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How To Clean Concrete Patio Without Hose

Get A Surface Cleaner

HOW TO CLEAN CONCRETE WITH NO PRESSURE WASHER (Back Patio Soft Wash W/ Chemical Mix)

It takes a lot of time and effort to clean a driveway with a nozzle. You can cut both in half by using a pressure washer surface cleaner. And theyre affordable, ranging from $20 to $90. The one I used cost $88 online and was worth every penny. As you use it, pull it from side to side rather than pushing it. Also, hold the wand upright to avoid putting pressure on your back.

How To Remove Fertilizer Stains From A Concrete Driveway

Lawn and plant fertilizers contain metals and minerals that can leave rust-like stains on a concrete driveway. These may even result in permanent color change if they are allowed to penetrate. To bring out the stains, try applying distilled white vinegar diluted 50:50 with water. If the vinegar doesnt work, you may need to use something stronger, such as muriatic acid diluted 40:1 with water.

Tip: Be aware that acidic cleaning solutions may etch or change the profile of the concrete in the areas you clean. Test them out in a small area first.

How To Clean Concrete Steps

Cleaning concrete steps is easy! First, sweep and rinse them down to remove all debris. Then create a paste using a mix of Tide Oxi or Oxi Cleanyou can ignore the ratios on the box and instead put a scoop into the bucket and add water slowly until the mixture resembles the thickness of peanut butter. Use a hand brush and scrub the steps, then rinse with a hose.


So, now that you know how to clean concrete, what do you do with your concrete once its clean? You can do what I did and paint your concrete with this easy DIY concrete painted rug! Its super easyand super cute! Enjoy!

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How To Clean Patio Slabs

Wondering how to clean patio slabs? Weve put together this comprehensive step-by-step guide to help you keep your garden paving slabs in good condition.

If youre planning on cleaning your patio slabs, then youve come to the right place. In this guide, were going to go through a series of step-by-step processes showing you how to clean patio slabs with soapy water, how to clean patio slabs with bleach, and how to clean your patio slabs with a pressure washer.

Once youve read this guide, youll be able to get rid of all of the dirt and plant life thats currently ruining the appearance of your patio and make it look like new. Youll be amazed at what an enormous difference a good clean patio can make.


If youre starting off your first patio project and need advice and tips on building a patio area, have a look at our how to lay patio guide which provides a step-by-step guide on the process.

How To Pressure Wash Concrete Driveways

How To Clean a Concrete Patio Without a Pressure Washer ...

Pressure washing machines work by hooking up a garden hose to the washer and shooting the water out of a trigger gun at speeds reaching over 100 miles per hour. The steady water stream easily removes hard to reach dirt and stains.

If you dont own a power washer, they are often available for rent at a local hardware store. Learning how to pressure wash concrete driveways is one of the quickest and most straightforward solutions.

Before attempting driveway pressure cleaning, first, clear your driveway of cars or objects and sweep away loose dirt or stones to ensure you dont blow debris where you dont want it to go. Use a high-pressure nozzle on the pressure washer and begin power washing the concrete by moving the trigger gun back and forth in one section at a time.

If washed on full strength, the concrete slightly lightens in color, and you see the difference between the power washed areas and the unwashed areas. Continue until the entire driveway is clean.


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Cleaning A Concrete Driveway

Carsten Reisinger / Shutterstock.

A new decorative concrete driveway is a bit like a new car. It looks great for the first year or two, but will eventually lose its luster if you dont clean and maintain it on a regular basis.

Stains from hot tire marks, oil leaks, mold and mildew, and chemicals are bound to happen. But they dont have to ruin your curb appeal if you know the best methods and cleaning materials to use to remove them. Here are some tips for cleaning your concrete driveway and how to protect and preserve it for years to come.

How To Clean A Cement Patio Using Muriatic Acid

If none of the other cleaning solutions have been successful, consider using muriatic acid powder. However, its important to note that contact with this strong chemical can cause skin burns or damage to your eyes, lungs, and nose lining.


If you do use muriatic acid to remove mineral deposits or mold from your concrete patio, make sure to wear protective gear, including goggles and a face mask. Muriatic acid is readily available at many home improvement and big-box stores.

To prepare your cleaning solution, carefully pour one part muriatic acid into four parts hot water and stir to combine. Pour the acid over your patio and let it sit there for about ten minutes, making sure to rinse away the acid before it dries. Finish by sprinkling baking soda to neutralize any remaining acid.

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What To Use For Cleaning A Concrete Patio Floor

The method you use for cleaning your patio will depend on how heavily stained or soiled it is. A mild soap or vinegar solution, hose and a stiff broom are what most people use to clean hardscapes.

Heavily soiled or stained patio will need a pressure washer machine for a fast and effortless cleaning. But the machine requires a skill to prevent damaging your surfaces.


