Painting a Concrete Patio: How to Clean the Patio

Painting your concrete patio can be a great away to accentuate your home's exterior. Before carrying out the paint job, however, you will need to administer a thorough cleaning to the patio.

Step 1 - Dust Your Concrete Patio

The first step in the cleaning process is removing all the dust from your concrete patio. This can be accomplished with the aid of a vacuum cleaner with brush attachments, a wet/dry vac and a feather duster. Vigorously run your vacuum cleaner or wet/dry vac across the surface of your patio, taking care to remove any sizable dust deposits and cob webs. Use your vacuum cleaner's brush attachments or a feather dust to purge dust from the patio's crevices and other hard-to-reach areas. Alternatively, you can dust your patio with a traditional broom and dustpan, but this will most likely prove far more time consuming than the previously discussed method.

Step 2 - Scrub Your Patio

Having removed all the dust, you're almost ready to begin painting your concrete patio. Begin this step by mixing warm water and mild liquid soap in a large bucket, then use a hard bristled scrub brush to apply the newly formed cleaning solution and give your patio a thorough scrubbing. After any dirt deposits have been purged, use a garden hose to rinse off your cleaning solution. If you don't feel like waiting for the patio to air dry, suck up the water with a wet/dry vac and start painting your concrete patio.