Top 5 Tips For Patio Cleaning
Patios look great in any garden, they are low maintenance, tidy and neat and ideal for summer entertaining and barbeques. Overtime patios will start looking grubby and some patios may even have a little weed growth between slabs but will a little clean up they can look fresh and new again and if you garden is in a need of a little makeover right now, this is the perfect way to start.TIP 1: CLEAN SWEEPBefore any cleaning takes place, it’s better to give the patio a thorough sweep first. Start by moving all of the furniture, plant pots and anything else that may be on the patio area. Sweep the whole patio area and try to remove as much loose debris and dirt as possible ready for cleaning to begin.TIP 2: KILL WEEDSIf weeds are present (and most patios tend to find a little weed growth) it’s time to get rid! You can either dig out all of the weeds by hand, use weed killer or do a combination of both. Using both is your best option because it helps keep weeds at bay for longer. If you dig out weeds by hand make sure that you take away the root as well as the leaves or else you may be surprised to notice that they have returned a week later. If you use weed killer spray the weed thoroughly and allow it turn brown and die before removing it, this is ideal for killing the weed and it shouldn’t return at all, although a new one may grow in its place in time, so regular weeding is recommended.If all weeds are successfully removed from the patio area prior to cleaning the final result will be more effective.TIP 3: GET YOUR KIT TOGETHERTo get a good result, ensure that you have all the right tools for the job before you begin. You will need a basic patio cleaning kit consisting of,• Bucket• Water• Bleach• Hard bristle sweeping brush• Weed killer• Gardening glovesTIP 4: START SCRUBBINGNow it’s time to start scrubbing that patio, this may be easy or rather tiring depending on the condition of the patio you are working on, if it’s fairly clean anyway it will be only take a few minutes to do this but if the patio has not been cleaned for some time, it may take a lot longer.Dip the brush into a bucket of water mixed with bleach and start scrubbing the whole patio, for stubborn areas of dirt try putting a little neat bleach onto it and continue scrubbing it with your hard bristle brush. Take time to work the mixture onto each slab, covering every part, until you have successfully covered the whole patio area.TIP 5: RINSE AND RELAXTo rinse the patio you will need lots of water, you can use a hose pipe for this if it makes easier for you, but a few buckets of fresh water or even rain water from a ‘water but’ will do.As you rinse the patio, sweep away excess bleach which may still be present, and continue until all of the bleach has completely gone. You may need to repeat this process several times to get a good result because the bleach solution tends to stick to the slabs.If you notice that certain areas are not as desired, repeat the steps above and you will find that the more times you bleach the slabs the better they start to look.You can use a jet wash for fast washing however they can be forceful on some patios, with problems of slabs moving, so be aware if you do.
