Patio Cleaning Tips and Tricks

As a homeowner, it's up to you to keep your patio clean and free of debris. When a patio goes uncleaned for a long period of time, it can develop mildew and mold, which can then lead to discoloration or even rotting. Thankfully, preventing this is fairly easy as long as you set aside some of your time to keep it cleaned. While there are many different ways to clean a patio, we'll cover some basic tips that most every homeowner can benefit from using.

Keep Leaves Off

First and foremost, you have to keep the leaves off your patio if you want it to last for years to come. If your patio is positioned under a large tree that frequently sheds its leaves, chances are they will blanket your patio. This may not seem like a big deal, but those leaves harbor moisture and will eventually cause your patio flooring to change color; so, instead of having an attractive stone patio, it will look dated and worn. You can prevent this from happening by taking either a leaf blower or rake to your patio when you notice leaves on it. Obviously, you'll need to spend a bit more time doing this during the fall season when trees are naturally shedding their leaves.

Bleach and Water Solution

On occasion, your patio will need a little extra TLC to keep it nice and clean. When it's dirty or grimy, you should take a one gallon bucket, fill it with water and place a quarter cup of bleach in it. Now, go outside on your patio and use this solution to scrub it down with a large push scrubber. Remember, you don't want to break your back doing this work, so make sure to use a scrub brush that you can push standing up. There's nothing worse than giving yourself more strenuous work than you have to.

You'll want to be careful if you have plants, flower or other vegetation on your patio, as the bleach can easily kill them. Take a few minutes to bring them indoors until you're done cleaning and your patio has dried completely.

Pressure Wash

Alternatively, you can also use a pressure wash to remove any stubborn dirt or grime on your patio. Because these machines are so powerful, it's recommended that you start with the lowest setting possible. If your pressure washer still isn't removing the dirt, slowly increase the power until you see a change.