Asked on Jun 14, 2018

How to clean basement, 100 yrs old, cement floors, unfinished walls

Ernestine
by Ernestine
can I use water and soap? Any other cleaning product? I’m afraid of producing mold, which can remain. If I hired a cleaning company, I’m still afraid that an healthy residue of some sort would remain.

  6 answers
  • Ebbjdl Ebbjdl on Jun 14, 2018

    Power wash the floor, then paint it with paint for concrete. They have some nice colors to choose from, and textures. The walls are a question I'm not sure of. Is the sheetrock on the walls ? Do you have to paint the walls ? After you power wash, roll the walls with a sealer, if the walls are brick, seal them too.

  • 27524803 27524803 on Jun 14, 2018

    You should consider hiring someone to come in a assess the foundation structure.... if the basement has moisture issues... you may have to invest in sealing the foundation from the outside... and installing a weeping tile drainage system... It may also require putting in a sump system or dehydrator... to help remove moisture..... once you solve the moisture getting in problem... the keeping the basement dry problem should be taken care of...

    HomeAdvisor.com or Angieslist.com are free referral services. They verify reviews and check references... Start by consulting a Structural Engineer that specializes in vintage and heritage aged homes... The engineer can give you the best information on what the problem really is... and what has to be done for a permanent fix. Then you can make an informed decision.

  • Amy B Reineri Amy B Reineri on Jun 14, 2018

    You can use warm soapy water - you can use just a dampened cloth or brush and then see how much dirt comes up as you wipe the dampness/water back up. (You can use a mop on the floor for this.) It may take a lot of water to clean the floor, but you don't need to put a lot of it down at one time - just keep going over it until it gets clean. Then set up a fan to blow air out of the basement and open a window on the opposite side of the basement if you can. You can also open all the vents on one side of the basement and put the fan blowing out through a single vent on the other side and occasionally switch sides with the fan and vent openings, so the air is pulled in from all the vents over time, circulating all the air in the basement. Mold needs food to survive, so once the concrete has been cleaned well, you shouldn't have anything for the mold to grow on. You can seal the wood overhead to reduce mold growth areas even more.

  • Joy Elizabeth Joy Elizabeth on Jun 14, 2018

    Any strong floor cleaner will do, it just may take a lot of go overs until it is finally clean! We had the same situation in our basement and very moist mildewy conditions. With a dehumidifier, a thorough cleaning, some concrete sealing paint for the walls, and a concrete floor paint...you would never recognize it! It made a huge difference.

  • Ebbjdl Ebbjdl on Jun 18, 2018

    Insulate between the studs, and cover with sheetrock. I would still power wash between the studs. If you don't want to spend money for the sheetrock, put up paneling. Paneling is quite outdated, but a lot less money. If you do sheetrock get the waterproof kind they use in bathrooms, it's light green in color. Let the power wash dry completely, and use Flexseal for the walls. It is a rubberized sealer, which you can roll it on before you put the insulation in. Hope this works out, let me know. Flexseal can be purchased at Home Depot or Lowe's.