Υou have cleaned the floor, now it looks nice and clean but your worst nightmare is that rust can return
quickly! Rust and oil are common on concrete flooring and general cleaning can remove them, but does
not have to.
Stains such as oil and rust may not be a problem depending on how the floor is used. If there is an
interlocking rubber plate on it, you can ignore the stains. However, if you plan to use a bare concrete slab,
the stains may stand out and then need to be removed to make the floor look pleasing.
Concrete cleaner. How to remove oil and grease stains from a concrete garage floor?
There are many options for removing oil and grease from concrete, including:
– Wraps
– Degreasing / cleaning agents
– Microorganisms
– Concrete cleaner. Wraps
Wraps are pastes applied to concrete to allow the stain to dry. They contain little or no liquid, so there is
no chance of the stain to spread. In addition, the wrap is easy to use. You can buy a ready-to-use wrap on
the website thinkecothinkbio.pl.
Most of the wraps available on the market are easy to use. Apply to the stain, let the compress dry, and
then wipe any remaining stain along with the compress. And the task is finished!
There are several home recipes available on the internet, but these compresses require a lot of fluid
(which can spread the stain) and then the small problem can become much bigger. So, there is a risk that
a wrap that is made by yourself will make it more difficult than easy to remove the stain from the concrete.
Spend some coins and buy a wrap that will remove oil and grease from the concrete without problems.
Concrete cleaner. Degreasers
Another option is to use products such as Betoff and Betoff-Bio
This type of stain remover is very effective and quick to use. Mix Betoff with water (if necessary) so that it
acts with the right amount of force. Apply it to the stain, scrub the stained area, let the agent soak in the
surface, scrub the surface again and then rinse it with water. Some users like to use a high-pressure
washer for rinsing. It then provides a little extra force in the cleaning process. One advantage that Betoff
product has is that you can also use it for other purposes in your home or workshop.
Concrete cleaner.
Microorganisms
A less common method is to use microorganisms to break up the stain. Such products are commercially
available and some say they work quite well. (In our experience, this series of products are efficient in
removing fresh oil stains.)
They are easy to use, they have to be sprinkled on the stain and left for a period of time. They are
attractive from the user’s point of view. But, unfortunately, there is a downside, they are very expensive.
Also remember that the effectiveness will depend on the quality of the concrete and the severity of the
stain. Sometimes this type of product won’t work at all.
Concrete cleaner. How to remove rust stains from a concrete garage floor?
When people try to remove rust from the concrete. They curse a lot and often swear at the products that
have used. The problem is that the rust is dissolved easily in acid, but if you remember, hardened Portland
cement can be permanently damaged by using it, so using acid is not a very good idea.
However, there are real good solutions to obtain good results. Those are:
– Home products.
– Commercial products.
– Concrete cleaning agents.
– Home products
If you are a DIY enthusiast, you can first try your own home remedies by using a mild acid such as lemon
juice or vinegar. They act well on small stains. Both contain acid that dissolves rust. However, lemon juice
and vinegar are weak acids, and they are usually not strong enough to act on rust without harming the
concrete. It usually depends on the specific concrete and the size of the stain.
It is worth noting that acids do not remove oil from concrete. If the rust stain is surrounded by an oil stain, First, remove the oil stain using one of the methods mentioned above.
Using vinegar or lemon juice, apply them to the stain, let it remain for a few minutes, then scrub the
surface. To complete this process, rinse the area and check. You may need to repeat this process several
times.
Is it worth cleaning concrete at home?
If you have a stain that is large or difficult to remove, try removing it with vinegar. You can find it in most
supermarkets.
Those who look a bit courageous enough to risk a bit they can try stronger acids if lemon juice or vinegar
don’t remove the stains. Oxalic and muriatic acids are commonly used to clean concrete and
masonry. However, mixing and using them together can be very dangerous.
You will need to mix these acids yourself and determine the correct strength by testing different times. For example, the often-mentioned initial dilution is to add muriatic acid to the water at a ratio of 1:10
(remember always to add acid to the water, not the other way around!). Also, you MUST be careful to
make sure you mix these chemicals properly and always add acid to the water. and be careful about the
amount of time you leave the acid on the concrete as it can damage it very quickly and severely.
WARNING: try any cleaning method on a small area in order to test its efficiency
Concrete cleaner. Commercial products
There are a lot of products on the market that will help you remove rust from concrete. You can also do
this with Betoff and Betoff-Bio liquids. The only thing you have to be careful about is the strength you
want the fluid to act with. Betoff is a solvent that most customers dilute with water. Betoff-Bio is a ready-
to-use liquid, the main ingredient of it is an endemic plant.
The two products remove dried concrete from machines, lime efflorescence, as well as oil, grease, grease
and rust stains. Betoff and Betoff-Bio liquids can be acquired on the website: betoff.eu
