Patios in Northumberland County are built from a range of materials. Poured concrete is the most common. Concrete pavers and natural stone pavers are increasingly popular. Each one develops the same kinds of buildup over time, but each one requires a different approach to clean safely and effectively.
How Concrete Patios Clean
Poured concrete patios are dense and relatively uniform. They handle cleaning well with a combination of professional cleaning solutions and a commercial surface cleaner. The commercial surface cleaner applies pressure evenly across the full width of the surface in overlapping passes, eliminating streaking and uneven results. Every square foot of the patio gets the same cleaning at the same pressure.
How Paver Patios Clean Differently
The critical difference is the joints between pavers. Paver joints are filled with sand — either standard jointing sand or polymeric sand. High-pressure washing on pavers blows the joint material out of the joints, leaving the pavers loose, unstable, and prone to shifting. A paver patio that has lost its joint material needs to be relevelled and rejuvenated.
Paver patios are cleaned at a lower pressure than concrete. The cleaning solution does more of the work. The rinse pressure is carefully managed to thoroughly clean the paver surface while leaving the joint material intact.
Natural Stone Pavers
Natural stone — bluestone, flagstone, travertine — requires the most careful handling of any common patio material. Natural stone is porous and chemically reactive. Some stone types react badly to acidic cleaners. Professional cleaning of natural stone requires identifying the specific stone type before selecting a cleaning solution.
The Joint Sand Question
For any paver patio cleaning, the joint material deserves specific attention. Standard sand joints may need top-dressing with fresh sand after cleaning. Polymeric sand joints are more resistant to cleaning-related loss, but high pressure will damage even polymeric joints.
For patio cleaning in Northumberland, PA, Kleen-N-Brite assesses the material and joint condition before any solution or pressure is applied.
