STONEarch natural stone pavers can increase the overall value of your property by providing you with beautiful walkways. Likewise, walkways made from natural stones are meant to last for many years and require little to no maintenance.

Our products will always look great with virtually no effort on your part. However, your stone pathway will still require cleaning every now and then. It is worth noting that some natural stones are more prone to stains from algae, mildew, and dirt. On the other hand, others are more resistant to stains.

As with any investment, you want to ensure your stone walkway continues to hold its aesthetic and luxurious good looks. Luckily, landscape stones like granite, travertine, and slate are extremely resistant to damages. Therefore, their upkeep requirements are minimal.

With that in mind, here are three ways to clean a natural stone walkway or patio:

1. General cleanup: Basic sweeping & washing
2. Stubborn dirt: Scrubbing with a surface cleaner designed for stone
3. Tough grime: Pressure washing with gentle-moderate pressure

1. General cleanup

Assess the surface of your stone walkway or pathway to determine what types of stains are present. Remember that you need to sweep and wash any stones installed outdoors.

For basic cleanups, you can keep your STONEarch natural stone walkway clean with the help of dish soap:

• In a large bucket, mix a few drops of dish detergent with luke warm water.
• Apply the solution on the stone surface using a push broom with dense and thick bristles.
• Cover the entire stone surface with suds by pushing your broom across it.
• When you’re with the entire walkway, rinse it with water.

Do not forget to test a small area in the corner of your project first before following this process for the remaining areas. Doing so will ensure that there are no adverse effects from your dish soap or scrubbing brush that can cause permanent damage to your stone.

Make sure to avoid using a broom with wire bristles to avoid scratching your beautiful stone pathway. Also, only use cleaners that are recommended for use on limestones or for the type of stone you have.

2. Stubborn Dirt

If there are still stubborn dirts, you can remove them by soaking them in a stone cleaning solution:

• Simply combine water and a stone cleaner in a spray bottle.
• If there are deep stains, make your solution stronger by adding less water.
• Spray the water and cleaning mixture over the dirt and stain.
• Leave it for at least 30 minutes.
• Scrub using a nylon brush.
• Remove the excess solution by mopping the surface.

Remember to always follow the manufacturer’s instructions when using stone cleaners on your walkway or pool deck.

3. Tough Grime

Your pressure washer can take care of tough filth. Make sure that the nozzle you’ll use will spray water in a fan-like way. Also, to prevent flaking or damaging parts of your stones, stand at a good distance from the area you’ll wash.

Pressure washers are very powerful machines so don’t use it frequently. It’s advisable to pressure wash your natural stone walkway only once each season. Doing so will protect your stone’s integrity.

Again, always start by testing in a small area. Stones such as sandstones may experience slight flaking as a result of a heavy pressure wash. On the other hand, a stone such as a granite can withstand heavy pressure washing usually without any signs of wear to the surface.

Additional Cleaning Tips

• Sweep the entire surface of your natural stone pavers to remove debris such as leaves, loose sand, and gravel. Start by sweeping in a horizontal direction, then again in a vertical manner. This method will ensure that you’ll be able to remove specks of dirt that have settled between the grout joints of the stones.
• To remove remaining dirt and dust after sweeping, hose the stone surface down with clean water.
• Instead of wiping down stain blot it instead to prevent spreading the stain further.
• Clean spills right away. The sun will bake spills into your stone pavers. So whenever you see a spill, wipe it down instantly. Apply a cleaner if necessary.
• Before using any cleaner, test it first on a leftover paver from your installation. This will show if the product you purchased will cause discolouration or erosion to the stone.

If you have any questions about your STONEarch natural stone walkway or planning to install one, do not hesitate to drop us a message. Our support team is more than happy to answer any of your inquiries.