Cleaners that can be applied using pressure washers abound the market. But only a few are those that can actually deliver expected results.
Concrete cleaners, in particular, need to be able to go through the surface and eliminate dirt from its roots.
Plus, surfaces made out of concrete are usually large driveways, patios, parking spaces, etc. So you need a cleaner that can effectively cater to these.
The list below gives you the 10 best concrete cleaners that you can use to remove any kind of spot or stain. Also, there’s a buying guide that can help you purchase a cleaner especially if it’s your first time.
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10 Best Concrete Cleaner for Pressure Washer Reviews
Here is my list of the Best Concrete Cleaner for Pressure Washer in 2022;
1. Simple Green Oxy Solve Concrete Pressure Washer Cleaner
- Applicable Surfaces: Concrete Floors
- Weight: 128 ounces
- Main compound: Peroxide
- Safe around Plants: Yes
- Easy to apply
- Environmentally-friendly
- Uses peroxide to clean
- A bit expensive
Overview
Simple Green is a household name when it comes to pressure washer concrete cleaners. They have been in this business for a millennium and have been delivering excellent cleaning performance.
We all know how hard it can be to clean concrete. With a porous structure, concrete surfaces tend to trap waste materials within them. This means you cannot use regular cleaners to wash concrete.
And so, you need specialized liquids that can effectively remove things like dirt and grease from concrete surfaces. For this, the Simple Green Oxy concentrate is the perfect thing to give your concrete surface the sparkle you want.
The solution contains peroxide to remove grime and ensures that even the stickiest of oil stains is eliminated. It doesn’t matter if it’s grease, paint, exhaust the Simple Green Oxy can remove anything.
It can be easily applied as well. All you need to do is first wet the surface that you want to clean. Then apply the Oxy solve onto the surface at low pressure. Wait for 3 to 5 minutes and then start to clean at high pressure. You will be amazed at the results.
Not only can you clean simple concrete floors, but the product can also work on driveways, patios, and even masonry.
Plus, you can be assured that it is of premium quality as the U.S EPA Safer Choice Program approves it.
2. Zep Driveway and Concrete Pressure Wash Cleaner
- Applicable Surfaces: Concrete and Brick
- Weight: 128 ounces
- Main compound: Sodium Hydroxide
- Safe around Plants: Yes
- Value for money
- Can clean asphalt as well
- Safe to use
- Cannot be used on wood or painted surfaces
Overview
If you want premium quality cleaning results, then the Zep concrete cleaner is the ideal solution. Not only can it be used on concrete, but it can also effectively clean out brick and asphalt surfaces.
No more worrying about those annoying oil stains that take ages to fade out. With the Zep cleaner, it will be a cinch to remove such blots.
But make sure that you don’t use this on wood or painted surfaces. The cleaner doesn’t work on such things. The liquid can be applied using a pressure washer without having to go through any kind of trouble.
Another thing that should be aware of is that the Zep concentrate needs to be diluted first. You can dilute it in 6 oz. Per gallon of water if you want to remove light spots. But for heavy cleaning, 25 oz. Per gallon would do the job.
Finally, the overall weight of the product is 128 ounces. And you get four bottles as a single package. Now that’s a pretty good deal.
3. Simpson Cleaning Multipurpose Cleaner
- Applicable Surfaces: Concrete, Bricks, Plastic, Metal and Vinyl
- Weight: 9 pounds
- Non-Toxic: Yes
- Can clean a wide variety of surfaces
- Easy to apply with pressure washer or sprayer
- Needs to be diluted in water before use
Overview
There are simply several things made out of concrete these days. All the way from house floors and patios to parking spaces, garages, fences, etc., contain concrete.
Cleaning all of them may not be possible with specialized fluids that are meant for just one thing. For instance, cleaners meant to clean patios may not be so viable to clean fences.
Because of this, you would need a cleaner that can help you clean several things an all-purpose cleaner. And this is exactly where the role of Simpson’s cleaner comes in.
Not only can it clean patios, fences, and other concrete surfaces, it can also work on things like cars, trucks, and RVs! And what’s more, they can also be used to remove dirt from your furniture. Now that’s a truly multi-purpose product for you.
You can dilute the cleaner in water half an ounce per gallon of water. The solution is environmentally friendly and completely non-toxic.
Applying the cleaner is quiet and can be used with a pressure washer or a simple sprayer. Steam cleaner and scrubbers can also be used to apply this so it’s pretty versatile.
4. Karcher Multi-Purpose Cleaner
- Applicable Surfaces: Concrete, Bricks and Stones
- Weight: 9 pounds
- Bio-degradable: Yes
- You get 20 gallons of detergent
- Value for money
- Safe to use around live plantations
- May not work well with electric pressure washers
Overview
A detergent solely designed to work with your pressure washer and have a nice greenish look to it, the Karcher multi-purpose cleaner is among the most premium cleaners you will find on the market.
