If your patio looks less like a place for family barbecues, and more like an archaeological dig, it’s time to give it a good clean. Cleaning a patio by hand is a laborious, ache-inducing chore, but things are different if you’ve got a pressure washer. With the right approach, you’ll quickly get things looking as good as new.
Pressure washers are powerful tools, and it pays to know what you’re doing. Use the wrong attachment or technique and you could get a patchy clean. Use too little power and you’ll barely clean, but use too much and you could physically damage the paving stones – or even yourself.
In this guide I’ll take you through giving your patio or paving stones a thorough pressure washing. I’ll also cover the safety basics, together with some tips to prevent a spring clean turning into a costly disaster.
What you’ll need
- A pressure washer and broom
- Detergent
- Patio-cleaning attachment (optional)
- Scrubbing brush (optional)
- White vinegar (optional)
The short version
- Clear and sweep the patio
- Set up your pressure washer
- Clean the patio
- Dealing with stubborn stains
- Rinsing off
Step 1.
Clear and sweep the patio
Start by clearing all of your patio furniture out of the way so you can see the whole patio. It’s a good idea to move planters, and pots too, but larger ones may be too heavy to shift. Give the empty patio a good sweep with a broom – it’s especially important to get rid of any loose stones or pebbles, which could cause damage or injury when propelled by a powerful water jet.
Look out for any damaged slabs or grout – a pressure washer could only make them worse. Consider protecting the base of glass doors or any ceramic or earthenware products you can’t move – leaning a wooden board against them should protect against low-flying stones.
Step 2.
Set up your pressure washer
Connect up your pressure washer to water and power, ideally using an RCD-protected plug socket, and a non-return valve to prevent water backflow. Fit the patio-cleaning attachment if you’ve got one. If not, choose the wide area lance or setting – don’t use a concentrated jet lance or setting.
Load your washer’s detergent dispenser or washing tool with an appropriate patio cleaner or, failing that, some washing up liquid diluted by about 10 parts of water. Before switching your washer on, follow the manufacturer recommendations to prime the machine with water. Wear suitable eye, foot, hand and ear protection, and keep pets and children out of the garden.
Step 3.
Clean the patio
Most patio surfaces will resist a medium-high pressure setting of around 140 bar, but if in doubt, start with a small test area then check for damage. If your pressure washer has adjustable power you could always start lower, and consider higher power settings if you don’t get the results you expect. Don’t use high power for wooden decking – follow our guide to how to clean decking.
Start cleaning methodically from one end of the patio to the other, breaking it up into areas if necessary. For the best results use smooth, sweeping motions until you’ve covered each entire area. If you’re using a lance, spray from a consistent distance at an angle of about 45 degrees – make sure you point the water spray away from you and any fragile objects. On patios without grout, avoid spraying directly down into the joints between paving slabs, as this will blow out the sand or grit between them.
Step 4.
Dealing with stubborn stains
Some stains may not come off so easily. You can tackle stubborn stains by scrubbing the affected area with soapy water and a stiff brush. For greasy stains like oil, try adding a bit of neat washing up liquid, then continue to scrub while you add small amounts of water. If this doesn’t work you may need a specialist degreaser. Green moulds are usually removable by soaking them for a while in white vinegar then gently scrubbing it off.
It’s not always a good idea to use bleach to clean patios, as it damages cement. This can weaken grout, and spoil some types of paving slab. Instead you can clean grubby grout with a 4:1 mix of baking soda and water, applied gently with a toothbrush. You can also buy specialist rust removers to get rust marks out of stone – handy if your metal patio furniture has seen better days.
Step 5.
Rinsing off
Once you’ve washed the patio and dealt with any problem spots, disconnect your pressure washer’s detergent dispenser and give the whole area a good rinse. Use a low pressure setting and work methodically, making sure any detergent and other residues are washed away. If you’ve inadvertently blasted sharp sand or grit from between paving slabs, use an outdoor broom to sweep it back into place as much as possible – after repeated cleaning, you may need to add more to ensure the patio slabs don’t move. Similarly, use patio grout to repair and restore any missing or damaged areas in a grouted patio.
While it’s optional, you could preserve the look of your patio by treating it once it’s dry. Patio sealers can prevent water bedding in, reducing the appearance of grime and mould over time and making the patio easier to clean. Most products will add a slight shine to the slabs, though, which might not be to your taste – it’s worth testing first on an inconspicuous area.
Troubleshooting
Yes, you can use four parts of baking soda to one of water to create a mildly abrasive paste. This is handy for cleaning patios, grout, and even some types of patio furniture. It’s likely to damage shiny surfaces, however, so don’t use it on metals or glass.
One of the quickest and easiest ways to restore a patio is simply to blast it with a pressure washer. Even without detergent, this can dramatically improve the appearance of most stone and cement-based surfaces.
A pressure washer is the fastest way to clean a patio, but it’s not the only one. Use a stiff brush and warm soapy water to wash your patio by hand, with white vinegar or a baking soda paste to tackle obstinate stains. When you’ve finished, thoroughly rinse everything with a hose, or several buckets of water.
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