Seasonal Paver Cleaning: A Comprehensive Guide

With the changes in seasons comes the time to clean up your yard. How do you transition your pavers from winter to spring or autumn to winter? One of the most important things to do is to clean off any accumulated dirt or debris that builds up on your pavers so that the coming months do not damage your beautiful hardscape.

In this blog post, we will look at how you can clean your pavers for a new season and remove the dirt, mud, and rust that may have built up over the months.

Remove dirt

Sweep or blow off your pavers

Maybe a pot fell and broke on your pavers, or someone cleaned off their muddy boots on the paver edge. However it happened, you should remove the dirt as soon as you can. Sweep or blow off that dirt before it sinks into the crevices. 

Spray it off with a hose

If dirt has gotten into the crevices, use a garden hose and maybe a stiff-bristled brush to agitate and remove the dirt.

Remove mud

If the dirt has a high iron content or has had some water mixed in, it might be a bit tougher to remove. Mud can damage your pavers if left untouched, so make sure to remove it as soon as you can.

Use a nylon brush and garden hose

If mud dries on your hardscape, try removing it using a simple nylon brush and a garden hose. Spray the affected area with water, scrub it with a brush, and rinse the mud off.

Try a paver detergent 

If the mud is stubborn and doesn’t want to be removed, you can use a detergent to help break it down. SureBond SureClean is a great detergent option for removing mud from concrete pavers. Dilute the detergent with water, scrub it on with a brush, and rinse it off until you no longer see mud. 

If you still see small traces of mud, you probably have a soil with high iron content, and it’s time to move to the next option.

Clean with hot water and pressure

If you have tried a broom, a hose, and a paver detergent but are still dealing with mud dried to your pavers, it’s time to move to boiling water. It gets the surface of the concrete hot and helps separate the mud off the surface. A boiling hot water pressure washer is an effective option as it simultaneously rinses your hardscape with both water and pressure.

Remove rust

Do you have rust on your hardscape? It may come from a rusty hitch left on your driveway or a high iron content in your soil. Rust stains are difficult to remove because iron oxide bonds with the concrete at a molecular level. 

Use a rust cleaner

Don’t be too worried—rust is actually simple to remove. Use SureBond S.R.B. Stain and Rust Buster to eliminate rust from your pavers. Dilute the solution with water, scrub with a brush, and then rinse off your hardscape.

Replace the paving stone

You should note that the Rust Buster is an acid-based product, which can cause slight damage to your pavers. To avoid damage, simply replace the paving stone with a new, undamaged paver (especially if your hardscape is very new).

Check out our other resources 

If you’re ready to start a paver project or need more assistance with details like paver maintenance or a brand-new hardscape installation, explore our range of products and resources. We have installation guides and personalized support services for your paver needs. Click here to get in touch with our experts.