It can not only eliminate dirt and grime from your patios and driveways but also clean up bricked surfaces, sidewalks, and many other things in no time. With the least amount of effort, the surface would be as good as new.
The high concentration of the detergent means you can get up to 20 gallons of volume. To use it, you will need to mix 1 part of the concentrate with 20 parts of water.
So you pretty much get a high quantity of the cleaner and that too for such a reasonable price tag.
But the best thing about this cleaner is that it is bio-degradable. So you don’t have to worry about it lying around plants and other vegetation and destroying them. It will vanish in time and won’t cause any damage to its surroundings.
5. Naturama, All-Natural Concrete Cleaner
- Applicable Surfaces: Outdoor and Indoor Concrete Floors
- Odorless: Yes
- Bio-degradable: Yes
- Free of harmful chemicals
- Removes tough stains
- Easy to use
- May not be able to remove rust-like stains
Overview
Yet another EPA approved cleaner, the Naturama concrete cleaner, is a truly innovative item that comes with extraordinary features, making it one of the most sought-out products.
A cleaner that comes with absolutely no smell and that can clean any type of stain on concrete floors within a concise period of time; the product is highly effective and versatile.
You can use it with almost any type of cleaning machine. In fact, the way to use it is pretty simple. Simply spray it on the surface that you want to clean. If using a pressure washer, then make sure it is set to a low-pressure value.
Next, wait for a couple of minutes, wet the floor with some water, and rinse at high pressure. The cleaner will remove anything that includes grease, grime, or oil.
But the best thing about this cleaner is that it is eco-friendly. It is free from any chemical since the entire thing is water-based and includes minerals and other plant-based ingredients. This makes the product highly bio-degradable.
6. EcoGen ECOPRW-B Pressure Washer Cleaner Concentrate
- Applicable Surfaces: Concrete, heavy machines, buildings, and decks
- Biodegradable: Yes
- Quantity: 5 gallons
- Value for money
- Heavy-duty cleaner
- Water-based
- The package can be a bit bulky
Overview
If you are looking for a powerful cleaner in every sense of the word, then the EcoGen ECOPRW-B is definitely the one for you. It is a heavy-duty commercial grade product that works like magic.
Designed specifically to be used with pressure washers, the EcoGen cleaner can not only be used to clean concrete surfaces, but it can also wipe out all sorts of stains and dirt from things like machines, buildings, decks, and other similarly heavy items.
And you would be surprised to learn that at such a reasonable price, you actually get a 5-gallon bucket. So there’s a huge monetary benefit when buying this product.
But perhaps you might be thinking that such a commercial-grade product may not be safe around plants. Well, you might be mistaken there. This is because the product comes with no toxic chemicals and features bio-degradable ingredients.
It is non-flammable and doesn’t hurt even if you get some on your skin! You can simply dilute 2 oz of the concentrate in a gallon of water. This makes the product completely safe.
7. Concrete DNA Polished Concrete Cleaner
- Applicable Surfaces: Concrete
- Non-corrosive: Yes
- Concentration: 1 oz gives 2 gallons of solution
- Ensures surfaces are hardened for better penetration
- Economical
- Works best on polished concrete surfaces
- It cannot be used on bricks or wood.
Overview
This 32-ounce concrete DNA cleaner is the ideal way to free yourself from all those annoying stains and spots on your concrete floors, patios, and fences.
Featuring a very economical price tag, the cleaner is water-based, making a 64-gallon solution if you mix only 32 oz of the concentrate.
The major specialty of this item is that whenever you clean with it, it adds extra hardening ingredients of its own on the surface. What this means is that the ingredients improve the surface’s ability to absorb liquid.
So, every time you clean, the solution can go into the surface’s pores to eradicate the sources of dirt. This makes it incredibly effective and ensures that no stain gets permanent.
8. Zep Pressure Wash Cleaner Concentrated Pro Formula
- Applicable Surfaces: Concrete, Brick and Wood
- Eco-friendly: Yes
- Weight: 172 Pounds
- Works best against algae
- Environmentally friendly
- Doesn’t cost a lot
- Cannot be used on glass windows
Overview
You can indeed find several cleaners that will help you with cleaning off oil stains or grease. But there are only a few that will allow removing algae-based stains. In fact, you may rarely find good detergents that are effective in removing mold and mildew as well.
But don’t worry. Zep’s all-in-one pressure washer cleaner is here for the rescue yet again. A concentrated solution that gives you a volume of 26 gallons, the product works extremely well against algae.
