Removing Organic Stains From Pavers: Expert Tips

FRESHEN YOUR PATIO UP WITH…

If you’re just looking to give your patio a refresh to bring it back to a clean and vibrant state, Gator Shampoo is the answer. This product is designed to work on a number of surfaces including pavers, slabs, wet cast, and natural stone. While it won’t treat efflorescence or staining caused by organic materials or grease, it’s a great solution for general maintenance. Gator Shampoo will remove ground in dirt from your patio’s surface, restoring it to its natural color and making the stones look clean and vibrant. This product won’t have a negative impact on polymeric sand joints or the surrounding vegetation.

While Alliance Shampoo is a great all-around cleaner for your paver or stone patio, there are some stains it won’t help with … such as organic stains. More on that in a moment!

CLEAN EFFLORESCENCE WITH…

Efflorescence is the migration of salts to the surface of concrete pavers. It does not equate to a product defect. In fact, it’s a normal and natural occurrence that can happen in any cement-based product. In many cases, efflorescence will disappear on its own over time (usually after the first year of initial installation). However, Gator Efflorescence Cleaner may be used to clean it as well.

This product is formulated to remove efflorescence from the surface of concrete pavers, wet cast and natural stones. It’s important to note that you should always check the recommendations of the paver manufacturer prior to treating for efflorescence. (It’s also important to carefully read the instructions for the Efflorescence Cleaner to ensure it’s applied properly and safely on the pavers.) If you’re cleaning newly installed concrete pavers, we recommend waiting at least 60 days prior to using Gator Efflorescence Cleaner.

While Gator Efflorescence Cleaner is great for treating efflorescence, removing penetrated dirt, and bringing pavers back life, it won’t help with organic stains. The secret for that is up next.

REMOVE ORGANIC STAINS WITH…

Organic stains, as its name implies, are caused by nature and they can be very stubborn. Common organic materials that can create stains include:

• Moss

• Mold

• Mildew

• Leaves (tannic acids)

• Acorns

• Berries

These types of stains are best treated with a bleach solution. While paver shampoo and efflorescence cleaner won’t penetrate them, bleach (or more specifically, sodium hypochlorite) can make organic stains disappear like magic right before your eyes.

One of our favorite ways to obtain a powerful and effective cleaning solution for organic stains is to use Pool Shock. Pool Shock is a dry powder (available in one gallon jugs or one pound bags) and it can be found at pretty much any retailer that sells pool supplies. It’s basically a highly concentrated bleach and it’s excellent for stain removal.

Simply mix half of a one pound bag of Pool Shock into a five gallon bucket filled with warm water, pour the mixture over any organic stains on your pavers, scrub with a good stiff bristle brush, rinse, and watch them disappear. It’s a great low cost yet high powered solution for treating stains caused by any of the materials we listed above.

If you opt to use the Pool Shock solution, we do recommend rinsing everything down well afterwards (and keeping it away from any outdoor fabrics and metal). While the solution won’t harm common building materials or plants, it’s a strong oxidizer so you’ll want to protect anything that can be negatively impacted.