How to clean sidewalks without pressure washing.

Why not pressure wash? to put it simply, pressure washing only cleans the surface of the concrete. Pressure washing does not penetrate the surface and get the root of the algae that is causing the staining. Think of it like this. If you trim weeds down to dirt what is left? The roots. Therefore the weeds will grow back and in some cases they grow back thicker and stronger. Pressure cleaning uses a lot of water, most commercial machines are gobbling up 8 gallons per minute (GPM) and can leave lines or swirls in the sidewalks after cleaning. Pressure cleaning sidewalks is not a permanent cleaning solution. Depending on your location, algae can grow back in as little as 6 months which will require another laborious cleaning.

DIY – Always read instructions prior to application.

Applying Citra-Shield to your sidewalks or driveway is simple, you will need the following. Garden hose, Pump Sprayer, Citra-Shield Ready to Use or Citra-Shield Industrial Strength Concentrate and patience, 

Step 1 – Remove any loose debris from the flat surface you are treating. Leaves, branches, piles of dirt. This is not necessary but will allow for complete coverage of the surface. 

Step 2 – Using the garden hose pre-soak the surrounding vegetation (grass, bushes, flowers) that may get overspray. 

Step 3 – Using a pump sprayer (any 1 or 2 gallon pump sprayer will work) apply Citra-Shield to the surface. Be sure that you saturate the area. In some cases the concrete is hot and the Citra-Shield will flash dry. Be sure that this does not happen. Just like painting, you would like a nice even coat that stays wet for at least a 5 minutes or more. 

Step 4 – Using the garden hose rinse off any vegetation that may have gotten overspray.

If you are using Citra-Shield Industrial Strength Concentrate mix 5 parts water to 1 part Citra-Shield for your initial treatment. Add Citra-Shield to water to avoid foaming. Mix Citra-Shield Concentrate 9 parts water to 1 part Citra-Shield for maintenance treatment. 

Step 5 – Wait. Once the surface is dry, let Mother Nature do the rest. The rain, humidity, sun, wind will keep activating Citra-Shield long after application. Slowly the stains will disappear leaving your sidewalks and driveway clean of organic growth. You will notice that the treated surface will turn a tea color after treatment. This is good. This is the Citra-Shield going to work on organic growth. This coloration will go away shortly after application. 

If you have a large community or an overwhelming amount of surfaces to clean, reach out and we will put you in contact with a certified Citra-Shield Applicator near you.

How long will Citra-Shield take to clean sidewalks?

This is a common question that we get asked daily. The best answer is that cleaning time will vary depending on the severity of staining and location of the sidewalks. Shaded and low lying areas take longer to clean than areas that are more exposed to the sun. The before and after images above were taken two weeks apart. These sidewalks were treated with Citra-Shield by one of our applicators in Naples, FL. The 800k sqft of sidewalks in this community will continue to clean with the morning dew, evening sprinklers, rain showers and natural elements. By choosing Citra-Shield to clean their sidewalks, instead of the traditional pressure washing method, this community saved over 200k gallons of water.