Eco-Friendly Ways to Clean Your Patio

There’s nothing worse than relaxing in the backyard and being distracted by the dirt and grime covering your patio. At the same time, you don’t want to have to resort to harsh chemicals to clean your patio at the expense of the environment. Luckily, there are plenty of ways you can protect the environment while still getting rid of dirt and stains.

Whether you have stains on your patio or you just want to keep it sparkling clean, here are some eco-friendly ways you can clean your patio and keep it that way.

Prevent Your Patio From Getting Dirty to Begin With

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure! Doing your best to keep dirt away from your patio in the first place goes a long way in helping to keep it clean. Obviously, it’s impossible to keep something perfectly clean in the great outdoors but that doesn’t mean you can’t do your best.

Patio umbrellas and awnings are one way you can keep your patio clean. The more of your patio that’s covered, the less likelihood of things like bird droppings, berries and pollen landing underneath. Umbrellas and awnings are a win for your patio, the environment and avoiding a sunburn.

The second preventative measure you can take is to regularly sweep and hose down the patio. This will prevent whatever dirt or organic materials that do make it onto your patio from being able to really set themselves in. The longer they sit on your patio, the harder they’ll be to get out, especially things like berries that will leave a stain. The best solution is to prevent that from happening in the first place.

Clean Your Patio With a Hose or Pressure Washer

A little bit of water can go a long way in deep cleaning your patio in an eco-friendly way. Pressure washing your patio is a great way to remove dirt, especially when it’s really set in and has been there for a while. You’ll absolutely notice the difference when it’s finished!

If you don’t have access to a pressure washer, a hose can do a good job of cleaning as well. For the best results, use a nozzle and put it on the narrowest stream possible; the higher the pressure the more dirt it will lift up.

Obviously, your patio doesn’t need to be pressure washed every week. A good approach is to pressure wash it in the spring to get rid of all the winter dirt and then maintain that freshly cleaned patio by hosing it down on a weekly basis.

While pressure washing or hosing down your patio may not use any sort of cleaning products or chemicals, you’ll want to conserve how much water you use to keep it as eco-friendly as possible. 

Make sure all furniture is moved out of the way so you don’t waste water while doing this in the middle of the process. You can also give your patio a good sweeping beforehand to minimize the amount of dirt that needs to be hosed away.

Give Vinegar a Try

Vinegar can be an effective way of cleaning your patio using products you probably already have around the house. It’s more powerful than water alone but without the harmful effects of chemical cleaning products.

How to Clean Your Patio With Vinegar

Your first step should be to sweep away any existing dirt.

Vinegar can kill any plants it comes into contact with, so make sure to move any planters or cover up any plants in gardens at the edge of the patio. If there are weeds you want to get rid of, this is a good chance to kill two birds with one stone!

Once you’ve finished sweeping, take a bucket or watering can and mix a solution that’s half water and half vinegar. Pour this solution all over the patio (watching out for plants!) and let it sit for 20 minutes. 

After you’ve let the vinegar solution sit, scrub the patio clean with a brush and then mop or hose down the patio with clean water. Let the patio dry to make sure there are no more traces of vinegar and then put the furniture and flowerpots back where they belong.

Scrub Your Patio Clean

It may be easier to let the hose do the heavy lifting, but sometimes you need to use a bit of elbow grease. Start with sweeping the patio while it’s dry and then give it a quick hose just to get it wet. You may also want to add some patio cleaner or biodegradable soap.

Once the patio is wet, get out your stiff-bristled deck brush and get to work! Once you’ve scrubbed every inch of the patio, hose it down once again to get rid of all the dirt and then sit back and enjoy the sparkle.

Use Biodegradable and Non-Toxic Patio Cleaning Products

Whether you’re using a pressure washer or some good old fashioned scrubbing, one of the best ways you can clean your patio without harming the environment is to choose the right cleaning product. 

When choosing an eco-friendly patio cleaner, choose products with labels such as “eco-friendly”, “biodegradable” or “natural”, like Sheiner’s Stone and Tile Cleaner, so you know it won’t do any harm. 

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