How To Banish Leaf Stains From Concrete

Although the fall leaf colours are pretty the fact remains that wet leaves stain concrete. The leaf markings look a lot like rust.  They leave orangish and unsightly brown stains.  But these markings are not rust.  They are caused by tannins.  Tannins are a bitter-tasting brownish substance found in some plants and barks.  You have probably heard of it before as it is what makes wine taste “dry”.  But while we may be able to appreciate tannins in wine, they are not so well-loved when they stain our concrete.  But there is good news.  You can banish those stains.

So you think you have tried everything. The first resort was probably the hose. Then came soap and bleaching. Likely followed by intense scrubbing. By this point, you were probably getting quite frustrated.

What if we told you you didn’t have to do anything at all. Legit nothing. For real, fun fact: If you just leave the stains they will go away on their own over time. All thanks to the powerful bleaching actions of the sun.

But in all reality you probably want the stain to go away now. So, let’s talk about how to do that.  It is nice to sit out on our concrete porches to entertain.  Especially, because of Covid-19.  We don’t want stains sullying the seating area so this needs to be taken care of now not later.  The great thing is you probably already have what you need to clean it in your house.  You need OxyClean.  OxyClean, sodium percarbonate, although a bleach-based product, works better than bleach alone.  Its bleach is boosted with hydrogen peroxide bubbling action and soda ash power.

First sweep and hose down the area you would like to clean.

Next, mix the Oxy product with water before applying.  Mix one scoop per Litre of warm water.

Mop the mixture onto the stained areas and wait thirty minutes.

The treatment will not work as well if the solution dries on the surface, so add more to keep damp as needed.

Scrubbing the concrete during this time, while not a requirement, does make the treatment more effective.

 Tackle small areas at a time to ensure proper usage of the product. 

Lastly, finish off by rinsing off the water.

Happy Fall everyone.  Now you know how to enjoy the season tannin free you can appreciate the colours of the falling leaves.  But, remember that even if tannin stains are left they will disappear with time.  Either way, you will have beautiful concrete for years to come.