Balcony, like any other area of your living space, needs good care, maintenance and a regular clean. Whether you use your balcony often or not, dust and debris from the outside tend to settle in and stay on the concrete surfaces of your balcony, and especially in the fabric of your patio/balcony furniture. Moisture can cause rust around metal surfaces, and concrete floors can get stains from leaves and grease. Cleaning your balcony may seem like a difficult undertaking, but it’s actually easier than it appears. The trick is to take one step at a time. And while you may not notice the progress like you would in the interior, getting rid of dust and debris will make a world of a difference. Once your balcony is clean, you may wish to decorate it with a swanky design, take plants outside for the summer, and impress your guests with a clean, neat and cool balcony space. Below you’ll find 13 tips to clean your apartment balcony, patio or terrace. We have arrived at those after a decade of providing condo and house cleaning services in Toronto, so feel free to use our tricks of the trade.
Tip #1 – Clear Everything Off Your Balcony
Not only is it a necessary first step before cleaning, but a great tip to keep your balcony tidy – clear unnecessary items off your balcony. Often people keep things on their balconies for the lack of storage space. And sometimes people just forget things there or don’t bother clearing them. If you are preparing to clean, clear all items you can off your balcony. If you have light furniture that’s easy to move, bring those in too. You can take back all necessary items that belong there after you’re finished cleaning and the surfaces have dried. If you have some kind of floor covers on your balcony, whether they’re mats, rubber covers or resin layers, if they’re easy to remove, make sure you shake them out first on the balcony before cleaning and bringing them in.
Tip #2 – Sweep Loose Dust and Debris
Once all items have been cleared off your balcony, you can begin cleaning. The first step in cleaning is sweeping the floors. Dust, leaves and debris can be difficult to spot, but in order to have a clean balcony, you must have a clean balcony floor first. If you haven’t cleaned your balcony floor in some time, there may be a lot of dust and debris to sweep. Make sure you sweep thoroughly, and several times if needed.
Tip #3 – Use a stiff-bristled broom for best results
To clean an condo balcony floor, it is best to use a stiff-bristled broom. These brooms are heavy duty brooms meant for surfaces such as concrete. They can be found at any home hardware store such as Home Depot, Rona or Canadian Tire. If you don’t have one handy, or don’t want to purchase one, a regular broom can and will do the job, however, you may have to sweep the floors several times to get the same results.
Tip #4 – Sponge or Mop your balcony
To clean balcony without hose, you can use a mop, or better yet, use a sponge. However, don’t neglect Tip #3 prior to applying anything with water and/or soap or detergent. Otherwise, you are bound to smudge the dust into more dirt and leave more stains on your balcony or patio than what you started with.
Tip $5 – Remove rust stains with laundry detergent
Rust can build up from moisture on metal around balcony railings, balcony doors or any other metal surfaces you may have on your balcony. During humid summer or fall months, and especially during winter months, when the snow doesn’t melt completely, these surfaces are prone to having rust stains. The best way to get rid of rust stains is by applying laundry detergent onto it. Rub in the detergent with a sponge, let it sit for an hour or so, and thoroughly clean it off with warm water.
Tip #6 – Try dish detergent for leaf stains
If leaves have landed on your balcony and sat there for some time, you may have stains from the leaves on your concrete floors. Clean apartment patio or balcony floors with dish detergent. Apply the dish detergent onto the stains, rub it in with a sponge and let is sit for an hour or so. After an hour, scrub or wipe away the detergent with warm water.
Tip #7 – Apply commercial degreaser for grease stains
If you have food grease or oil grease stains on the concrete of your balcony or patio floors, commercial degreaser is one the balcony cleaners must-haves. You will always find instructions on the packaging of these products. Similarly, these can be purchased at any home hardware stores in the cleaners sections.
Tip # 8 – Use trisodium phosphate for oil stains
You can keep balcony clean from oil stains with trisodium phosphate. It’s an inorganic chemical, so make sure to wear protective gloves while using this product. It can be diluted and mixed in with water and soap for best results.
Tip #9 – Spread diluted bleach for mold and mildew
Bleach is a wonderful cleaning agent for terrace cleaning and balcony cleaning in places where you see mold and mildew. Dilute with warm water, spray on the surface, and let it sit for an hour or so. Always use caution and protection, such as gloves, to not burn or damage your skin. After an hour, clean it off with warm water.
Tip #10 – Scrub the toughest rust stains with muriatic acid
Muriatic acid is another name for corrosive strong acid, sometimes also called hydrochloric acid. Similar to other chemical cleaners, it may cause skin burns, so take precaution in wearing protective gloves. This product will come in handy for rust not only on your balcony, but anywhere in the house or apartment. Use a bristle brush or a scrub with this product to get the best results in cleaning off rust stains.
Tip #11 – Use a pressure washer for the deepest clean
For cleaning pollen off your balcony, as well as dust, rust, leaf and oil stains, it is best to use a pressure washer. It is the most simple and effective solution to any patio, balcony or terrace cleaning. The water pressure works wonders and it works fast without you having to work hard at mopping, scrubbing and/or using sponges and cloths.
Tip #12 – Rinse your balcony with clean water
After all said and done, after detergents, acids and bleach have been applied and wiped off your balcony, give your balcony an extra rinse with clean water. Leaving acids or detergents may cause residue build-up and more stains to clean later. Using warm water is your best bet for cleaning your balcony thoroughly.
Tip #13 – Seal your concrete to prevent stains
If your balcony, terrace or patio floors are concrete, it is best to seal them with a sealant to prevent stains from oil or leaves. There are a number of products available on the market for sealing concrete. Most are very easy to use, and simple tools like paint rollers will do the job. You can always find instructions on the packaging, or get professional advice.
Final Words
Many people wonder how to clean concrete balcony, patio or terrace, and as you can see, it is not a difficult undertaking. It may be a bit time consuming if you are applying different products to rust and oil stains or if you don’t have necessary tools or balcony cleaners. If you simply don’t have the time or motivation to put into your balcony cleaning, you can always rely on a good balcony cleaning service that will come prepared with the tools and products and will do the job for you. Your clean balcony will not only impress your guests, but will keep you healthy and happy.
