Will bleach get rid of black spots on patio

Patios are great additions to a home, whether it's out the front or the back of your property. If you want to host the perfect patio party and decide to clean it you may notice a series of black spots on the paving slabs. These can be unsightly, and can seem like they are almost impossible to remove - but they're not. With tips from Triple Clean Gang here's what to do if you find black spots on your patio.

What are the black spots on your patio?

The black spots on your patio are known as lichen. Pronounced ly-ken, lichen is a symbiotic association between a fungus and algae, and it causes marks on stone that can be very difficult to remove. It can appear basically anywhere, it's really not fussy, and is an airborne spore that will blow off the patio stones and into trees and elsewhere.

Unfortunately, pressure washing can damage patios if you're not likely and is unlikely to do much to combat your lichen spots, but it may remove things like green mold. You will need to use a more intense cleaning product to remove the black spots from your paving slabs.

Can you use household bleach to remove black spots from the paving slabs?

In short, the answer is yes, household bleach can be used to remove lichen from your patio. You will need to dilute some bleach in a bucket or spray bottle with some water. A good solution for the black spots on your paving slabs is 3 parts bleach to 1 part water.

Using this solution, you should soak your paving slabs. Using a stiff brush or wire brush, you might want to work the diluted bleach into the stone, but be careful not to work it in too hard as this can harm the stone. If you have black marks on sensitive stone or damaged stones, you might want to opt for a different way to remove the black spots.

Leave the solution to soak for a few hours, checking back regularly. Once you've left it for 10 hours or so, or you've achieved the desired results, rinse the stone with warm water. You may choose to rinse your patio slabs with a pressure washer to help remove the black stain.

What other ways are there to remove black spots from a sandstone patio?

If bleach and a jet wash has not successfully removed the black spots from your patio slabs, there are a few other techniques that people swear by to help remove black spots effectively. These may help to remove black spots from a badly affected patio.

White vinegar and dish soap

You can make your own concoction that is designed for removing black spots. It works like an algae remover, and should help to remove black algae just like a commercial patio cleaner. To make it, you will need:

• Water

• White vinegar

• Liquid dish soap

• Sodium borate

• A bucket or spray bottle

The first step is to make your patio cleaner. You can do this by mixing 1 gallon of water with a cup of bleach, 1/2 cup of white vinegar, then a tablespoon of dish soap and a tablespoon or sodium borate.

Apply this mixture to your block paving slabs using a spray bottle, and work it into the stone gently using a brush. Pay particular attention to the black stains to ensure that the solution gets a chance to work at removing black spots.

Leave the solution to soak for a while, then rinse off. You can do this by pressure or power washing, or just using a hose. If the black marks are still there, it might be worth trying again, or using a different method to remove the black marks from your hard surfaces.

Sodium hypochlorite

Sodium hypochlorite is a chemical compound that is, in some way, similar to bleach and other patio cleaners. It's very strong, though, and is recommended by many people for tackling black spots on patios.

To use it, mix sodium hypochlorite with water in a 50/50 solution. Pour this onto the patio slabs and use a soft broom to brush it across the pavement. You should see that the black spots begin to fade.

Continue or repeat this process until the black spots are completely gone. When done, rinse the area completely - especially if you have pets.

When using sodium hypochlorite you should be very careful around ponds and flower beds, as the chemicals can be very harmful to ecosystems.

Commercial patio cleaner

In addition to these chemical concoctions, you may choose to use a patio cleaner to remove the black stains from your patio. These are usually relatively reliable when it comes to looking for a black spot remover, and will often help to remove other stains and most algae. They use more chemicals than the home remedies and may be less cost-effective, but they are often quick and easy ways to get rid of the lichen.

To remove black lichen, the top recommendations for patio cleaning are Patio Magic and Wet & Forget. These are perfectly safe to use on your patio, so long as you follow the manufacturer's instructions, and will help to remove black spots from your patio, whether it's Indian sandstone or a more basic stone.

Both Patio Magic and Wet & Forget can be purchased online or in hardware stores.

How to prevent lichen from growing on a patio

There isn't that much that you can do to prevent lichen from forming, but one way to keep your patio safe from algae is to use a patio sealer. This will help to protect the paving stones from lichen and thus prevent the black spot stains from forming in the first place. The brick experts designed a stunning patio, using carefully selected bricks to create a durable and visually appealing outdoor space.

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