What Should You Never Clean Your Patio With?

If you pick the right materials for your patios and have them properly installed by experts, your patios will not generally need too much in the way of intensive maintenance.

Generally, if you take a pressure washer to it every six months, you can typically wash away the weeds, the grime and the dirt that inevitably settle on your pavers as they remain exposed to the elements.

Alternatively, using an eco-friendly cleaning agent mixed with warm water and a hard-bristled brush can be just as effective at getting rid of dirt without causing too much damage to your stones over time.

However, whilst both of these methods will work to help you clean your patios, there are some commonly used treatments that are terrible not only for your paving stones but also for your garden as a whole.

White Vinegar

Whilst it has become popular as a multipurpose indoor cleaning solution, white vinegar and cleaning solutions derived from it are very bad for your paving stones, although just how damaging they can be depends on how your garden or drive is set up and with which materials.

Never use vinegar on limestone, because the vinegar will burn and dissolve the calcium carbonate and cause irreparable damage to your driveway or patio.

As well as this, if you have paving stones in grassy areas, the acidic solution can not only kill your plants but potentially contaminate the earth so it is difficult to grow anything in it in the future.

Bleach

Similarly, whilst bleach is a common cleaning agent for breaking down really tough stains, it is also terrible for your garden and bad for your pavers as well.

Bleach is a highly corrosive alkali substance and one that will kill plants very quickly and cause contaminated soil runoff that can have long-term ecological effects.

Beyond this, it can also discolour your stones and potentially cause permanent damage.