A mixture of white vinegar and water can help remove any stubborn dirt. Baking soda can also lift dirt, and is best used with warm water and an abrasive brush. Avoid using harsh cleaning products like bleach around plants, and make sure you rinse your landscaping rocks thoroughly before placing them back in your yard.
Pour vinegar or bleach water over the rocks.
White vinegar is a great option for this, since it's unlikely to damage the rocks but is still powerful enough to break up dirt. If you're cleaning white rocks, though, you might prefer to use a mixture of bleach and water.
Diluted dish soap or gentle cleaners usually won't hurt plants but try to avoid getting the solution on them.
The safest liquid to try first is water with a little dish soap. Soak your finds in soapy water for a day to loosen any packed-in dirt, and wipe or brush them clean. An abrasive toothpaste can also dislodge grime from smaller surfaces. Many collectors choose to remove calcite from rock and mineral specimens.
A quarter cup of bleach mixed with two gallons of water can also be used instead of vinegar, says Rocks Stones & Pebbles. Be careful to avoid getting either on any nearby plants, however, as both can damage them. Alternatively, you could use one of the best pressure washers to clean up your landscape rocks.
Use a 1/2 cup of any of the following: ammonia, bleach, or hydrogen peroxide and a gallon of water. Reminder: do not mix bleach and ammonia. On light colored stones, clean with bleach or hydrogen peroxide. On dark colored stones, clean with lacquer thinner or acetone.
Keep It Simple to Clean Natural Stone
You can use any type of mild soap detergent, such as dish or hand soap, and mix it with a little water. Wet the stone first, and then use a bristle brush and soap solution to wipe the stone clean. The last step is to make sure you rinse thoroughly.
Rake and sweep regularly: Use a rake to remove larger debris and a broom or leaf blower to sweep away smaller bits of debris. Apply a safe weed killer: If weeds appear, use a safe weed killer to prevent them from taking over your garden gravel.
It's possible to clean rocks with vinegar alone by leaving them to soak in a cup of vinegar for 2-3 days. If you find that your stone starts to produce tiny bubbles when you add it to the vinegar, this is probably because it contains calcite.
Toothbrushes and toothpicks work well for soft rocks and minerals. Use a toothbrush to remove material from the surface and a toothpick to remove dirt and mud trapped in small cavities. Wire brushes and dental picks work well for hard stones. Brass brushes are slightly softer than steel brushes.
Mechanical- Hydrogen peroxide bubbles can dislodge dust, clay, and other remnants left behind from digging the stone out. It works better than just soap and water in many cases, especially when you've got a lot of small cracks and crevices to deal with.
You can successfully banish weeds from landscaping rock by pulling them but who wants to mess with that? Instead, spray them with straight white vinegar. Be careful not to let the overspray reach your plants or grass, however, as it will kill them as well.
Silicone or Polycrylic. Spray silicone coatings penetrate rocks, giving them a gleaming, moist appearance. A silicone spray finish, on the other hand, may become dull with time. A polycrylic or polyurethane coating can provide a longer-lasting gloss.
Cleaning large stones, boulders & feature stones
Cover the stones in a combination of water and washing up liquid or vinegar and use a scrubbing brush to clean the surface, removing any dirt and algae. Once done, you can rinse with a hosepipe to reveal the natural stone colour below.
Apply a paste of baking soda and water over the stain and leave it for 24 hours. Gently scrub the area and rinse it with plain water. Stains on Sandstone pavers, Travertine floor tiles, and Marble floors can easily be cleaned with a baking soda solution.
The simplest answer is no, it is best to avoid bleach when cleaning any type of natural stone. Many home cleaning products, particularly bleach and vinegar, are too harsh or acidic to be on natural stone. These cleaners strip down the stone and leave it in a weak, damaged state.
When using Dawn Powerwash, you should avoid cleaning porous surfaces such as marble and other soft natural stones or untreated wood. It is also best to keep Dawn Powerwash away from painted surfaces, too.
And in this case, this mixture does not work well with the natural stone countertops. Due to the fact that vinegar is acidic substance and baking soda is caustic, the result of mixing the two can have an unstable effect on stones that are porous.
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.
Make sure that the wheelbarrow is covered in a sheet of tarpaulin. Step 2 – Pour 50 ml of bleach into a large bucket and mix with approximately 20 litres of water. Step 3 – Add the diluted bleach mix into the wheelbarrow, ensuring all the stones are submerged. Step 4 – Leave for 24 hours.
Water-based Silicone or Polycrylic
Spray silicone coatings penetrate rocks to produce a shiny, wet look. However, a silicone spray finish may dull over time. A more permanent shine may be attained with a polycrylic or polyurethane coating.
Boiling the rocks and gravel for 10-20 minutes in regular tap water that is at a rolling boil should kill any unwanted pathogens.