Patio Cleaning Products



There are so many patio cleaning products on the market that to cover them all would take longer than the time you and I have together to get into all of them. And some don’t work so well. Others are simply genius and will help you make a long day shorter by knowing how to use them. I took time to put together what I know works for me on patio surfaces and you will benefit from these solutions as well. First you need to identify just what the stain or spot is on your patio surface. Naturally it is better to clean these up as fast as possible, but some soaking with cleaning solution will go a long ways in making your patio respectable again.

Oil and grease are probably some of the toughest to get up off patios but they come up with some hot water and patio cleaning products which contain alkalizers. Look at the ingredients of the product to tell whether or not it has an alkaline degreaser. Most product websites now have this listed on them. The hot water will cause the oil to come up and float (more than cold) and the degreaser will continue to cut and break down the oil. I found that some degreasers will leave a weird looking shiny wet spot on concrete, so make sure you are using a good patio cleaning product.

Rust is as bad as oil. It goes deep into concrete pores and is a toughy. Products with oxalic acid work best as they remove rust well. Use these patio cleaning products with goggles or glasses because you don’t want this caustic stuff in your eyes. You might have to repeat several times before you get that rust stain up. I had to work on mine a bit but it finally came clean. Let the solution stand for several minutes before you start brushing it out.

Mildew and dirt seem to come up best with products that have bleach in them. Again, check the label. Use rubber or latex gloves and a bucket of water. Don’t get the patio cleaning product on you as it has chemicals in it. Let the solution stand for at least 10 minutes and remove. Scrub it with the hottest water you have.

Remove rubber tire marks or other rubber with brake cleaner. I know that’s not a patio cleaning product per se, but it works wonders. Let it sit for a bit to dissolve the rubber and then wash down. Brake cleaner works on many stains around the house as well. Experiment.

Some patio cleaning products have TSP or Tri-sodium phosphate in them. This works as an agent that breaks down stains. Some products may come with hydrochloric acid in them. This will etch part of the concrete away, so use these products with caution. Make sure you follow label directions and work with gloves and eye protection. You should be able to get up all the stains and have a great looking patio as well.

Tags:, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,