Patios and outdoor paved areas need a little TLC to keep them looking their best all year round. Over time, things like moss, algae, lichen, and stains can build up, and before you know it, those paving slabs are beginning to blend in with your lawn!
There are many ways to go about cleaning your patio, each with different cleaning solutions, tools and methods. Here, we explore the best DIY approaches to patio cleaning that’ll make your garden paving look as good as new in no time.
Guide summary
Short on time? Here’s a summary of the key points we cover in this guide.
- It’s important to care for your patio all year round by sweeping it regularly.
- You can clean your patio easily with warm, soapy water and a scrubbing brush.
- Use a vinegar and water solution to remove tougher stains.
- If you don’t want to scrub your patio yourself or need to remove ground-in dirt, you can clean it with a pressure washer.
- Aftercare can help prolong the life of your patio and minimise the need for cleaning.
Year-round patio maintenance
To protect your patio in all seasons, brush it regularly using a coarse-bristled yard brush. This will sweep away debris and dirt that, if left to sit, could become ingrained into the stone and prove to be far more difficult to remove.
Keeping your paving slabs free of dirt will also help to ensure the entire area remains safe to use by reducing the risk of slips or trips. Build-ups of soil, leaves, and other garden debris can become incredibly slippery during periods of wet weather (which, as we all know, can often be the norm here in Britain), so it’s important to remove these when you can.
How to clean your patio with soapy water
The easiest way to clean a patio is to use one of the oldest tricks in the book: warm, soapy water!
With little more than a bucket and some regular washing-up liquid diluted in warm water, you can lift many of the most common stains from paving slabs.
This method is particularly effective for more delicate patio areas, such as those built using block pavers and jointing sand.
Step 1
Take a large bucket and half-fill it with warm water. Add a couple of squirts of regular washing-up liquid to the water and mix until it dissolves.
If your patio is especially dirty or stained, you can add a small amount of household bleach into the cleaning solution (a few tablespoons per bucket should do the trick). Be careful, though, as bleach is corrosive and could kill your garden’s plants, grasses, or wildlife if it’s allowed to seep off the paving slabs and into the surrounding areas.
Tip: Don’t overfill your bucket, as it might end up being too heavy to carry outside.
Step 2
Pour some or all of the washing-up liquid mixture onto the affected area of your patio.
Tip: If there are patches of staining or moss growth on separate sections of your patio, you may want to pour the cleaning solution onto each section to avoid it running off into flower beds or grassy areas.
Step 3
Once you have doused the affected paving slabs with soapy water, you’ll need to agitate the entire area using a hard-bristled brush. Use firm forwards and backwards movements, putting as much power behind each stroke as possible to loosen any ingrained dirt or dried-on algae.
Tip: Having something to kneel on while scrubbing can make the task far easier. We recommend using a gardener’s kneeling mat, which you can buy from most garden centres or online retailers. If you don’t have one of these, you can fold up an old towel and slide it inside a heavy-duty bin liner.
Step 4
Rinse the whole area with clean water to wash away residual soap and any dirt or debris you have lifted through brushing. You can refill your bucket with clean water from a tap or use a hosepipe - whatever’s easiest for you.
Step 5
Next, it’s important to leave the patio area to dry thoroughly before assessing whether you need to repeat the cleaning process. Depending on the type of stone, the colour of your paving slabs may alter when wet and dry, so you’ll be unable to fully appreciate the fruits of your labour until any residual water has had a chance to evaporate.
Tip: On a hot summer’s day, this can take less than an hour, but in cooler weather, you may need to leave it overnight.
Step 6
If your patio still has stubborn stains, dirty patches, or algae, you can repeat the cleaning process. You may need to brush your patio down with soapy water several times, especially if dirt has been left to build up for several years.
How to clean your patio with vinegar
If you have more stubborn stains or thicker patches of moss and algae on your patio, a simple soap and water solution might not be strong enough to clean it properly. Luckily, there’s another DIY storecupboard solution: vinegar!
Step 1
Before getting started, you’ll need to move any potted plants and garden furniture out of the way to ensure they don’t come into contact with the vinegar solution. Vinegar is acidic, so it could disrupt the pH of your garden’s soil if it runs into the lawn or flowerbeds.
Also, this cleaning method is most effective if you do some initial weeding before getting started. Use a weeding tool or trowel to remove any weeds and their roots from in-between paving slabs so the vinegar can concentrate on lifting stains.
Step 2
Next, thoroughly sweep the entire area you’re planning to clean with a yard brush to remove debris or larger deposits of soil. This step is important as it will ensure that the vinegar solution acts as effectively as possible once applied.
Step 3
Take a large bucket and fill it with a 50:50 mixture of white vinegar and water (or a more concentrated 70:30 blend of vinegar and water if your patio is particularly dirty).
