Spring is the best time of the year for your patio. To make your patio embrace spring in the best way possible, you need to clean and prepare it properly. A dirty patio is a waste of such a beautiful season.
If you have a pressure washer in your house, spring cleaning is a much easier task for you.
However, not everyone has a pressure washer available at their home. Plus, not all patios are appropriate for pressure washing. If your patio is built of cement, for example, you should avoid using a power washer to clean it.
Because concrete is permeable to water, a forceful jet of water can easily harm your concrete patio or driveway, reducing its total lifespan. But don’t be concerned. In this article, we are about to share how to clean a patio without a pressure washer easily and efficiently for spring. Here we go!
Things to Do Before Cleaning the Patio Surface
Before you hop into cleaning your patio surface, make sure you don’t miss any of the following.
Clean and Clear Away Outdoor Furniture or Other Movable Items
You will not be able to clean the patio surface properly if you don’t clear away the furniture from there. The furniture in your patio will cover some areas that will be neglected if it is not removed before cleaning.
Moreover, before removing the furniture, make sure to clean it first. Because if you clean it later, the dirt on its body will fall on the surface of the patio, making all your hard work go to vain.
Rinse Powder-Coated Aluminum
Aluminum is a low-maintenance material. But that doesn’t mean it doesn’t need any maintenance at all. Especially aluminum kept in the moist environment outside the house needs care.
All you need to do is rinse the aluminum surface gently to clean the layer of dirt and grime. Even though this should be enough for cleaning aluminum, you can add a bit of soapy water as well in case the aluminum is too grimy.
Remove Algae on Wrought Iron
Wrought iron furniture is a popular choice for the patio due to its durability. However, during the moist winter weather, algae deposits on the surface of wrought iron. To fix it, you need to scrub it with a stiff bristle brush soaked in mild soapy water.
Pull out Weeds from the Slab Cracks
Even if your patio is slabbed, you might still encounter weeds growing on the cracks and joints that don’t have a proper filling. Before cleaning the patio surface, pull out these weeds and discard them.
The Best and Easiest Methods to Clean Your Patio
How hard cleaning the patio will depend on the condition of your patio. However, these three easy methods should cover the cleaning requirements of all types of patios.
Thorough Cleaning with a Soft Bristle Brush
If your patio was cleaned about one or two weeks ago, it shouldn’t be too dirty to manage. To clean a mildly dirty patio, a quick brushing of the dry dirt and leaves off the surface with a soft bristle brush should work.
No matter how dirty your patio is, this should be the very first step of cleaning the surface.
Scrubbing with a Hard Bristle Brush
Scrubbing is required to clean damp, grimy, and stained surfaces. Scrubbing is comparatively a tiring process. So, you don’t need to scrub the entire patio surface.
Rather, you can scrub some selective areas that are stained and filled with stubborn grime. It’s best to use a hard bristle brush with small handles for scrubbing, along with some soapy water or vinegar solution for easier cleaning.
Sweeping Using Mop or Cloth Soaked in Cleaning Solution
Sweeping is a major step of the entire cleaning process. Even if your patio is not too dirty, it is better to sweep it with soapy water, vinegar solution, or other patio cleaning solutions.
If you don’t sweep, you will not be able to remove numerous dust particles on your patio surface that remains even after brushing. Sweeping and air drying the patio makes it look much fresher and cleaner than it does after only brushing off the dirt.
After Cleaning Preps
After cleaning, don’t forget to prepare and renovate the patio for spring. Here are a few you must do.
Redecorate the Space
Decorate the patio all over from the beginning. Try to add extra elements to complement the spring environment.
Replace Burned-Out Light Bulbs
Your patio lights go through a lot. Harsh weather, birds, and insects are a few of the many factors the patio lights have to deal with. Hence, they are prone to burning out faster than indoor light bulbs.
It’s time for you to check on them and replace the old burned-out light bulbs with a new patio lighting system that complements spring.
Fill Up Larger Slab Cracks
If your patio is covered with concrete slabs, cracks on the slab surfaces are pretty common. Small cracks aren’t something to sweat about, but larger cracks often grow weed on them and ruin the outlook of the patio. Thus, check on the slab cracks and fill up the larger ones with cement fillers. According to professional stained concrete contractors, check on the slab cracks and fill up the larger ones with cement fillers.
Remove and Discard Last Year’s Annual Plants
Spring is the best time to plant flowering trees and shrubs. So, along with planting new plantlets, remove the annual plants you planted last year.
Clean, Treat and Paint Fences, Walls, and Sheds
Don’t forget to clean the fences and sheds as well. Your entire spring-cleaning mission will be incomplete without cleaning the fences, walls, and sheds. If their color looks dull and worn out, furnish them with new paints.
Clean Away the Tools and Equipment
Before wrapping up, don’t forget to clean up the tools and equipment used for cleaning and maintaining the patio. After cleaning, washing, and drying the equipment, store it properly.
The Best Cleaning Solutions to Clean the Patio
Even though soapy water and vinegar solutions are the simplest and most efficient options for cleaning the patio, they might not be enough for cleaning tough damp, grim, and stubborn stains.
So, here’s a list of patio-cleaning solutions, starting from the simplest to the toughest, that can be applied while cleaning the patio, depending on the condition and requirement.
- Soapy Water
- Vinegar Solution
- Patio Cleaner
- Oxygen Bleach
- Hydrogen Peroxide
- Muriatic Acid (Only if needed)
Tips to Maintain a Clean Patio During Spring Time
– Regularly sweep the patio to avoid stubborn stains.
– Spring clean the paving at least once or twice a week.
– Regularly clean and check on the patio furniture.
Final Words
We hope we were able to help you with all the information you needed to clean and prepare your patio for the spring. Now just do some quick cleaning, sit back, and enjoy spring!
