6 ways you should be cleaning your basement floor

8 years ago

The basement is one of the areas of your home that you don’t see as often as the living room. As such, it can easily elude your cleaning effort, because the saying ‘out of sight, out of mind’ applies to it. Yet, you need to do some cleaning there, namely the floor. After all, it is the one area of the basement that gets the most dirt and debris. Following are a few recommendations on how to approach this task to achieve the best results:

Scrub with a cleaning solution – if there is a particularly dirty concrete/concrete-block surface in your basement, you need to clean with detergent and some ammonia. Add these ingredients to a bucket of warm water. Brush over the floor with a stiff brush, but don’t use a metallic one. The fibres get trapped in the concrete pores and later on rust there. For any particularly stubborn areas, you can add trisodium phosphate to the water. Once you are done, rinse the area with a hose and let it dry. You may need to use a shop vacuum to remove water.
Treat the area with bleaching powder – another solution for your floor in the basement is bleaching powder, which is essentially chlorinated lime. Sprinkle the area generously and let it sit for a day. It will absorb the unpleasant odour as well as the microorganisms that cause it. Sweep the area afterwards and vacuum clean it.
Freshen the area with bleach – the main source of unpleasant scents in the basement comes from mildew. Its musty odour cannot be mistaken. If there are any windows, open them to ventilate the air. A dehumidifier in the area can help you big time with reducing moisture. 1-2 ounces of bleach for a quart of warm water and spray the solution onto the walls and floor and scrub. It shouldn’t take long to address the odour-causing mildew.
Clean rust stains – you can clean rust by sprinkling some dry cement and rubbing the area with a little piece of flagstone. This is the same material you probably have on your patio paving. Both of these items working together serve the role of pumice stone and should do wonders against rust stains.
Remove efflorescence – the white powder accumulated on the wall and floor of the basement consists of soluble salts left behind as water seeps through the concrete area and evaporates. Use a rigid nylon-bristle brush to remove it. If there is a recurrent problem like that, you should waterproof your basement.
Give the floor a makeover – if you are tired of the grey look of your floor, you can add a waterproof stain. The process of application is easy and can make the area less of a hassle to clean.

You now know how to address a few of the issues related to cleaning your basement floor.

For any other cleaning service, don’t hesitate to contact London Domestic Cleaners on 020 3907 7267.