Concrete and Stomach Acid: Pressure Washing Sidewalks At a Shopping Center

One of our property management clients called us to pressure wash a mess in front of one of the stores in their Denver shopping centers.

When we got there, we found –

A cascade of corrosive stomach contents creates continual color conversion in concrete!

Most people don’t consider the fact that the fluids in their stomach are corrosive, but that’s how the body digests things.

And when someone loses their lunch on concrete, the stomach acid can actually etch the surface.

If the lunch included something colorful – like beets or wine – the stomach acid can actually convey that coloring into the concrete itself and leave a nasty permanent stain.  If the discharge is free of any staining color, the stomach acid can sometimes clean the surface of the concrete. Then we have to apply brighteners around the stain to keep it from standing out.

Cleaning the mess up quickly is the only way to avoid discoloration.  And because we got right to it, our client avoided a stain and kept their store owners happy.

Many stains can’t be removed if you wait too long. Grease, oil and hydraulic stains on driveways will usually come right out if we get to it within 24 hours. Concrete is porous like a sponge and the longer you wait to treat the stain, the deeper it soaks in.

So if you have a stain that you want us to pressure wash off your sidewalks, driveway, or other surfaces – call us before is sets in and can’t be removed.