Posted by: Andrea Freeman on March 12, 2004 at 02:45:27:

In Reply to: best and safest way to clean flagstone patio Posted by: Mary Jay Tamas on August 21, 2000 at 17:37:49:

: I want to clean my flagstone patio. It has algae and other growths which are unsightly and also slippery when wet. I have heard that Clorox works well, but don't know what proportions to use with water and perhaps detergent.
: Any suggestions?
Hi,
Just yesterday, I tackled the same problem with my flagstone patio. I chose not to use bleach because I have mosses (that I planted) growing in between the flagstones and other plants growing around the patio's periphery that I didn't want to harm. I thought that bleach, even if diluted, would be detrimental for the plant-life.Same with TSP.
I ended up finding a product called Simple Green at my local hardware store. It's a concentrated all-purpose cleaner that's non-toxic and biodegradable.
It worked!Albeit,scrubbing the stones with a stiff-bristled scrub brush was the method I used to apply it, but the slippery algae coating is now gone!
I also heard that vinegar can be used to achieve the same end, but I didn't try it so can't vouch for it.
Hope this info helps you.
Good luck!
Andrea

Followups::

: : I want to clean my flagstone patio. It has algae and other growths which are unsightly and also slippery when wet. I have heard that Clorox works well, but don't know what proportions to use with water and perhaps detergent. : : Any suggestions? : Hi, : Just yesterday, I tackled the same problem with my flagstone patio. I chose not to use bleach because I have mosses (that I planted) growing in between the flagstones and other plants growing around the patio's periphery that I didn't want to harm. I thought that bleach, even if diluted, would be detrimental for the plant-life.Same with TSP. : I ended up finding a product called Simple Green at my local hardware store. It's a concentrated all-purpose cleaner that's non-toxic and biodegradable. : It worked!Albeit,scrubbing the stones with a stiff-bristled scrub brush was the method I used to apply it, but the slippery algae coating is now gone! : I also heard that vinegar can be used to achieve the same end, but I didn't try it so can't vouch for it. : Hope this info helps you. : Good luck! : Andrea

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