Patio Cleaning: Here’s How to Get Your Patio Ready for the Winter

Why Should You Clean the Patio?

You should clean your patio with suitable equipment at least twice a year. This will keep it looking good for longer and save you a lot of money. Because if you don’t care for your patio properly, you’ll have to renovate it sooner rather than later.

That’s why you should clean it at least once in the autumn and again in the spring. If you already get down to cleaning in the autumn, you will have to scrub less in the spring. The benefit is clear: When the sun appears again in the spring and your patio calls to you, you can start to enjoy your spot on the patio after just a few actions.

You can find out here how to whip your patio into shape in next to no time with the correct tips and suitable equipment.

Clear away Garden Furniture

You need to clear your patio before you can clean it. So clear away all patio furniture and any other objects. Store the chairs, tables, umbrella holders etc. in a shed or garage over the winter. They will be protected from freezing temperatures and other weather influences there.

Take Potted Plants to Their Winter Residence

The autumn is also the correct time to take potted plants which are not winter-hardy to their winter residence. Clear a place in the garden, greenhouse, cellar, garage, or somewhere else which fulfils the plants’ winter needs.

Pots often leave unattractive marks on paved floors or patios. But you can take care of these with the correct equipment later. The first thing to do is sort out the weeds around the edges.

Removing Weeds

There are bound to be some weeds here and there between the patio paving stones. Even if the entire patio is paved - weeds will almost always find an opportunity to grow in the joints. Scrape out any weeds from the joints. A pointer can help you here. It’s a little bit laborious but it’s worth it.

The job is easier if you use an electric joint brush. Although this only removes the top part of the plants. The roots remain in the soil. Then, it’s only a question of time before the weeds are visible again.

As alternatives, you can burn off the weeds or treat them with infrared.

Use this equipment exactly according to the manufacturer’s instructions. It often only takes three to five seconds before the plant dies off. There don’t have to be traces of burning visible on the outside.

Thoroughly Sweep the Patio

Once you have scraped out or burnt off the weeds, remove all the organic debris from the patio. That means the weed debris as well as the leaves and other plant debris. If you leave any behind it will rot. This creates humus which weeds will thrive on in the following year.

You can collect the debris really easily in one area of your patio using a leaf blower. The Bosch leaf blower ALB 18 LI is an example of a tool that is perfect for this.

Collect all the debris and dispose of the plant bits in the household trash. If you have a garden, then a composter is the place for organic debris.

Thoroughly Clean the Patio Paving Stones

Now the patio is clear, it’s the perfect time to clean the patio paving stones. This can be done quickly and easily with the correct equipment. Afterwards, the patio will be good as new.

Garden furniture, umbrella holders, flower pots and tubs often leave unattractive marks on the patio. Moss and algae leave additional soiling and marks. This dirt grips particularly well to the generally rough surface of patio paving stones.

You can get the preparation work done here with a low pressure cleaner, such as the Bosch Fontus. Use it on your entire patio and enjoy this quick and easy cleaning method.

Find out from the patio paving stone manufacturer in advance whether the paving stones are suitable for treatment with a pressure cleaner. They generally are, so you can save water, and your back, when cleaning.

Guide the cleaning jet of the Fontus over the surface in such a way that the water jet is directed away from the house and windows. Choose a pressure setting which removes the dirt: If anything is still left, you can increase the pressure. If all the dirt has been removed you can lower the setting if required.

A pressure cleaner is easy to use, but it also has a further advantage: This kind of equipment uses eight times less water to clean the patio than a garden hose.

Intensive Cleaning for Your Patio

You can treat areas where the dirt is particularly stubborn with a patio cleaner, for example the Bosch Aquasurf 280. It quickly has the patio paving stones looking good as new. The Bosch compact brush is particularly handy. It has a powerful water jet and its compact head even reaches tight spots.

The Correct Cleaning Agent for the Patio

It may be sensible to use a cleaning agent as well as a strong water jet and brush. In this case, find out exactly what type of cleaner is suitable for your patio paving stones. Open-pore natural stone or coated concrete paving stones in particular do not tolerate all cleaning agents. It is essential that you consult with the manufacturer and test the cleaner on an unseen spot on the patio.

You should not use household remedies such as citric acid or vinegar. The acids in these can dissolve the lime from the stone and thereby damage the patio paving stones.

You should only use acids where the patio is discoloured. In certain circumstances, this may somewhat improve the discolouration. However, here as well, it is essential to test the effect on an unseen spot.

It is particularly important that the cleaning agent is environmentally friendly. In most cases, it ends up with the water directly in the soil around the patio. It is then rinsed into the ground water through the lawn or plant beds. Therefore, you should take care to ensure that the cleaning agent is approved for household use and environmentally friendly. You should also always use a low a dosage as at all possible.

In general you cannot use herbicides on fixed surfaces. You should also only use green coating removers in an emergency. This often damages plants and animals.

If there is particularly stubborn soiling on the patio, you can soften it with a cleaning detergent for two to three hours. Then treat it with the equipment mentioned above, that is a pressure washer, patio cleaner or compact brush.

Cleaning a Wooden Patio

Wooden patios require a slightly different approach than paving stones. You should generally avoid chemical treatment here. Wood discolours very easily with such agents. Warm water and an environmentally friendly cleaning agent are the right choice here.

You can gently but thoroughly clean wooden patios with the compact brush from Bosch as well. The Aquasurf 280 patio cleaner is also great to used here. You can remove heavier soiling with the Fontus low pressure cleaner from Bosch. It is essential to set it to the lowest pressure level for wooden patios. In this way, the water jet cleans thoroughly without attacking the wood.

After cleaning the wooden patio, leave it to dry. Afterwards, you can treat it with an environmentally friendly oil. This will ensure a beautiful, even wood tone while protecting the natural material from rotting fungi.