One important reason for sweeping leaves off your concrete walk or patio regularly is that , the longer you go out them , the more potential they are to exit their touch in the grade ofbrownish tannic acid stains . Tanninsare complex chemical substance — insoluble and immune to disintegration — that give flavor to vino and tea leaf , and have been used for 100 to tan leather hides . While not lasting , tannin stains — which can also get along from walnuts and the needles and conoid of conifers , such as redwoods — remain in concrete for a long prison term , and your terrace get a little more unsightly with each Modern one that look . traverse off the debris and comply asimple procedureto get rid of the stain .
Getting Rid of Tannin Stains
Things Needed
Step 1
Sweep all the leaves into a pile , bag them and remove them to foreclose the wind from brag them back onto the terrace . It ’s best to do this on a dry day ; if any leaves are stuck to the concrete , loosen them with a pitch .
Step 2
Power - wash off the concrete to get rid or surface dirt and cast . By itself , power - washing wo n’t remove the tannic acid smirch , but it will make the remotion operation easier my make them more seeable .
Step 3
Mix 2 to 5 ounces ofdish detergentin a 5 - gallon bucketful of affectionate body of water , spread the variety on the blot and scrub with a chaparral brush . Use a stiff fiber scrub encounter — not a wire brush . Scrubbing with a conducting wire brush will rub off and damage the aerofoil . Rinse off thesoap solutionwith the power automatic washer .
Tip
If your big businessman washing machine has a reservoir for detergent , you could use the building block ’s wash feature to disperse the detergent solution . You ’ll probably still require to scrub by hand .
Step 4
Spread powdered detergent on refractory stains while the concrete is still wet . depart it for about 10 minutes , then scrub it . It ’s good to use a powdered — rather than a liquid — detergent to take advantage of the abrasive action of the powder . apply a product recommended for removing organic intellectual nourishment spot .
Step 5
Rinse well with the power - automatic washer after you ’ve slay all the stains .
Warning
When cleaning smear from a consortium deck , keep the great power - washer pointed away from the pool and avoid getting any of the detergent you ’re using in the pool H2O . If the pool has a covering fire , it ’s a good thought to deploy it before cleanse .
