Patio cleaning… gadget or chemical?

[JQ]

How long do people leave sodium hypochlorite on before washing off?

[98elise]

JQ said:

How long do people leave sodium hypochlorite on before washing off?

I just let it dry. I generally do it when it's good weather so it dries pretty quickly.

Edited by 98elise on Sunday 26th May 11:46

[kevsmev]

98elise said:

JQ said:

How long do people leave sodium hypochlorite on before washing off?

I just let it dry. I generally do it when it's good weather so it dries pretty quickly.

Edited by 98elise on Sunday 26th May 11:46

Don't let it dry too quickly as it stops working. Choose a cloudy day and mist the area again and then again during the day when it shows signs of drying.

[mrpbailey]

C n C said:

Am I the really odd "wierdo" neighbour with an unacceptably grubby drive and patio

Yes

[5s Alive]

A lot of fine particulates come down in the rain and over the winter months this builds up sufficiently for biological growth to establish itself. We also back on to woodland and have overhanging trees so adopt a belt n braces approach. Power washing followed, once dry, by BAC50 diluted 1:9 giving a 5% working strength of Benzalkonium Chloride. £30 for 5L delivered on the bay. It can be diluted up to 1 in 40 but I like to nuke the growth to be sure.

Note that BAC50 needs to be used with care as it will kill everything else it comes into contact with. It is also soapy and will prove slippy on smooth surfaces like ceramic tiles or the glazed brick pathway that leads to our front door.

We had a thick layer of moss growing on the woods facing side of the shingled roof on our garden shed. Soaked this with 5% BAC50 from a pressure sprayer and watched it die back over a several months. This was nearly two years ago and now it's completely clear.

[OutInTheShed]

mrpbailey said:

C n C said:

Am I the really odd "wierdo" neighbour with an unacceptably grubby drive and patio

Yes

I wash my car less often than some people wash their drives....

[glennjamin]

Finished patio yesterday got some black sports that are really stubborn and so marks where planters have been any idea how to remove both marks ? Thanks in advance !!

[OldPal]

Has anyone had any joy using sodium hypochlorite in snow foam sprayer?

Tried rollering on with a deep pile masonry roller and it just soaked everything up before I could even get a quarter of the drive done.

[eliot]

OldPal said:

Has anyone had any joy using sodium hypochlorite in snow foam sprayer?

That's my plan at some point too - getting the dosage right will be pure guess work though

[JQ]

eliot said:

OldPal said:

Has anyone had any joy using sodium hypochlorite in snow foam sprayer?

That's my plan at some point too - getting the dosage right will be pure guess work though

I was just going to suggest something like this :

https://www.screwfix.com/p/white-backpack-pressure...

But then noticed the caveat :

"This product is not suitable for Flammable, Caustic, Corrosive, Acid or oxidising chemicals including bleaches. Please ensure all connections are tight prior to every use."

Might be worth checking you're not going to damage your sprayer.

[darreni]

I'd be spending some decent money if i wanted a backpack sprayer. You really would not want that stuff leaking all over you.

[OutInTheShed]

darreni said:

I'd be spending some decent money if i wanted a backpack sprayer. You really would not want that stuff leaking all over you.

You also don't want to be breathing the mist, or have it blow over you.

[Semmelweiss]

Dilute 15% Hypo 50:50 with water in watering can and use this to distribute evenly across the surface. Do not wear any clothes or shoes that you want to ever wear out again. Use rubber gloves and eye protection.

[darreni]

Get yourself a pair of decent safety goggles, gloves & mask from amazon. As already mentioned, you dont want it in your eyes or mouth.