How to Get Rid of Fresh Water Stains on Concrete

Water is commonly used to clean household surfaces that have become stained. But in some circumstances, water can serve as the source of the stain. Water contains varying amount of minerals such as limescale, and these minerals can remain on surfaces long after the water dries. If fresh water stains appear on your concrete driveway, garage or wall, you can clean it up using the proper solutions.

Distilled water
Soft scrubbing brush
Mild liquid detergent
Concrete cleaner
Hydrochloric acid
Rubber gloves

Instructions

- 1
  Spray the stain with distilled water and scrub it with a soft scrubbing brush. If the stains rest on the surface of the concrete, you might not need cleaning solutions to remove them. Distilled water contains very few minerals, so you don't have to worry about new water stains forming.
- 2
  Add a drop or two of mild liquid detergent to your distilled water if the water alone fails to do the trick. Mild detergents contain weak acids like phosphoric acid, which can help you break down difficult minerals. Scrub the concrete again with your scrubbing brush. A commercial concrete cleaner can also help you loosen the stain if detergent proves insufficient.
- 3
  Mix one part hydrochloric acid with 19 parts water. Hydrochloric acid is sold in home supply stores and is sometimes called muriatic acid or muric acid. This acid is very strong and corrosive, but can help you to destroy the most difficult deposits on your concrete surface.
- 4
  Pour the hydrochloric acid solution onto your concrete water stains and scrub once again. The water deposits should dissolve almost on contact. Pour distilled water over the concrete to rinse it. Avoid rinsing with a hose, as new mineral deposits might form from the hard water.

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