Is It Time to Spruce Up Your Basement? Let’s Begin!
What parts of your house would you like to fix if you have some free time? Most homeowners instantly respond – it will either be a bathroom, kitchen, or living room. Do you agree with them? These are the three main hotspots of any home. Hence, it’s natural to worry about their well-being. You can also be ready to invest more money into them for minor or larger upgrades. Since significant changes demand a handsome budget, you can choose smaller areas or features to refresh the ambiance. That’s an intelligent way to keep your home or, more precisely, these crucial sections appealing. You get plenty of options also to explore and apply.
For instance, having an undermount sink can be a functional requirement. You can replace your old model by updating the sink cabinet. Or, your shower stall in the bathroom may have turned dreary. You can buy a new one to infuse fresh air in the décor. The list may go on like this, and your house can stay up-to-date. However, all these are the most visible areas of the home. Some sections elude your attention by being hidden or out of sight. You may wonder what it can be. It’s your basement. Neglect can cause the concrete basement flooring lots of damage. Plus, your lack of attention makes you lose a significant chunk of space, which many households may not have. Hence, it deserves your valuable time. Let’s see what you can do.
Clean the basement floor!
Concrete floor suffers the most and can be equally demanding for maintenance. This specific nook mostly remains out of the routine housecleaning list. Consequently, it develops stubborn stains, dirt, grease, and mold. You may try everything without any outcome. But experts suggest it’s possible to clean this floor and maintain its cleanliness. According to them, topical treatments and mechanical scrubbing may produce efficient results. Topical or chemical solutions include vinegar, degreasers, all-purpose cleaners, and muriatic acid. Pick the right one for your basement flooring.
You can use a stiff brush with bristles and a long handle. However, avoid anything like power washing or metal brush cleaning techniques. A power washer can specifically lead to more damage. It can affect the foundation when mishandled, or overspray can increase your cleanup work.
Cleaning methods and equipment
Some people indulge in spot cleaning due to a lack of physical strength or mood. A few must-have tools include a bucket, broom, scrub brush, PPE, hot water, room fan, cleaner, and mop. Wear protective gear like eye protection, long sleeve shirt, full pants, and gloves. It will be nice to have a dust mask, also. Open the egress window in the basement during sweeping. Fans will come in handy for ventilation.
Nevertheless, move all the items up from the bottom to save them from dust and water damage during the cleaning work. That’s also a good idea. Even these smaller steps can keep your basement floor clean and attractive.
If you come across mold colonies, stay away from them. Only professionals can deal with active mold growth. Without the proper knowledge, you may invite health hazards. Furthermore, fill the bucket with hot water and add cleaner as guided on the label. Try the solution on a smaller, hidden spot before covering the entire place. Also, scrub from the remote corner of the basement to finally reach the floor drain. Rinsing the floor before the cleaner dries up is crucial. Hence, it’s better to take up smaller challenges. Rinse the scrubbed concrete floor well with clean water and a squeegee. Once the area becomes dry, you can bring all your boxes down. Don’t leave this place moist. It can attract more mold issues.
Different cleaning solutions for different types of stain problems
Use a degreaser and all-purpose cleaner to attack the dirty floor. Choose only safe items for the surface and your health. The cleaning agent requires proper dilution before going on the floor. So, read the label for guidance. Dirty sealed and exposed concrete floors respond well to all-purpose cleaners. However, if it’s lightly soiled, you can achieve your cleaning goal with a regular dishwasher, detergent, and hot water. Their grease-cutting strength can be enough for the flooring. That’s why you can safely use them.
Do you see mold growth on the basement floor? In that case, you will need an antimicrobial cleaner. The moist environment caused by pipe leakage can be the source of mold spores. So, clean the mold and fix the pipe also. Otherwise, mold will be back to tarnish your basement floor’s cleanliness. As mentioned, test the affected area before dealing with the mold. You get test kits for household use. If it’s non-toxic, you can work on it for its removal. Make sure you keep it from leaving any traces behind.
You can use white vinegar for issues like efflorescence or a powdery white substance on the floor. The residual matter is the salt left behind by water absorption and evaporation on the concrete floor. Although a stiff brush and a bit of hard work can be effective, your white vinegar and water mixture will be more efficient. Make sure to rinse the floor well. If avoided, the mild acidic nature of the vinegar will hurt the concrete.
Some homes keep pets, and they often walk to this corner of the house and urinate. It can make the floor stained and stinky. How do you get rid of this? Enzymatic cleaners can answer it. Enzymes can hit the molecular composition of the stains and break them down so you can rinse them clean. Interestingly, some of these cleaners may need you to scrub the floor while others take the entire onus upon them.
No matter what, the clean basement concrete flooring can tempt you to optimize this extra space and visualize it in different formats. You can build a kitchen island, a study nook, a playroom, a small bar, and many other amenities. Even good bathrooms and bedrooms can be included, provided you have permits. But before getting there, clean the floor first.