It can be used on wood and bricks as well. This is in addition to driveways, sidewalks, and other similar surfaces.
The concentrate does not contain any kind of bleach and does not have any chemicals that may harm surrounding plantations. But do make sure that you wet your plants both before and after cleaning to avoid any side effects.
9. Oxy Solve Total Outdoor Pressure Washer Cleaner
- Applicable Surfaces: Concrete, Wood, Metal, and Plastic
- Eco-friendly: Yes
- Odorless: Yes
- Uses peroxide to clean
- Works on Algae and Moss
- Very easy to apply
- Vinyl stains may be harder to remove
Overview
The Oxy Solve by Simple Green features yet again on this list. And why wouldn’t it? After all, Simple Green has become the market leader in providing the best cleaners ever.
And nothing is less with the Oxy Solve Total Outdoor Cleaner. As the name suggests, the cleaner works for all your cleaning needs in the outdoors. Be it concrete, wood, metal, fabric, plastic; you name it the cleaner can do all.
It can remove the most ardent of stains and the strongest of algae. It can annihilate mold and destroy moss. Not to mention that cleaning dirt and grime stains is nothing more than a breeze for this cleaner.
The solution uses peroxide to remove unwanted materials. This means it is quite safe to use and does not harm plants or ocean life.
Using it is as simple as 1,2, and 3. Quite literally, there are just 3 steps involved.
Simply mix 1 part of the concentrate in 20 parts of water. Apply at low pressure to the surface you want to clean and wait for a couple of minutes. Rinse the surface at high pressure, and voila!
10. Krud Kutter Concrete & Driveway Cleaner
- Applicable Surfaces: Concrete, Asphalt, Bricks
- Bio-degradable: Yes
- Weight: 36 pounds
- Oil grabber works great with oil grease
- Penetrates through concrete
- Economical
- Doesn’t work on woods or plastics
Overview
A simple yet really efficient item, the Krud Kutter Concrete, and Driveway cleaner is the perfect answer to all your troubles with sticky stains and ugly blots.
The concentrate actually consists of an oil grabber that removes grease in no time. In addition, the cleaner easily goes through the concrete material to clean from within.
It is a bio-degradable product that works on several surfaces apart from concrete. This includes masonry, asphalt, and bricks.
Buying Guide
Purchasing a cleaner seems quite a simple thing to do. And in fact, it is. That is, purchasing any cleaner is easy, but getting an effective item that truly gives you the results you need is pretty difficult to find.
Of course, cleaners are a sort of product that cannot be readily tested to determine their quality. It’s just a solution that contains several chemicals or ingredients that act as the cleaning agent. And it’s not easy to know about each ingredient.
However, you can still make sure that you get a satisfactory quality item depending upon your requirements.
Cleaners are specializing in removing different types of dirt. Some are good at removing grease, while some are good at removing algae. Also, some are better for cleaning patios and fences, while some are good for floors and driveways.
This guide will explain some of the important factors you need to consider to get the right cleaner. It’s mostly simple things like checking concentration levels, the convenience of applying the cleaner, and whether or not it is eco-friendly.
So, with this in mind, let’s see what you should know before going to the market.
Type of Cleaner
Several different cleaners exist for eliminating unwanted things from surfaces. For example, pH-neutral cleaners, acidic cleaners, alkaline cleaners, and cleaners use special enzymes.
pH-neutral cleaners are the most common type found on the market. In fact, in the list above, the majority of the cleaners are pH-neutral.
These cleaners usually need to be dissolved in water and applied gently onto the surface that needs to be cleaned. You can then rinse the surface with a pressure washer to clean.
Next, we have acidic cleaners. These types of cleaners contain acid and need to be applied directly to the surface. They are usually good for cleaning things that dissolve in acids. Contaminations that involve hard salts may be removed with acidic cleaners.
Then there are alkaline cleaners. These are again quite common and are mostly used to remove oil stains. Products mentioned on the list above contain such cleaners as well. These cleaners again need to be diluted in water before being applied to the surface.
But such cleaners take a lot of time to give the necessary results. In fact, if the stain is tough, you might need to do a lot of scrubbing to pry off the stains. So it’s better to use pH-neutral cleaners.
Lastly, enzymatic cleaners use special enzymes or bacterial organisms that literally eat away the compounds making up the stain. You don’t need to dilute these into water.
Directly apply to the surface and wait. Waiting, again, is the hard part with these cleaners. However, the good thing is that you don’t need to rinse or wash anything even after the cleaner has done its work. So it’s a bit more convenient than others.
Cleaning Agent
A cleaning agent implies the type of chemical being used to remove the stain. For instance, many cleaners use hydrogen peroxide to clean.
