Vinegar contains acidic chemicals that are harmful to any stone, concrete, brick etc. While it may look like it's cleaning, vinegar will actually degrade the cement binding and slowly strip away the protective sealant from concrete and stone tiles.
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.
White vinegar is often recommended as an eco-friendly cleaning product, and it is certainly effective at removing stains. However, many landscaping firms advise against using vinegar to clean paving, as the acid can damage the surface of the stones, particularly limestone or concrete pavers.
To clean your pavers with vinegar, mix equal parts of water and vinegar in a bucket, let it sit on the pavers for an hour so that the vinegar has time to work, then scrub the surface with a brush or a sponge. Make sure you choose white vinegar for household cleaning, as other types of vinegar can stain.
To clean smaller surfaces areas, pH-neutral soap, a little water, and a brush are suitable. If you want to clean larger areas of natural stone efficiently, you can reach for the electric patio cleaner or work with the pressure washer and a surface cleaner.
Use a detergent such as Dawn or Ajax dishwashing liquid mixed with water to brighten a concrete patio that hasn't been cleaned in a while. Just as you would regularly vacuum the floor and dust your furniture inside your house, you should keep your patio clean so it's ready at a moment's notice to entertain.
Experts say they can do the trick for the patio as well. 'You can remove black spots easily from patios in an eco-friendly, low-cost way, with white vinegar,' says Laura Harnett, Founder, Seep. 'It has antifungal and antibacterial properties and will also stop the mould or lichen growing back.
One of the best things for household stains is white vinegar, and the same can be said for how it targets stubborn garden dirt. This eco-friendly solution is made up of equal parts vinegar and water, which is then left to soak into the patio to correct any discolouration and also remove tough marks.
Cleaning concrete with vinegar will not damage it! However, saturating concrete for an extended period will damage the cement that binds concrete together. Over time, vinegar erodes the concrete itself, so be careful.
Before cleaning, we recommend decluttering and sweeping your patio so it is clear of any debris or dirt. Once your patio is clear, pour the vinegar solution over the areas that need cleaning and leave for 20 minutes. Once the time is up, give it a good scrub with a gardening brush and rinse it away.
Pour your vinegar and water solution over your patio (you may need several buckets) and leave the vinegar to work its way into the paving slabs for 30 minutes to an hour. Once the time is up, follow the soapy water method from step 4 onwards.
Leave the white vinegar for 1 hour or so to let the vinegar work its way into the paver slabs. Spray the surface with soap and water, then scrub off. Rinse with warm water, then let dry. You may repeat the process if there are stains left.
There are useful tools for cleaning paving stones, such as joint scrapers, sweepers, and pressure washers. In addition, pavers can be cleaned with a small pickaxe, broom, and garden hose.
Mix Solution of dish soap and water, and use a brush to scrub the pavers clean. Make sure to rinse the pavers thoroughly afterward. This process may need to be repeated for tough stains. A recommendation is to do this every few months.
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.
Vinegar and Baking Soda
Simply fill a spray bottle with equal parts water and vinegar (or water and baking soda), and add a little bit of liquid dish detergent. Spray the mixture on your concrete surface and let it sit for about 30 minutes. Then scrub and rinse your concrete.
Despite the signal word danger on most such labels, gardeners may instead just see vinegar and be careless. Sobering details: In concentrations over 11%, acetic acid can burn skin and cause eye damage, and concentrations of 20% and above are corrosive to tin, aluminum, iron, and concrete and can even cause blindness.
Vinegar should only be used for 30 minutes on polished concrete. Leaving it for an extended time will kill algae and damage the cement in the concrete. But for unfinished cement, you can surely use vinegar for an extended period. It is safe and will be the most efficient cleaning agent to remove algae.
Efflorescence is also known as calcium hydroxide or free lime. The phenomenon of efflorescence occurs when water soluble salts migrate to the surface of the paver with the help of water (i.e., condensation, rain).
White and distilled are types of vinegar. They differ fundamentally in their acetic acid content. White, also known as spirit vinegar, has 5% to 20% acetic acid. This is generally higher as compared to distilled vinegar's 5%-8%.
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.
This is a common problem. It could either be mildew, or a reaction from tannin in the wood. Given that you have black residue on rocks, it may be mildew.