Epoxy Coat concrete cleaning help

[mxrider131]

I'm in Calif and am planning on apply epoxy on my 60' x 40' shop this Saturday. I started the prep last weekend and after the prep I applied the epoxy coat etch solution and then over the last 2 days I have rinsed out the garage 3 times and power washed it 3 times. The garage floor looks dirty and you can even see some of my foot imprints in the concrete from when I was doing the power washing which makes it look even dirtier. I'm still getting a light amount of white film on my fingers when i rub them on the surface (which is only a little bit less then the amount i got before i even started pressure washing) and if I take a cloth with some soap and wipe it on the concrete it picks up a good amount of residue. Pressure washing doesnt seem to make it much cleaner. Is this good enough? Am I being too paranoid? It seems crazy to think that I have to hand wipe the whole floor to get it spotless. Please help. thanks

 

[MPH]

I took a Floor Polisher with a Scotch bright pad and scrubbed my floor after etching it and then with water and a big sponge, my wife and I, wiped the whole floor down. Yes I might of been a little pranoind but it got rid of the white powder residue. ;o)

 

[Edger]

Not sure what dirt you are picking up, there should be none. It could be the residue from after etching or it could be that your concrete is not very hard and you are picking up concrete dust.

I did some detailed tests of pressure washing after acid etching concrete and found that it required a minimum of 3,000 psi to remove the white residue and that the jets had to be very close to the floor. It surprised me, but it proved to be true several times.

Epoxy Coat recommend using their etch, cleaning and then coating which many forum members have apparently done with great success so maybe the residue is not important. You had better ask them.

If you want to remove it the best way is to use a rotary jet floor cleaner which I have seen in a thread here available cheaply from a big box store with a 3,000 - 4,000 psi power washer connected, but make sure the pressure is actually that when using it. The jets are at a fixed distance from the floor and spin around so you get an even wash.

 

[Edger]

Here is a link to a similar product. One of the big box stores had one for about $50.
http://www.ultimatewasher.com/pressure-washer-surface-cleaners.htm#A-flat-surface-cleaner