Hydrogen Peroxide is a widely known compound that is effective in removing harmful germs and dirt. The biggest advantage of using it is that it does not have any adverse effects on plant life.
Some cleaners use alkaline soap. They simply work by emulsifying fatty acids present in oil stains. Quite simply, oil or grease stains contain compounds that cannot mix with water. Cleaners containing soap break down these compounds so they can dissolve in water and be washed away.
So if you have a problem with oily stains, then perhaps a cleaner with such capabilities will be useful.
Sodium Hydroxide is another ingredient that is used in cleaners. It is more commonly known as caustic soda. The compound can break down the proteins found in contaminants. In fact, sodium hydroxide is the compound used in household soaps as well.
Perhaps, overall, hydrogen peroxide is the safest. Other acidic solutions may have certain harmful effects.
Surfaces
The next thing you need to consider when buying a cleaner is what type of surfaces you would be cleaning.
Of course, concrete is one of the many surfaces. But there are many things made out of concrete. If you want to clean up your driveway, then it’s best to get a concrete cleaner that can be used with a pressure washer.
After all, a cleaner that would require manual scrubbing would be the last thing you would want for cleaning your entire driveway.
Of course, you can get a cleaner that may not be compatible with pressure washers for interior flooring and other smaller areas.
These days, however, you can get a lot of choices. There are multi-purpose cleaners that can clean not only concrete but also wood, metal, and even plastic. So if you think you have more things to clean, then such cleaners might be the best.
Type of Contamination
If you follow this guide from the beginning, you would have realized that there are many types of contamination.
One is oil and grease. These are probably the hardest to remove. Next is moss and algae. Then comes dirt and waste materials.
Ensure that the cleaner you get can clean the type of contaminant you want to remove. Some cleaners may be good for removing common dirt but not moss and algae.
You will need to ask the seller or read the bottle’s label to see if it works on such things.
Environmental-Friendly
This is probably one of the most important things you need to be careful of when buying a cleaner.
In particular, if you are looking for a cleaner for the outdoors, then you will most probably have some form of plantations in the surrounding.
A cleaner that is not eco-friendly, or contains chemicals that may harm plant life, can create quite a mess even if it is good at cleaning concrete.
Acidic cleaners are perhaps the most dangerous in this matter. Usually, you will need to water the plants before applying acidic cleaners on the surface. This ensures the plants do not absorb the acid. But make sure the acid is not water soluble.
Sustainability
Sustainability is different from eco-friendliness in this context. Here, sustainability refers to the ability of the cleaner to have long-lasting effects.
It is of no use if, right after rinsing a surface with the cleaner, dirt and other waste build up again.
The cleaner should penetrate the surface to prevent any type of contamination from building up again.
This is especially true with concrete. Concrete has a porous structure so that dirt can sit in it for days. Cleaners should penetrate this and kill the source of the dirt altogether.
Conclusion
By now, you should have a pretty good idea of what you need to look for when getting a cleaner. As with everything else, you should be clear about your own needs.
Also, look for a good deal. That is, cleaners may come as 2-in-1s or 4-in-1s. In other words, you can get four bottles of a cleaner for one low price.
These deals really pull off the burden from your pocket. You also get enough quantity of the cleaner as well. So always lookout for discounts and offers.
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People Also Asked
Here are a few questions that could be helpful for you;
What is the Best Concrete Cleaner for Pressure Washer?
Here is my list of the Best Concrete Cleaner for Pressure Washer in 2022;
- Simple Green Oxy Solve Concrete Cleaner
- Zep Concrete Pressure Wash Cleaner
- Simpson Cleaning Multipurpose Cleaner
- Karcher Multi-Purpose Cleaner
- Naturama, All-Natural Concrete Cleaner
- EcoGen Pressure Washer Cleaner
- Concrete DNA Polished Concrete Cleaner
- Zep Pressure Wash Cleaner Pro Formula
- Oxy Solve Pressure Washer Cleaner
- Krud Kutter Concrete Cleaner
Do all cleaners need to be mixed with water?
No. Acidic cleaners may be applied directly. But cleaners that are used with pressure washers are mostly those that need to be dissolved in water.
Is a pressure washer necessary to apply cleaners?
Pressure washers are not necessary. They are just one of many tools that can be used to apply cleaners.
Of course, some cleaners need to be scrubbed. In this case, pressure washers are not used at all when applying. But they can be used to rinse afterward.
But most cleaners can either be scrubbed, or sprayed, or even mopped. So plenty of tools to apply.
Can concrete cleaners be used on cars?
Mostly not. Cars are made of aluminum, and concrete cleaners may not effectively remove stains from such surfaces.
But multi-purpose cleaners may be used on cars. You will need to check with the manufacturer or the labeling to verify this.
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