Patios in humid areas badly suffer mold and algae infestations and a household cleaner such as vinegar, baking soda or bleach may be used for cleaning the fungus. Concrete patios should be kept dry to prevent future growth of mold, algae or moss.

When using bleach or vinegar to clean your outdoor areas, it is good to be aware that these household chemicals has a potential to kill plants and weeds. Bleach specifically can also be harmful to other living organisms including yourself.

Removing Fertilizer Stains From A Concrete Patio

No more power/jet washing Cleaning patio drives paths brick stone concrete.

Fertilizer from your lawn or planters can leave stains on concrete. The ingredients in fertilizer penetrate and react with the cement, causing a permanent color change. Try using a clear white vinegar, diluted 50:50 with water to bring out the stains. Test in a small area first and be aware that the acid may etch or change the profile of the concrete in the areas you clean.

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Choose The Right Nozzle

Nozzles are calibrated in degrees, and the lower the number, the narrower and more powerful the stream. I experimented with various nozzles and settled on three: For dousing the concrete with detergent, a 65-degree worked well. For the actual cleaning, a 25-degree was fastest. For tough areas, I used a 15-degree nozzle. Pick up a 5-in-1 dial nozzle to make changes quick and easy.


How To Clean Concrete Without Pressure Washer

Cleaning your concrete using a pressure washer might be useful, but sometimes it damages the surface allowing faster growth of mold and mildew. Therefore, the easiest and safer method of washing your concrete is cleaning without a washer.

The following are clear guidelines on how to wash your concrete without a washer:

First, take an equal amount of concrete cleaner and water, then pour it into a tank sprayer. Second, saturate the entire porous concrete until the cleaner pools on the surface. Add detergent in case it dries up. Third, use a deck brush to scrub the surface until it is spotless and rinse the surface repeatedly for effective cleanliness.

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Loosening Light Stains With Vinegar

  • 1Combine distilled white vinegar with warm water. Pour the vinegar and water into a large bucket in equal quantities and stir them together. Vinegar is naturally acidic, and can help lift and dissolve stains from within the shallow pores of the concrete better than water alone. Use a ratio of two parts vinegar to one part water if your patio has been affected by moss or mildew growth.XResearch source
  • If you dont happen to have vinegar on hand, the same concentration of hydrogen peroxide should also do the trick.XResearch source
  • For slightly heavier or more persistent grime, add half a cup of baking soda to the vinegar solution.
  • 2Douse the dirty concrete with the vinegar solution. Slosh the contents of the bucket directly over the surface of the patio. Making sure to cover as much area as you can so that the vinegar will be able to clean the concrete evenly.XResearch source
  • Apply the solution liberally. Vinegar isnt damage concrete, so you wont have to worry about accidentally using too much.
  • It may be necessary to mix up more solution if youre cleaning a particularly large area.
  • 3Allow the vinegar to sit for several hours. While vinegar makes an effective natural cleaner, it is relatively mild, which means it will take time to work. The solution will gradually seep down into the concrete, breaking up trapped and solidified dirt.XResearch source
  • Make better use of your time by tackling other household cleaning and maintenance tasks while the concrete is soaking.
  • Small Changes In Product Size & Weight Lead To Lower Carbon Emissions

    How to Clean a Concrete Patio Without a Pressure Washer

    We created Compact by Design to identify products that, while they may not always look very different, have a more efficient design. With the removal of excess air and water, products require less packaging and become more efficient to ship. At scale, these small differences in product size and weight lead to significant carbon emission reductions.


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    Cleaning Your Patio Without A Pressure Washer

    General patio cleaning does not require special tools or equipment and can be done in just 3 easy steps:

  • Rinse dirt/debris off the concrete surface with a garden hose.
  • Apply a small amount of liquid dish soap and scrub with a push broom.
  • Rinse well with a garden hose until there is no sign of soapsuds.
  • Tip: If youre going to be resealing your patio, wait 24 hours after cleaning for it to air dry. If youre in a hurry, a leaf blower can be used to speed up the drying process.

    Akvals / Shutterstock

    Hiring Professional Concrete Cleaners

    If youve tried every product you could find to remove a stain on concrete and nothing is working, there are services available to homeowners who desire some extra strength.

    Professional cleaners often used powerful chemicals like muriatic acid that break down oil stains easier than other compounds.

    Your concrete driveway, garage floor, or patio will inevitably endure a few stains. Skills like knowing how to pressure wash concrete help to keep your concrete looking like it was freshly poured. The sooner youre able to spot a stain, the easier it is to remove.

    Sometimes cleaning concrete is a hassle with not enough time in the day to get to it. If thats the case, apply a sealer to your concrete to fill the pores and keep stains off.

    Regardless of which action you decide to take, your concrete and homes curb appeal are left in better condition than before.