The quantities you’ll need will depend on the amount of patio you’re planning to clean. If you want to avoid wasting materials, it might be best to mix less than you think you’ll need in the first instance, as you can always mix more later on.
Tip: Make sure you use white vinegar, not malt vinegar. Otherwise, your garden will end up smelling like a fish and chip shop!
Step 4
Pour some or all of the vinegar and water mixture onto the affected areas of your patio. If there are patches of staining or moss growth on separate sections of your patio, you may want to pour the cleaning solution onto each of them so that it doesn’t seep into nearby flowerbeds or areas of turf.
Step 5
Next, you’ll need to leave it for 20 minutes so the vinegar has time to start working its magic. This is the perfect opportunity to pop the kettle on and make yourself a brew before carrying on!
Step 6
As with the soapy water method, the next step is to scrub the area thoroughly with a hard-bristled brush. Be sure to use forceful back-and-forth movements, putting as much pressure onto the brush head as possible to achieve the best results and lift tougher patches of dirt.
Step 7
After you’ve given everything a good scrubbing, you’ll need to rinse away the dirt, moss, algae and weeds you have lifted. You can either fill your bucket with clean water and pour it over the patio or use a hosepipe to wash everything down.
Tip: If there is a lot of debris, transfer it into your garden waste bin or compost heap before rinsing away what’s left.
Step 8
Let everything dry and assess the results. If you’re happy with the colour and condition of your patio after this first round of cleaning, you can put all the patio furniture and potted plants back in place. If you think it could do with another scrub, repeat the cleaning process from steps 3 to 7.
Cleaning your patio with a pressure washer
If your garden’s patio, path, driveway or paving circle is too dirty for the two cleaning methods we’ve already covered, or you don’t feel up to scrubbing it yourself, don’t worry. Pressure washing is the perfect, low-effort solution.
A pressure washer is a high-powered cleaner that uses pressurised jets of water to lift stubborn stains. You usually find them at hand carwashes, but you can also buy them for domestic use.
When pressure washing your patio’s paving slabs, it’s best to use slow, steady movements to ensure you cover the whole area. Holding the nozzle 30-50cm away from the surface you’re cleaning, guide the water from one side of a slab to the other. You may need to bring the nozzle slightly closer to remove any larger blobs of cement or paint.
Get full instructions in our guide on how to pressure wash your patio, driveway and decking.
Aftercare: How to keep your patio looking its best
You can take additional aftercare steps to help ensure your patio looks stunning long after it’s been cleaned. These easy DIY tips will enhance the effectiveness of your hard work and prevent you from having to get down on your hands and knees again for some time!
Apply a patio sealant
Patio sealants are an effective way to protect your paving slabs against weathering and preserve the vibrancy of their colour over time. Sealants can also help minimise the amount of upkeep required, meaning an annual clean is all that’s needed to keep your patio looking its best.
Brush away any leaves and dirt regularly
Especially in autumn and winter, when trees drop their leaves, it’s important to give your patio a good brush regularly. This will prevent piles of leaves from building up and getting trodden into your paving stones, which could lead to staining or fungal growth.
Read our full aftercare guidelines for more information on looking after your patio, path or driveway all year round.
Tips for maintaining your patio in different seasons
If you’re wondering how often to clean your patio, this depends on several factors, including the area surrounding your home and the season it is. It’s a good idea to carry out your maintenance in line with weather changes to keep your patio looking its best.
Cleaning your patio in spring
In spring, you should thoroughly clean your patio after the winter months, as there may be a build-up of organic growth and general dirt and debris. Spring is also a good time to check the joints between the paving slabs, which might need re-pointing.
Cleaning your patio in summer
In summer, as the weather warms up, you’ll likely be using your patio more, so clean up any spillages when they occur to minimise the risk of staining. Summer is the perfect time to wash a patio, as it will be able to dry out thoroughly in the sunshine.
Cleaning your patio in autumn
In autumn, fallen leaves from shrubs, plants and nearby trees can stain your patio if left for long periods, so it’s a good idea to sweep it regularly.
Cleaning your patio in winter
Many homeowners choose to use de-icing salts in winter so they can access their property easily in cold weather. However, these can cause discolouration, so you should avoid using them if your paving slabs are especially delicate or made from softer stone.
Take care of your patio with Marshalls
Garden patios are hugely popular thanks to their low maintenance and versatility. They do require some upkeep to ensure they stay looking fabulous, but this is minimal compared to lawns and wooden decking.
Whether you want the cool sophistication of grey slate paving, the elegance of porcelain pavers, or the classic charm of Indian sandstone, there’s a patio material to suit all styles and budgets. Explore Marshalls’ range of cleaning solutions, quality jointing compounds and paving primers to make sure your home’s patio stands the test of time.
