Bolduc

Fall is here! With fall come the beautiful coloured trees but also a ton of dead leaves that pile up everywhere, including on your paved surfaces. They might look innocent at first but dead leaves can seriously stain your pavers if left untouched. Before running outside to grab the hose, know that this time of year is not ideal to clean them. The best time to do so is in the spring, when the temperature is between 10°C and 25°C during the day and above 5°C at night. Please also know that the majority of organic stains, such as those produced by dead leaves, disappear on their own in the spring. If after the winter has passed you notice that they are still there, then it’s better to clean them! In this article, we’ll explain how to do so without damaging your pavers in 3 easy steps.

Step 1: Identifying the origin of the stains

Before starting to clean anything, it is essential to identify the origin of the stains.

Several culprits can be responsible for the stains: coffee, rust, oil, red wine, chewing gum, paint and even tobacco! The reason why it is so important to rule out the different possibilities beforehand is because each type of stain has its own cleaning technique. Indeed, choosing the wrong product or method could damage your pavers.

Organic stains produced by dead leaves can easily resemble rust spots. Analyzing the surroundings of your paved surfaces is the best way to know where they are coming from: trees, iron furniture or metal accessories will be good clues. Here is an example of organic stains.

Step 2: choosing the right cleaning method

You would think that a high-pressure water jet would be the best way to clean stains produced by dead leaves. However, this method is very risky. If used improperly or in combination with cleaning products, it could seriously damage the joints as well as the top layer of pavers and slabs.

To clean organic stains, we recommend using, in order, according to the results obtained, a laundry detergent or a mixture of chlorinated water (5% bleach). There also exist many designated products for cleaning paved surfaces made from tridecasodium phosphate or trisodium phosphate (P.T.S.). They are generally very effective and can be found in most hardware stores.

Before proceeding, be sure to dilute the solution as recommended by the manufacturer. Indeed, several cleaners must be diluted before use: carefully read the instructions on the container! Then apply and brush off the stains using a nylon brush and rinse thoroughly within the next minute. If the stains are still there afterwards, we recommend using the poultice technique which consists of applying talcum powder saturated with cleaning product. Let the area dry, brush it and then rinse thoroughly.

Careful! Before doing anything, we recommend doing a patch test on a small surface with very little product to see how your paver reacts before applying it all over your paved surfaces.

Step 3: Prevention first

The best way to prevent organic stains on your pavers? Prevention! Regularly sweeping your concrete surfaces will help you avoid the accumulation of leaves and thus the stains they leave underneath. Be diligent in the fall and you’ll save yourself a lot of cleaning in the spring.

We hope these tips will help you preserve your pavers. For more maintenance tips and a whole lot of inspiration, check out our blog!

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