It is worth starting spring cleaning of paving stones with dry cleaning. Wet sand and salt deposits easily penetrate the micropores of concrete, therefore, the first step should be to thoroughly sweep the entire surface. Places near curbs, drains and driveway corners require special attention, where most winter debris usually accumulates. On larger surfaces, work is speeded up by a manual or mechanical sweeper, which effectively collects small dirt and debris limits dust formation.
Only after thoroughly removing sand and other loose dirt can you proceed to washing the surface with water. Most often it is used for this purpose pressure washerhowever, the stream should be set at a moderate strength so as to clean the surface of the cubes and at the same time not wash out the material from the joints. It is best to direct the water at a slight angle and keep the nozzle in constant motion, gradually moving from the higher parts of the driveway towards the drains or the edges of the surface. Thanks to this, the dissolved sediment is systematically removed, instead of reappearing on already washed places. If a light coating appears again after drying, it means that salts have remained on the block require rinsing again with more clean water.
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If white streaks are still visible after this step, it is necessary additional cleaning. For this purpose, a solution of one part vinegar and four parts warm water is often used, which is applied to the coating, left for a few or a dozen or so minutes, and then rinsed thoroughly with clean water. An alternative is a milder mixture with about 4-5 tablespoons of baking soda dissolved in 10 liters of warm water, which is applied to the dirty places and brushes gently.
Once cleaning is complete, it’s a good idea to carefully inspect the entire surface, as winter often reveals it minor damage. Pay attention to loose edges of the cubes, slight collapses or defects in the joints. If individual elements move slightly under the pressure of the foot, this may mean that the subgrade has washed out or that the subgrade has lost compaction. In such places it is necessary to remove several cubes and add sand-cement or sand bedding, and then re-arranging the elements maintaining the correct level.
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The next step is to assess the appearance of the cube itself. After winter, the surface often loses its color intensity, a dull coating appears or uneven discoloration occurs due to the effects of salt, road dust and … If the problem reoccurs every season, this may help protective impregnationwhich limits the penetration of water and dirt into the concrete structure. Hydrophobic preparations create a thin protective layer on the surface, making subsequent cleaning easier and the surface getting dirty more slowly. Impregnation is best performed on a completely dry stone, in stable weather temperature exceeding 10 degrees Celsius.
It also often appears after winter moss or green coatingespecially in shaded and humid places. Most of such deposits form near the northern walls of buildings, under bushes or in narrow passages where the sun reaches only part of the day. In such situations, washing with water alone is not always enough, because remnants of earth and organic matter remain in the gaps between the cubes. Therefore, it is important to clean the joints mechanically, for example using a joint scraper, and then refill them with appropriate sand or grout mixture. Regular removal of tarnish and maintaining clean and well-filled joints significantly reduces the development of moss and allows you to keep the surface in good condition for many years.
