Few sights are as satisfying to the amateur home gardener as an exquisitely assembled patio, with finely-cut paving slabs that delight with their patterns and colours. While a layout of paving stones is lovely to behold when it is newly laid, however, if left alone over time, these once-beautiful outdoor features will eventually deteriorate. Weather conditions both harsh and sustained, as well as the scrapes and impact of heavy objects caused by all sorts of activities held on the patio, chip away at your patio paving slabs and leave them looking old, worn and damaged. Keeping your patio in a pristine state demands that you do some periodic maintenance work, which doesn’t have to be back-breaking if you know what to do, and do it on a regular basis.
Conduct a timely sweep of dirt and debris from your patio, which do accumulate from the surroundings or from tracking by man and beast alike, so that they don’t cake into unsightly formations and ruin the clean, smooth surface. Pull up weeds and grass that grow between the pavers. Speaking of pavers, purchase some extras for the almost inevitable chipped or cracked ones that you’ll have to replace. Even if stuck to their spot by adhesive or cement, you can usually remove old pavers with a hammer, a chisel, and some careful tapping.
Stains are another common problem — who hasn’t spilled paint, beverages or other stuff on his patio pavement? Well, paint splotches are dealt with easily enough, with some paint thinner and a rag to wipe the stain away gently. After the area is clean, make sure you wash it with a decent soaping. A good scrub brush with tough bristles and some dishwashing liquid are fine for most other conventional stains, and for the seasonal wash that you’d like to give the paving stones. Rust stains can be tricky, as most solutions for cleaning rust may be too corrosive or otherwise damaging to the paving. If the soap and water path doesn’t yield results, you had better look for a product made specially for rust removal on patio paving, which you’ll probably be able to get at a home improvement shop. The best form of treatment for rust stains is prevention; make sure your metal furniture is rustproofed to minimize these kinds of stains. Lastly, oil strains can be quite stubborn, but kitty litter can reverse the damage if the stain isn’t too deep. Just lay kitty litter on the affected area overnight, and clean it up the next day. A grease-removing product, combined with a good scrubbing, should do the trick. Keeping your patio clean is a combination of constant vigilance and the occasional act of character-forming physical labor, but the rewards will be plain as day.