Cleaning patio slabs

kelbal

Hi guys,
I have pebble-dash type patio slabs I'm trying to clean up. I've used a good strong bleach solution and a hard wire brush. It has cleaned them a bit, but I just can't lift all the dirt to have them looking new. See the photo below comparing weathered ones, and ones that were unused in my shed and were put down to replace broken ones. I'm trying to get them all looking this 'new'. I've tried standard patio cleaning products from the shops in the past, but I'm a bit skeptical about them, find they don't do much different to the bleach solution. Any suggestions about a real powerful chemical solution that'll lift this dirt? Power washer isn't really an option.
thanks

hiujn

Power washer is the answer

Call me Al

We usually power wash ours. Comes up well too.

kelbal

hiujn wrote: »

Power washer is the answer

Thanks, but like I said, power washer not an option. It doesn't actually lift the dirt, and it totally water logs my garden, where the water runs off to. Actually discovered a mix of neat bleach and baking soda, mixed into a soupy mixture and left soak for a while does an amazing job. They're like new now

cobham

But does the bleach mix not damage the soil and kill plants?

kelbal

cobham wrote: »

But does the bleach mix not damage the soil and kill plants?

I was worried it might kill the grass but its a few days since i did it and it seems fine so far. I did periodically hose the grass off to dilute it down.

aujopimur

Regular bleach is too weak, get Clorus from the agri shop, apply when the slabs are damp and let the next shower do the rest.

kelbal

aujopimur wrote: »

Regular bleach is too weak, get Clorus from the agri shop, apply when the slabs are damp and let the next shower do the rest.

Thanks, but the job is done. The bleach & sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) mix was brilliant, wouldn't surprise me if this is was the chlorus product is.

Wyldwood

Kelbal, I have a similar problem, can I ask what proportions of bleach to soda you used? I tried bleach alone but did no good. I have heard good things about Chloras.

kelbal

Wyldwood wrote: »

Kelbal, I have a similar problem, can I ask what proportions of bleach to soda you used? I tried bleach alone but did no good. I have heard good things about Chloras.

Clean off your patio roughly with a bit of water & washing up liquid first to lift loose dirt, no point using the powerful stuff on this, it mightn't get all the way down.
Don't know about Chloras, but suspect it might be pricey? Spent about a tenner on my job. I rang around and couldn't find large quantities of bicarbonate soda on sale anywhere (builders providers \ agri merchants). Tesco have 500g bags of Shamrock Bread Soda, €1.30 I think, just got 6 bags of this and four 2 litre bottles of thick bleach. I kind of played it by ear, but I think I dumped one of these 500g bags in with roughly 1\1.5 litre of thick bleach. I was using up the last of a bottle of thin bleach at first and found this made a very runny mixture, thick bleach made a good soupy\syrupy mixture. Mix it well in a bucket so all the soda is blended into the bleach. Then I'd tip a little onto the patio slab and rub it in with a small hand scrubber brush. Leave it an hour or so and then give it a good hard scour with a hard metal bristled patio brush on a long broom handle, you can get them in B&Q etc. Hose off, job done! Bit of labour involved, but well worth it

Hocus Focus

Good solution!( No pun intended:) )
What I would do now, to maintain the good appearance would be to get a 5litre of Patio Magic and apply according to the instructions. It works slowly but steadily and only needs to be done once per year.

banoffe2

That's an interesting solution Kelbal, never heard of the bicarbonate of soda before but it makes good sense, wonder could it be sprayed on with the KNAPSACK SPRAYER, dissolving the bread soda would be the challenge so that it wouldn't clog up the nozzle also the thick bleach. Thanks again

hinault

Depending on the area size to be cleaned, I guess.

I've used bleached and soda before.

However and I kid you not here, the best option is wire brush and some elbow grease. Scrubbing the surface using a wire brush brings up the original feature really well and it is a longer lasting solution than the bleach/soda, power washing, remedies.