A dish soap, like Dawn, is a safe place to start. The surfactants in dish soaps are designed to remove oil and grease, they're gentle enough to be used without issue on your pavers. In a bowl or bucket, mix the soap with water and pour it onto the stain and agitate. Rinse and repeat if needed.
Apply Paver Sealant to Enhance Faded Pavers
Once the pavers are dry, you can see what they look like in their clean state. If you're content with the appearance, you could stop there. If you still think they need to be enhanced, you could use paver sealant to bring out the color of faded pavers.
Try Concrete Stain
The simplest path to reviving tired pavers is to apply an acrylic-based semitransparent concrete stain, such as Behr Premium Semi-transparent Concrete Stain ($27/gal.; Home Depot) or Valspar Semi-transparent Concrete Stain ($28/gal.; Lowe's).
Mould and algae stains on pavers can first appear as white, brown or green spots but the longer they're left the more they will grow. Dirt stains will usually be dark brown or the colour of the surrounding sand, soil or ground.
Water and mild dish soap is a popular cleaning solution because it's easy to find at home and it won't damage brick, but it will tackle stains. The BIA recommends using hot water for surface cleaning with a detergent. White vinegar and water, another common household cleaner, can also be used on mildew.
Whilst vinegar will not directly dissolve concrete itself, but it will degrade the cement that binds your concrete slabs or flags together. Extended exposure to vinegar will also cause any polish or sealant on your pavers to erode over time, leading to bleaching, stains and weathering.
Discoloration in later life can result from atmospheric or organic coloring; the concrete is just dirty. This type of discoloration is usually removed by high-pressure washing with high-pressure water and, if necessary, chemical cleaning agents. The use of calcium chloride on concrete can discolor the surface.
Bleach is a great way to clean pavers because it is a strong disinfectant. It will kill any germs or bacteria on the surface and remove any molds, plus it will also brighten them up. It is common to mix bleach with water; however, you can also add other ingredients to make it more effective.
To clean paver slabs, you can use a detergent, such as Dawn, or a vinegar-water solution that is gentle enough to effectively clean without causing damage to your concrete pavers.
If your deck is made from concrete, pavers travertine, brick, stamped concrete or composite decking, you can clean and refresh it for summer using OxiClean™ Versatile Stain Remover.
Baking soda is an amazing household cleaner, and it can work really well on your pavers too.
Vinegar and water.
This is an excellent option if you're looking for a more natural way to clean your pavers. Vinegar is known for its cleaning properties, and you can use it as a household cleaner on a variety of surfaces. Plus, it's more eco-friendly than other cleaning options since you're not using harsh chemicals.
Dry brushing with or without application of clean sharp sand. OR High pressure water jetting with or without detergent. OR Apply fungicides. Use ordinary bleach or calcium chloride followed by sodium hypochlorite dissolved in water (1kg in 5 litres) then scrub with stiff brush.
Simple Green is one of the best cleaning products for dirty pavers. It doesn't have any harmful chemicals that could possibly warp your precious driveway. Less chemicals mean there's a less likely chance your paver stones will change to a weird-looking color.
Over time, the continuous high-pressure blast of water will erode the layer of color on the pavers and expose the stone and aggregate contained in them. Oftentimes, the stone and the aggregate do not retain the color of the pigments used and will appear dull.
The reason that concrete brick pavers fade is simple. The manufacturers add dry-shake pigments in with the sand, small gravel, Portland cement and water that's used to create the brick. This pigment has the consistency of flour and, just like the Portland cement, it coats the surfaces of the sand and gravel.
Regular Soap and Water
A solution of regular dishwashing soap or hand soap is simple to create, and it will remove mild to moderate dirt, stains, and grease. Just mix your soap and some warm water in a large bucket and you're ready to start cleaning.
Use a specialist cleaner
Try a specialist cleaner like Wet & Forget, at Walmart, which you spray onto the surface of the paving and leave. It can also be used on steps, fountains, patio umbrellas and other smaller outdoor areas. It's bleach-free and non-acidic but will remove mold, moss and grime without any scrubbing.
Can you power wash pavers? Power washing (also known as pressure washing) is also a very effective method by which you can remove dust deposits and various stains from your pavers. Just make sure that the water jet is not directed directly at the joints between the paving stones.