Patio Cleaning

What patio cleaning actually involves

Patio cleaning is the removal of algae, moss, lichen, black spot and ground in dirt from garden paving, using the gentlest method that will genuinely shift it. On hard, dense surfaces that can mean controlled pressure washing at a sensible distance. On soft or aged stone it means a low pressure softwash with a biodegradable biocide that kills the growth at the root, so the paving stays clean for far longer than a surface blast would leave it.

Most patios in the Ribble Valley go green on the same side of the garden every year. The north facing edge under a hedge or a boundary wall holds damp long after the rest has dried, and that is where algae, moss and black lichen spotting get their grip. We start by working out what the paving actually is, because the answer changes the method completely. York stone, Indian sandstone, porcelain and pressed concrete all behave differently under pressure, under heat and under a biocide.

Riven sandstone has an open, textured face and soft jointing. Hit it with a turbo nozzle held close in and you will scour the surface, blow the pointing out of the joints and leave stripes that never fade back. Porcelain is the opposite problem. It is dense and almost non porous, so the dirt sits on top as a thin film, often alongside grout haze left over from installation, and it wants a flat, even clean and a proper rinse rather than brute force.

Once the slabs are clean, the joints matter just as much. Washed out pointing lets water sit under the paving and gives weed seed somewhere to germinate, so we tell you honestly whether the jointing needs replacing rather than topping up. Sealing is optional and it is not right for every patio. On porous sandstone it does slow down staining from leaf fall, barbecue grease and spilled drinks, and we will say plainly when we think it is worth the money and when it is not.