During the summer months, you might notice parts of your garden are needing a little more TLC than others. If you’ve got a garden patio, this could be one of the messiest areas, thanks to weeds, moss and other nuisances.
This is often a bigger problem if your patio is positioned in a shaded area of the garden, as this creates the prime conditions for these annoyances to thrive. But before you invest in a pressure washer to try and sort it out, you might want to take a look in your kitchen cupboards first. Experts say your patio will ‘sparkle’ if you use one very simple and cheap ingredient to clean it.
Lucy Steele, a paint expert from Vaspar Paint, says you can transform your garden patio in as little as half an hour with just one product – white vinegar. This staple ingredient, which can be used for many different cleaning jobs in the home, can also be used in the garden too.
She said: “White vinegar is not only effective in cleaning patios and removing any stains, but it can also kill weeds in between paving stones too.”
How to clean your garden patio
If you’re looking for a quick and easy way to revitalise your patio, removing moss and weeds at the same time, then white vinegar is the answer.
All you need to do is mix together white vinegar and water, at a 50:50 ratio, then apply it to your patio and leave for around 30 minutes.
After the time is up, scrub the patio with a hard brush and wash it down with clean water. Repeat this method on any tougher stains or harder-to-clean areas, and your patio should look brand new again.
This advice was echoed by the experts at BBC Gardener’s World, who recommended first testing out the cleaning solution on a small area of your patio before covering the entire space, just in case of any potential damage.
But be careful if you’re using white vinegar to clean your patio. This can be damaging or corrosive to any surrounding plants, so before you carry out this task, shield plants from vinegar splash and rinse the patio thoroughly when you’re finished to clear away any run-off.