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.
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.
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.
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.
Cleaning pavers with bicarbonate soda and vinegar
Fill the bucket with lukewarm water and then add the bicarbonate soda, making sure it dissolves properly. Then add a little bit of white vinegar. Pour the solution onto the stained areas on your paver surface and use the scrubbing brush to apply it thoroughly.
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.
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.
A mix of water and vinegar is a great combination to remove stubborn dirt and stains. If you want even better results, use this mix with a cleaner solution specific made for pavers or soap and water.
Baking soda is an amazing household cleaner, and it can work really well on your pavers too.
OxiClean is a powerful concrete cleaner that works well on various materials, including pavement and grout. This concentrated solution provides excellent cleaning without leaving residue.
Wash patio slabs with white vinegar
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. You should first move all plants and furniture out of the way, then sweep the area to remove any moss.
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.
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.
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.
Similar to cleaning pavers with muriatic acid, avoid an intense concentration of bleach, as it can damage the pavers.
Although bleach is great at the whitening effect, you can use peroxide to achieve this. Hydrogen peroxide is an oxygenated bleach. It is safe for plants, so when you rinse this solution, it won't harm anything. It works together with the dish soap and baking soda to remove dirt and whiten dirty concrete.
Whether your patio is sealed concrete or cement, or even sealed concrete pavers, a bleach and water solution makes it easy to clean away built up soil, stains from leaves and pollen, mold, mildew and algae.
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.
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.
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).
Scrubbing Brush and Bucket
Ahhhh the good old-fashioned scrubbing brush. It's been around for such a long time as it genuinely works. When those bristles are passed over the target surface vigorously enough, it'll remove most dirt and stains.