Have mysterious stains appeared on your shop's exterior concrete and you can't figure out where they are originating? There's a chance it might be mayflies. These annoying insects are one of concrete's worst enemies, and their stains often make hot water washing a necessity.
Mayflies Are Not Concrete-Friendly
Mayflies are very strange insects because they spend a majority of their life in larval form, before growing into adults. Their only purpose as adults is to mate and lay eggs and they typically die within hours. As a result, a massive mayfly die off is typical, as is a huge deposit of mayfly fecal matter. This waste typically ends up on flat surfaces, such as concrete driveways or parking lots.
This is especially true if your shop is located near a body of water (where mayflies will hatch) or if you leave a light on overnight outside of your shop. If you don't see any mayfly corpses, that may be become they have been driven over and were crushed and ground into your concrete.
The Damage This Can Do To Concrete
While mayfly remains and their fecal matter shouldn't do any serious damage to your concrete, they look disgusting and unprofessional. Potential customers may avoid your shop if they see these kinds of stains. Even worse, the oils present on mayflies and in their fecal matter might attract mold, which will quickly spread on your concrete and which can actually do real damage. That's why it is so important to get mayfly stains off your concrete as soon as possible. Thankfully, this is an easy enough task if you use a hot water washer.
Using A Hot Water Washer To Remove Them
Hot water washers use a powerful burst of pressurized hot water to blast stains off of hard surfaces, including concrete. While cold water washers are also available, hot water washers are preferable for concrete surfaces around busy shops like yours. They'll not only blast away the mayfly stains, but any oil or grease stains that may be lurking there. It'll also disinfect the surface and kill most bacteria.
It shouldn't take any more than a day to clean off the stains on your concrete, which makes the typical daily hot water washer rental rate of $144 an acceptable expense. Make sure whoever uses the washer wears gloves, boots, goggles, long pants, and other safety items to avoid getting injured.
A few passes with a hot water washer should completely eliminate mayfly stains and make your concrete look great again. This will give your shop a more professional look and potentially attract more customers. Contact a supplier, like Hotsy Equipment Of Northern Colorado, for more help.
