Know what your patio is made of
Everything else follows from this. Concrete slabs, porcelain, sandstone, limestone, Yorkstone, slate and composite decking boards all weather differently and tolerate very different treatment, and the most common cause of homeowner damage is treating a soft, porous stone as though it were concrete.
Porcelain is dense and generally the easiest to look after, though the joints between the tiles still need care. Concrete takes controlled pressure reasonably well but can lose its surface finish if the nozzle gets too close. Natural stone is porous, absorbs staining, and is easily scarred by aggressive pressure or acidic products.
If you genuinely do not know what you have, that is a good reason to keep your own maintenance gentle and let someone assess it before anything stronger is used.
The routine that keeps growth at bay
Algae, moss and lichen are opportunists. They need damp, shade and a thin layer of organic material to root into, and a patio provides all three whenever debris is left to sit on it.
- Sweep every week or two, and more often through autumn while leaves are falling.
- Rinse the surface gently two or three times a year with a hose and a wide spray rather than a concentrated jet.
- Move furniture, pots and planters occasionally so nothing sits in one place all year staining the slab beneath it.
- Keep gaps between the patio and the house clear, and check that drainage channels and gullies are not blocked.
- Trim back overhanging planting where practical, because permanent shade keeps a patio damp for weeks at a time.
Spills, marks and everyday use
Patios take a lot of food, drink and barbecue traffic through summer. Grease and cooking oil are the usual culprits, and on porous stone they can soak in surprisingly quickly. Blot rather than spread, clean gently with warm water and a mild washing-up detergent, and rinse thoroughly.
Barbecue fat, red wine, citrus and some plant feeds can all leave a mark on natural stone. Getting to them the same day makes a real difference; leaving them until the following weekend often does not. Some staining will only ever improve rather than disappear, which is worth knowing before you attack it with something stronger.
Metal furniture feet, planters and garden ornaments leave rust marks over time. Feet pads and occasional repositioning are simpler prevention than trying to remove the mark afterwards.
Joints, drainage and standing water
Water is what decides how quickly a patio dirties. If it runs off cleanly, the surface dries and growth struggles. If it sits in a low spot after every shower, that area will be green again within weeks of any clean.
Check where water goes after heavy rain. Blocked channels, silted gullies and soil washed against the patio edge are common and easily fixed. A genuine fall problem or a failed drain is a different matter and needs the right trade rather than a cleaner.
Look at the joints too. Cracked or hollow pointing lets water underneath, and growth in the gaps forces the joint apart further. Cleaning a patio with failing pointing often exposes how bad it was, because the dirt was holding it together visually.
Seasonal care through the year
Through spring and summer, most patios need little more than sweeping, a gentle wash and prompt attention to spills. It is also the best time to notice which areas dry slowly, because those are the ones that will be worst next winter.
Autumn is where the work pays off. Leaves left lying over winter break down into an organic film that green growth thrives on. Clearing them regularly through the season prevents a great deal of spring cleaning.
In winter, take care with de-icing salt on natural stone and be gentle clearing snow — a plastic-edged shovel rather than a metal blade avoids scarring. Slippery growth on a patio in wet weather is a genuine safety issue rather than just an appearance one, and it is a reasonable trigger to book a proper clean.
When professional help makes sense
Routine care slows decline; it does not reverse years of weathering. When brushing and rinsing no longer make a visible difference, when growth has become slippery, when staining is ingrained across the surface, or when the joints need re-sanding or re-pointing, it is time for a proper assessment.
We would rather tell you honestly what can and cannot be achieved before we start than promise a perfect result to win the job. Wet paving also looks much darker than dry paving, so a patio is best judged once it has dried out rather than on the day.
Send photographs, your postcode and a note of what the surface is, if you know. We will confirm the method we would use, what we expect to improve, and what will still be visible afterwards.