How to Remove Moss From Pavers
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One of the many questions homeowners have is “how to remove moss from pavers,” and it’s easy to see why.
Moss is the biggest threat to a beautiful patio. It looks unsightly – by staining bricks and creating textured growth. It can also make the surface of pavers slippery, creating a fall risk for anyone who walks over them. Once moss starts growing between bricks or flagstones, it will keep growing until it takes over your exterior patio – or until you clean it.
Brick And Paver Patio Maintenance Overview
Bricks and stone pavers are durable and considered one of the lower maintenance materials for residential and commercial patios and driveways, but you will still need some regular cleaning to keep your patio looking its best. This is because the natural holes in bricks and pavers, and the joints between individual stones, are a magnet for unsightly debris like moss and dust.
Sweeping your patio every few days can limit the amount of dirt that builds up. Making sure sprinklers and drip lines are not spraying your patio can help prevent moss growth as well. But you will also need a more in depth cleaning a few times a year.
A deep clean will need water and a cleaning agent. The best way to get rid of moss from patio pavers is with ingredients you likely already have at home. Vinegar or bleach are two easy to find cleaning solutions that kill green moss. This also prevents future moss growing on the area.
You will want to mix either bleach or vinegar with water in a 1 to 1 ratio. The 50/50 mixture of water and bleach/vinegar is gentle enough to clean brick and works well against moss. Use a spray bottle containing the solution and spray. You can also add baking soda for a more thorough sanitation.
related article: Pressure Washing Ultimate Guide
Cleaning Brick Pavers
Cleaning moss from brick patios is a relatively simple process. There are options for DIY patio cleaning and professional brick patio cleaning. In general, you will want to start with the following:
- Clear the Area – Set any furniture, rugs, and potted plants off to the side so you have easy access to the patio and can see all stains. Use a stiff broom or deck brush to naturally kill moss by the process of removal.
- Sweep the Deck – A broom with stiff bristles will remove some moss and other dirt, making the following cleaning steps easier.
- Get Rid of Weeds – In addition to moss, weeds often grow in the joints between pavers. Pulling these up or applying a weed killer will enable you to eliminate moss entirely.
- Apply Water – Get all the pavers wet with either the garden hose or buckets of water. A boiling water can also be used.
- Apply Your Detergent – Whether you are using a commercial patio cleaner or a homemade water/vinegar or water/bleach mixture, you can add it to the wet stone on any areas with stains or moss. This is a certified moss killer.
The cleaner is important for separating moss from the brick, but it is usually not enough on its own. You will also need to agitate the stone. There are two options for this. Pressure washing is the easiest and fastest, or you can use a scrub brush to manually remove the moss before washing it away with water.
The final step with brick pavers is re-sanding. Most pavers use sand in the joints to create a seal and desirable look. Pulling weeds, sweeping, and power washing often removes this sand during the cleaning process, making re-sanding the last step you need to keep your patio looking its best for months.
Cleaning Red Brick
A red brick patio will have moss and dirt like any other patio with paving stone moss. But if you have a red brick patio, you have probably also noticed a white powdering substance discoloring your bricks. This is called efflorescence and it shows up easily on red brick. It is caused by the salts that occur naturally in water. When the brick becomes wet, salt is left behind after water evaporates.
You can use the same methods to remove moss as you can to clean a red brick patio. Simply get the bricks wet and apply your cleaning solution. When you pressure wash the patio or use a scrub brush, you will be able to wash the salts away as well as moss, oils, and dust.
Power Washing A Brick Patio
A red brick patio will have moss and dirt like any other patio with paving stones. But if you have a red brick patio, you have probably also noticed a white powdering substance discoloring your bricks. This is called efflorescence and it shows up easily on red brick. It is caused by the salts that occur naturally in water. When the brick becomes wet, salt is left behind after water evaporates.
You can use the same methods to remove moss as you can to clean a red brick patio. Simply get the bricks wet and apply your cleaning solution. When you pressure wash the patio or use a scrub brush, you will be able to wash the salts away as well as moss, oils, and dust.
Removing Moss from Brickwork
Brick pavers are naturally textured. There are small holes in the clay or stone, and older pavers can develop small cracks as they age. The spaces in between bricks, called the joints, are also small crevices. All of these cracks and crevices in your patio are the perfect place to trap dirt and moss spores.
These pores make it difficult to clean moss and debris from your patio since they are often trapped underneath the surface where your broom or scrub brush cannot reach. Going over your patio with a stiff bristled broom or brush can remove some of the moss, but you will likely have stains and trapped growth left behind. These require soap and scrubbing to remove.
As part of the paver cleaning process, you will remove moss to restore the look of your patio or walkway. The first step is to kill moss using your preferred cleaning solution, then remove it through pressure washing or scrubbing. You should target both the moss on the surface of pavers or brick, and the moss that grows between the brick.
Moss Between Pavers
The joints between bricks and pavers will trap dust floating through the air, creating a buildup of dirt where moss can grow. When moss spores in the air land on the dirt between bricks, or even within the pores of the pavers themselves, the moss will take root.
Even if you have grout between pavers, it will often deteriorate over time in outdoor conditions and leave the area beneath exposed for moss to grow in. Other characteristics of your patio can further promote moss growth such as:
- Shady Areas
- Consistently Damp Surfaces
- Humid Climate
Certain steps like directing sprinklers or rainwater away from a patio or exposing your walkway to sun can help reduce moss growth. Sealing pavers can also limit how quickly moss can grow on bricks, but it is often impossible to prevent moss growth completely. This is where it becomes important to clean pavers regularly to stop moss growth and remove what is already there.
Patio Stone Cleaner
There are many products on the market formulated specifically for cleaning moss, dirt, and other debris off of pavers. All purpose cleaners and degreasers are also effective at removing dirt. Paver cleaners generally work on stone, brick, concrete, and exposed aggregate, and many all purpose cleaners are gentle enough for most surfaces.
You can find different products at your local hardware store or online. There are even options for eco-friendly cleaners that do not contain chemicals. Commercial patio brick cleaner may be slightly more expensive than DIY methods, but usually works well and is hassle free.
How to Clean Pavers with Vinegar
If you want a natural method for cleaning pavers, vinegar is a good option. White distilled vinegar naturally cleans by cutting through oils that build up on your brick work and trap dust.
It will also kill moss. This makes it easier to lift dust and stains with scrubbing or pressure washing, and rinse them away.
Dilute the vinegar in a 50/50 mixture of water before applying it to pavers. Because vinegar is slightly acidic, it can weaken the seal if your pavers are sealed. To maintain a seal, use a non-acidic cleaning solution or plan to reseal pavers after cleaning.
How To Clean Pavers With Bleach
Another option for cleaning pavers is a half and half mixture of water and bleach. Bleach is effective at removing stains that other cleaning solutions will not. Bleach is also a disinfectant and will kill any bacteria, moss, and mold that is living in the pavers.
You can apply bleach over the surface of pavers or use it as a spot treatment. Follow up with a pressure washer or scrub brush to help the bleach attack stains.
You should not use bleach if your pavers are colored or stained. In the same way that bleach removes color from clothing, it will discolor any paint on the bricks or stones.
You will also want to take special care to protect any surrounding plants or lawns from contact with the bleach, and keep pets or children away from the patio while you are working to keep them safe.
There are many techniques in how to remove moss from pavers but no matter what you use, it important to be as thorough with it.
