August 7, 2020
By VSFwebsite
Brick Pavers add a decorative element to any setting. Whether your pavers are used as a walkway through your garden, a patio, on your pool deck, or driveway, your pavers are bound to lose their luster over time. Luckily, you can restore your pavers with a mild cleaning solution, stiff bristled broom and replacement sand. The 8 steps below on How to clean brick pavers will help your pavers last for a lifetime
Remove furniture and plants from your paved area
Depending on where your brick pavers are located, remove any potted plants or furniture that can get in the way of cleaning. You want a clear surface free of obstacles while cleaning. At this point, cover any surrounding landscaping with tarp that may be damaged by water or chemicals in the cleaning products. Be sure to also cover metal objects.
Clear all moss and weed growth on your brick pavers
Use a stiff bristled handheld brush or brush broom to agitate and brush away any moss growth on or in between pavers. Gently pull weeds out in between paver joints. When all of the organic growth has been loosened, brush the debris off of your paved surface. If you remove a lot of underlying sand by pulling weeds (or haven’t re-sanding your paving in a few years), you will have to re-sand your pavers once you are finished cleaning.
Saturate the brick paver surface
Before you start cleaning the paver surface with soap or any other type of cleanser, hose down the entire area with water. You don’t need to power wash the area at this point; the pavers merely need to be wet so they don’t soak up the cleanser and form a murky film.
Prepare your cleaning solution
There are a few different cleaners you can use to clean your brick pavers. The safest cleanser is a mixture of warm water and a mild household cleaner, like dish detergent. Fill up a gallon sized bucket with water and add about 16oz of dish detergent. Mix the soap into the water thoroughly. Once your cleaning solution is ready, gently pour some onto your paver surface, working in small areas at a time. There are also specific cleaning solutions. These specific cleansers can be found at home improvement stores. Consider asking an employee for advice on what cleanser to use on your pavers.
Attention: Whichever cleanser you decide on, be sure to follow the manufacturing directions that come with the cleanser. Be cautious of cleansers that are highly acidic; they can damage your pavers and prove to be harmful to children, pets, and vegetation around your pavers.
Brush the pavers with a stiff brush
Use a stiff bristled broom to scrub the cleaning solution into the paver surface. The harsh scrubbing from the broom bristles will loosen engrained dirt and stains. Depending on your cleaning solution, you may need to leave the cleaning solution on the paver surface for some amount of time. This sitting time will help the cleanser penetrate through tough dirt build up.
Rinse down the area
Once you are finished scrubbing and cleaning your brick paver surface, gently rinse off the cleaning solution with clean water and into a nearby drain. You can use a regular garden hose to rinse off the cleanser or use a power washer to blast off harsh stains. However, power washers can sometimes cause more harm than good (by excavating sand in between paver joints), so be careful if you decide to use a power washer.
Re-sand your pavers
Once the brick pavers are completely cleaned, the joint spaces in between the pavers need to be refilled with sand. Open up your sand bag and pour about 1/3 of the sand onto a small area of the paved surface. Sweep the sand all over on the paved surface with a dry, stiff bristled broom.
Mist the sanded pavers
Once all the sand is spread out into the brick paver joints, use a mist setting on your hose to mist water over the brick pavers. The misted water will allow the sand to settle in between the paver joints. Try not to saturate the pavers and wash away the newly laid sand.
Paver House is here to help
If the wear and tear of your brick pavers need more than just some basic cleaning, you might be looking into paver replacement. Contact Paver House today so we can provide you with a free estimate.
