The two common household products you should never use to clean your patio — according to an expert
Cleaning your patio this summer? You might want to think twice about what household items you're grabbing to do the job as you could be causing more harm than good.
As summer heats up, many of us spend more time on our outdoor patios entertaining friends and family. After cleaning my patio in spring, I realized I may have been making a mistake by using common household items like white vinegar and bleach. An expert, Morgan Smith from Pegseo Stone, advises against these two products when cleaning patios.
White vinegar, highly acidic, can harm certain patio materials such as limestone and other calcareous pavers, as well as nearby grass and plants. Similarly, bleach may give visual improvement but can cause lasting surface damage and subsequent maintenance costs. Instead of vinegar or bleach, Smith recommends a simple soap and water solution, preferably eco-friendly, to avoid harmful chemicals.
Using warm water and soap along with a hard-bristled brush, scrub the patio from the corners inward, rinsing each section before moving on. If a pressure washer is available, use a low-pressure setting and angle the nozzle at 30-degrees, rather than directly at the pavers. Lastly, Smith advises checking the joints between each slab after cleaning to maintain the patio's security and prevent further deterioration.
Written by urgent.news from Tom's Guide's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — it may contain errors, so check the original before relying on it.