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    Cleaning Concrete With Cola

    Cola and other dark sodas have two major components that help fight stains. The acid breaks down the fluid that caused the stain, while the carbonation lifts the debris to the surface for easier cleaning.

    • Bristle brush

    Wet the stained area with water. Sprinkle the powder detergent over the spot and let sit for one hour. Bring a large pot of water to a boil while you wait.

    Once boiling, take the pan outside and pour the hot water over the stain. Scrub the area with a bristle brush. Rinse the area with fresh water once finished. Repeat as often as necessary.

    How To Clean Your Patio With Bleach

    Aggregate Concrete Cleaning- Patio Cleaning

    Cleaning your patio with bleach provides a little extra oomph over soapy water. Bleach gets into all the dirty cracks and helps to improve the appearance of your patio slabs dramatically. It can help you get rid of moss, algae and weeds.

    Cleaning a patio with bleach is easy once you know how, but it can be dangerous. First, youll need to make sure that theres no run-off of the bleach onto any surrounding plant life. Plants that come into contact with bleach will die.

    Second, bleach isnt suitable for man-made concrete slabs only natural paving stones. Bleach will fade artificial slabs over time. Lastly, youll need to wear protective clothing to stop the bleach from getting on your skin.

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    S On How To Clean A Patio Without A Hose:

    If you have no access to a pressure washer or hose to clean your patio the tools available to you will still clean the patio as effectively, only that it will require more time and effort.

    For this task, you will need a bucket a hard-wire brush or broom a specialized cleaning agent as mentioned above for your type of brick or stone paving, or concrete cleaner a bag of sawdust, kitty litter or sand and, a broom.

    How Do You Clean A Patio Without A Pressure Washer

    If you want to clean a patio without a pressure washer, youll need to opt for one of the methods above. A soapy solution can be all thats required for patio cleaning, and if youre not sure whats best, why not start with this method, as youll likely have everything you need to get on with your patio cleaning right away.

    Most of us have vinegar in the store cupboard as well, so this is the cleaning remedy to try if stains remain after youve used soapy water and a stiff brush. Worried about the smell if you use vinegar? Dont be. It will disperse rapidly after youve rinsed the patio.

    A specialist patio cleaner is your friend if these methods dont cut it, but always check its suitable for the material from which your patio is constructed .

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    Experiment On A Less Visible Spot

    If you hold the nozzle too close to the driveway, the pressure can etch the concrete surface. The distance depends on the power of your pressure washer and the nozzle youre using. Try experimenting on an inconspicuous spot and see how close you can get without damaging the concrete.

    Plan ahead and work from top to bottom. If your roof, siding and retaining walls need to be washed, do them first. Otherwise, dirty water will run off those surfaces and ruin your clean driveway.

    What About Sealed Or Stamped Concrete

    How to Clean Patio Pavers in Your Backyard

    Most professionals recommend not using anything besides water and a little soap for sealed or stamped concrete. The purpose of sealing concrete is protect it and make it easier to clean. Our DIY concrete patio cleaner should not be used on sealed concrete. Double check with the person who installed your sealed concrete or a local professional if you have this special type of concrete to see what they suggest.

    This DIY in our post today will be best for regular concrete surfaces.

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    Cleaning Concrete Patio With Bleach

    Bleach should be the last resort especially when you are dealing with tough stains or sticky grime. Remember safety first use away from children and pets. Put on gloves and gas mask to avoid inhaling bleach. Mix bleach with water and in equal parts and put the solution in a spray bottle.

    Spray bleach solution on the stained surface and let it sit for 10 minutes. Dont spray a lot such that it begins to overflow to adjacent flowers or grass. Use a deck brush to scrub off stains and rinse the solution using a garden hose.

    Bleach is also effective in getting rid of mold on pavers and patio stones. The solution kills many weeds and some plants. Use with cautious to avoid affecting wanted plants.

    After cleaning your brick or concrete patio, let it dry before you return furniture and other objects. Dampness attracts the growth of mold and sea weeds such as green algae and moss on patio stones. If there is no direct sunlight on the surface, find a way of driving away any moisture left behind.

    Smart Ways To Clean A Concrete Driveway

    How do you know its time to clean your driveway? Grab a broom and begin sweeping away loose dirt and debris from the concretes surface. Walk up and down the driveway, looking for signs of stains, mildew, or mud that werent removed when sweeping.

    Observing your concretes condition is also the first step for cleaning concrete garage floor or concrete patios. Youll likely find a stain, and learning how to clean a concrete driveway pays off in the end.

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    How To Remove Moss From Pavers

    You can use several methods and products to get rid of moss in pavers. Below we will list some ways to do it. Be aware that all the methods listed, even if natural, always have downsides.

    • Using boiling water
    • Kill moss with baking soda
    • Using bleach

    The way to do it is simple: Apply the substance over the moss and allow it to work for a few minutes. After that, use a broom and a garden hose to wash off the remaining debris.


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