A Simple Guide on How To Clean Your Patio

How To Clean Your Patio With a Pressure Washer

There’s no denying that a patio can be a great addition to any garden, providing the perfect area for a BBQ or to relax in the low-lying summer evening sun. But having a patio installed into your garden can work out expensive.

According to one leading DIY specialist, the price for materials plus labour for a 30m2 patio can range from just over £1,600 up to almost £3,000, so when you consider the price of having a patio installed its understandable that you’ll want it to remain looking at its best for as long as possible – and to achieve this you’ll need to clean it.

Why Should I Clean My Patio?

Cleaning your patio is a must if you want to keep your garden looking aesthetically pleasing, as it’ll help to remove any debris and dirt which naturally appears on the area. Cleaning your patio will also help keep moss at bay, which if left can make the area look unkempt and untidy. Moss covering the patio can also make the surface slippy which can also make the area dangerous and has the potential to result in accidents.

Failing to clean your patio can also result in weeds appearing between the cracks, and as we all know it is no fun spending hours pulling weeds out.

How To Clean Your Patio:

How you clean, and also how often you clean your patio will depend on a number of factors – namely the surface of your patio. For example, stone patios are hard wearing and can last a lifetime with minimal maintenance and minimal cleaning. Concrete patios whilst hard wearing aren’t as hard wearing as stone. They also require cleaning on a more regular basis to avoid a build up of dirt, slime and moss.

Whatever patio you have, there are two methods to cleaning it. The first is the traditional method which involves manual labour, a hard bristled brush and soapy water – and to get the most from this method you’ll need to…

  • Clear your patio of any garden furniture and / or plant pots which are stored on there, before brushing it with a hard bristled brush – this will remove any loose dirt or debris.
  • Pour the water a small area at a time and then scrub using the hard bristled brush, continue doing this until you’ve covered the whole area of your patio.
  • Rinse the area with fresh, clean water – either from a hosepipe or a clean bucket – and again, scrub the area with the brush.

Alternatively for a less labour intensive method of cleaning your patio, we recommend you use a pressure washer combined with a specialist patio cleaner attachment, such as the Karcher T-300 T-Racer Patio Cleaner. The attachment not only helps to clean your patio, but also reduces the time it takes to clean whilst using minimum water.

To make the most of a pressure washer when cleaning your patio, we suggest you…

  • Clean your patio of any garden furniture, BBQ or plant pots. Once the area has been cleared you’ll then need to use a hard bristled to brush away any loose dirt and debris.
  • Apply a specialist patio cleaner, such as the Karcher Patio & Deck Detergent, as per the instructions and allow the cleaner to soak into the patio to ensure a deeper clean.
  • “Scrub” the area clean using your pressure washer with patio cleaner attachment, to agitate and remove the dirt.
  • With the patio scrubbed clean, refill your pressure washer with fresh water and using the lance, rinse the area. When using the lance, it is important to make sure it is set to spray the water as a fan rather than a single jet.In addition, it’s also important to make sure you hold the lance at a 45⁰ angle to your body and wash across the joints, rather than tracking up and down. By tracking across the joints you’re less likely to cause damage to them.
  • Allow the patio to completely dry before putting the garden furniture, plant pots, etc on it.

Taking the time to clean your patio can make all the difference to the aesthetics of your garden, meaning as spring rolls into summer and summer rolls into autumn, you’ll have an area of your garden to relax and unwind in.

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