Cleaning patio stones

Depends on the patio what sort of pavers and if it is grouted.

Quite large stones. Lots of greenery atm! I think it’s grouted

Go back to the company that installed your patio and they will be able to give you the correct advice for your stones.

You can ruin them with the wrong products or process.

Definitely check before you clean it our new patio is porcelain and is grouted so although my pressure washer would clean the patio i would have watch it doesn't dislodge the grout.
I use Floorseal Porcelain Spring clean for the first wash but the weather is not really good enough to do it yet. You have to be careful with this and read the instructions. After that I use a a lighter cleaner when required.

We have standard pavers in our yard that are well cemented in so we just use water from the pressure washer.

Ours is sandstone flagstones cemented in. We use Wet & Forget, just water it onto the stones and leave it. Works well, but not so easy to keep the cat off it when it's wet.

I shall be watching this with interest - as I had tatty concrete paving stones replaced with sandstone ones a couple of years back.

I had assumed the guy would use the standard concrete type mix for grouting - and found he used that modern brush-in stuff instead. Cue for lots of it came back out again - and I said to him that I had expected the normal stuff to be used and to re-do it with that concrete grouting. That is coming out too!!!!! Not a happy bunny - and it hadn't occurred to me "Take special precautions for West Wales or use something different" (ie all the rain there is here).

My last house - back in Devon - had concrete paving stones with standard concrete grouting and not one tiny bit came out in all the time I had that house and hence I'm puzzled at it getting wrecked here.

What I use must not be an environmental problem - as I'm growing some food in my garden (organically of course) and so the only thing that could be sprayed per se is water with nothing in it.

Off to check whether "Wet & Forget" is environmentally friendly and won't haul out even more of the grouting....

Too much sand in his concrete mix CariadAgain ?

I wonder if you're right on that Oreo.

Which, I guess, would mean getting someone (not him) in to re-do it? - and darn well paying out some of that money again.....

Agh! as it's a rather big amount of garden that I've paved with that. There was a lot of concrete paths and concrete paving stones - and up it all came and sandstone paving stones down instead. We are talking a narrow path, an 8' odd wide path, a patio area at the back, a patio area at the front basically. It was easiest to just replace all the "concrete garden" bit the house came with and have "proper garden" in the integral beds (quite a noticeable amount) and add raised beds on what parking space I don't require (just leaving enough parking for a tradesperson van or a friends car). So I've carefully worked out what personal parking I require and how many square feet of growing space is required for "1 person and guests" - but yep....all that sandstone paving....

I was thinking of pay in someone to do it with a power washer. It is very dirty. I have pots with flowers which leave mud. Thr power washer company is quite dear though.

Just had quick check and what I bought in - but it's not been used yet is "Wet & Walk Away" for cleaning paving stones.

Guessing "Wet & Forget" is the chemical equivalent of "Wet & Walk Away" - so at least I got that one right and bought "mine". Yet to be used - so I don't know what it's like yet - currently awaiting a friend I do the odd bit of bartering with to come and clean off my paving stones in return for stuff I've done for/given them.

We use a Power washer, if it's really bad I use White Vinegar and Bicarbonate of soda sprinkled on first. Comes up lovely.

CariadAgain
You say that what I use must not be an environmental problem
And yet you insist on your workman using one of the biggest polluters on the planet: cement.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-46455844#:~:text=But%2C%20while%20cement%20%2D%20the%20key,to%20think%20tank%20Chatham%20House.

This is why all our decking and pathways are laid with recycled plastic.

Another vote for Wet and Forget. Takes a few weeks to work but then last twelve months or more. One point it kills off weeds and plants in between but they come back whether you want them to or not. At least mine do. Not particularly cheap but worth it as it’s so quick and easy to apply. Good for walls too

I have rough non slip concrete on both my big patios, I never cleaned it last year as I was busy removing veg trugs and other planters, mine are looking bad now after this very wet winter

The slabs are 45cm and laid onto sand. I will be doing this big area in two tranches, I have to move items and will not be over-doing it. Karcher for me and the flat racer attachment to apply and brush with the stone cleaner, first the wetting then the brushing and lastly the pressure wash with the lance. Honestly, I enjoy doing this job as long as I wear wellingtons and my waterproofs

I used wet and forget when the slabs were new, the karcher does a better job

Linen shades that will sit on a candle bulb

Sorry wrong thread 🤦‍♀️

Oreo

Too much sand in his concrete mix CariadAgain ?

Rather a lot worse than that I'm afraid.

I wish ChatGPT had been around when I had the workman do the patio. I could have asked for exactly what specifications to give - but all I knew to say was what type of stones I wanted my paving stones to be and sort the drainage issue a part of the garden had and remove the trip hazards it had.

I've asked for that specification now it is here. It boiled down to "It doesnt matter what you have in the way of grouting between the stones now. The fault lies with the way he did (or rather didnt do the base). He would know it's West Wales (ie all the rain and it's clay soil) and what he should have done is" - and then went into a list of it...whoops. What he did is nothing like that for a base. It suggests I should take him to court about it with the way he's done it. Oh boy.

Followed by telling me to have all the paving stones taken up and relaid with the base set-up it should have had in the first place. Then it told me the cost of even doing that with the same paving stones = agh!!! Not that far-off what I paid him in the first place.

Cue for I told it I'm in my 70's (ie estimated 10 years to go and not a "lifetime" worth of time) and asking its views on turning even the paving stones a bit semi-wild/hippy/flowers growing in the joints sort of idea. A rather more reasonable amount - I might be able to get away with that for around £1,000.

So with the huge amount of extra renovation "work" it has taken to have things done here/deal with bad neighbours I've had and it takes a lot more "work" to live in some parts of the country than others - as I've found out and I'm reluctant to have it take even more of my time and money doing so...then I'm rather inclined to "turn it hippy" so to say with that makeshift idea...

The neighbours have cost me £2,000 on security cameras, £1,000 on replacing a gate they broke and refused to sort out, £3,000 on solicitor costs when they nicked a bit of my garden - so I'm very reluctant indeed to spend money on redoing a patio that should be okay in the first place - as it is big - what Chat GPT called a "wrap-around patio".

I use Wet and Forget or the equivalent. They work wonderfully and the appearance gradually improves as it weathers. Mine usually lasts for 2 years, so good value and minimal effort.

Our patio is blue lias and we use a pressure washer, no additives, water only.

Karcher pressure water, plain water.

I just watched a Youtube video on this!

I think it depends on the size of your patio but the method I saw was just to dampen the stones- sprinkle on some soda bic (available as cleaning soda in DIY stores) and washing up liquid, then scrub with a good firm brush, then rinse and leave to dry.

I am going to try it as my yard is paved but small, but I'll wait for some sunshine first!

Is Wet and Forget safe to use if you have a dog? The moss on my driveway and patio is the worst it’s ever been and I just can’t keep on top of it. I’ve just cleaned a load of moss off my car.