Patio Cleaner

Best Patio Cleaner for Block Paving, Concrete and Natural Stone

Cleaning paving slabs on a patio can be difficult if you are not using the best patio cleaner for the job. Cleaning natural stone patios in particular can be challenging as the porous surface of sandstone or limestone paving is the perfect environment for the spread of moss, algae, mould and lichen on a patio. Using an effective patio cleaner is a must if you want to make your paving slabs or block paved patio look like new.

Green algae on a patio is quite easy to clean off or remove. Our mildew, mould and algae removers will quickly kill green algae, which can then be washed off. Green algae is always likely to grow and spread on a porous patio as the water content within the substrate makes it easy for green algae to flourish. Use our powerful algae killing biocide Green Clear will swiftly kill green algae, mould or mildew on a porous patio surface.

On patios that are very dirty and covered in patio black spot, a very aggressive form of lichen, use Patio Clean Xtreme, which can remove the most stubborn and ingrained dirt within sixty minutes. This effective patio cleaner is great for cleaning block paving, granite sets, flagstones and other patio surfaces.

If you are cleaning patio slabs, Smartseal have the best paving slab cleaners that can make old patio surfaces look like new. Our block paving cleaner for patios can make old block paving look much newer, so if you are considering a block paving cleaning product, please give us a call on 01268 722500 as we can help.

How To Clean Your Patio and Remove Patio Black Spot & Algae

In this article, I am looking to walk you through the easy to follow steps of how to remove patio black spot from sandstone and natural stone and get your lovely patio looking like new again. At the end of our simple process, your paving or patio slabs will be free from dirt, algae, black spot and those annoying lichens that always spoil its appearance!  Don't worry, although you might have found this difficult in the past, with the right patio cleaner and a little bit of knowledge, patio cleaning and black spot algae removal can now be a simple process.

Historically, trying to keep any patio clean used to be an arduous and time-consuming task. Particularly if your patio was laid with a variety of porous sandstone or Indian sandstone. Very few, if any cleaning products were effective enough as a patio black spot remover, with even algae and general dirt requiring pressure washing to keep them at bay. Not only can jet washing be a time consuming and arduous task, but it can also damage pointing. This, in turn, contributes to the paving slabs more porous and easier for the contaminants to become established and ingrained into the surface of the patio. This is particularly the case if the patio has been laid in vulnerable sandstone or Indian sandstone slabs. Black spot and algae thrive on any variety of porous natural stone and this Inevitably leads to more regular and intense cleaning being required. 

Maybe the most frustrating part of all is that after you have spent hours and hours cleaning your patio, frequently just a few months later, your patio is back looking as dirty and grubby as ever.Aaargh! Don't worry, even this is no longer a problem. At the end of this article, I will walk you through a couple of simple maintenance tips, that will take generally 10 to 20 minutes a couple of times a year and help to keep your patio clean and looking great, 12 months a year.

Technically advanced patio cleaners now provide a solution that is easy to use and highly effective. These powerful formulations contain four active ingredients that quickly facilitate the easy removal of patio black spot, dirt and algae from not only sandstone but any other patio surface including limestone, flagstones, terracotta, Granite, porcelain, block paving and paving slabs.

The patio cleaning and patio black spot removal process starts with simply cleaning off any surface matter with a broom and of course removing any pots or garden furniture. To avoid any potential damage to grass or surrounding vegetation, it is recommended to spend a few minutes hosing down any areas where the patio cleaner will potentially run off. This would mean that any product residue that reaches these areas will be so diluted that it will not cause any harm. Before applying any product I would recommend you are wearing some old clothes or overalls, boots, waterproof gloves and if you decide to apply the product by garden sprayer, some protective goggles.

Prior to actually applying the patio cleaning product, it is best to lightly dampen the patio slabs with water. This will enable the paving cleaner and black spot remover to remain active on the surface of the stone where the dirt and algae are present rather than soaking into the stone, drying out and becoming ineffective. After application, for best results, periodically lightly dampen the surface. This helps keeps the cleaning agents Within the formulations, active and working.  If the natural stone or paving is allowed to quickly dry out, to a large degree this type of product will become inactive, with the overall results greatly reduced.

Very importantly, these advanced patio cleaners contain no acid based or any other ingredient that can potentially discolour or damage limestone, terracotta, Indian sandstone, granite or any type of concrete paving or flagstone. This means that although visually results can generally start to be seen within minutes, for neglected, very dirty or patios infested with intense black spot the cleaners for natural stone can be left for several hours or even overnight. If the patio black spot proves particularly difficult to shift, here are a few little tips that can make the difference. 

I would recommend that after the patio black spot remover has been only the surface for 5 or 10 minutes,  it should be worked into the paving with a stiff broom. Whilst doing this, you should see the black spots on the patio start to spread as the product goes to work. If you periodically repeat this several times whilst keeping the stones slightly damp (not wet, as this will dilute and weaken the product) all the black spot should gradually disappear. If the black spot continues to frustrate you and prove incredibly difficult to remove, either re-apply the product or do not dilute it at all, just apply neat. Eventually, it will work I assure you!

Once you are satisfied that the patio cleaner has achieved everything you require, clean it off with copious amounts of clean water. This is particularly important nears areas of grass, plants or other vegetation. Of course, just like the majority of cleaning products you would purchase from any supermarket to clean various surfaces around your home, if you put them on your grass or plants, it would kill them! These types of patio cleaners and natural stone cleaners are no different, but if they are diluted correctly before they come into contact with any organic matter, no harm will occur. That same advice is relevant to pets and wildlife, just apply plenty of water to run off areas and everything will be ok. If the infestation of black spot on the patio is not too bad, rinsing it off with a garden hose might be sufficient, but for intense black spot on natural stone, particularly sandstone, a pressure washer might be required.

In some cases, the dirt, black spot and algae might have built up over several years but once you have removed it, keeping it at bay should be straight forward and easy. The maintenance programme is easy and only requires a small amount of diluted product, a watering can or garden sprayer. It simply consists of whenever your natural stone patio starts to look dirty or go green as the algae start to re-establish itself, apply some patio cleaner, leave on the surface for a couple of hours and then just rinse away with a garden hose.

Of course, prevailing weather conditions and geographical position of your home are both factors in how frequently some form of patio cleaning might be required. For properties that are North facing, that generally remain damp and do not receive much sunlight, this might need to be done two or three times a year. Homes that benefit from South facing aspects, might only have to be treated once a year, generally after the winter.

Hopefully, this article will give you confidence that however grubby, dirty and tired your patio looks at the moment, it is very rare that with a little bit of time and effort, excellent results can be achieved.  In my experience, even the most stubborn black spot on sandstone, Indian sandstone, natural stone, patio slabs or any other kind of paving slabs can be removed. Remember with the advanced range of patio cleaning products now available, you cannot damage the surface of the natural stone, only aesthetically improve it, so why not give it a go, I am sure you will be amazed at the results!