Whether terrace, driveway or garden wall, sooner or later paving stones and the like will be plagued by annoying green growth. Find out how to remove the moss from the stones using simple home remedies.
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Why home remedies at all?
Perhaps you assume that mosses can actually be easily detached from stones. Unwanted plants can be easily removed with a finger, or at least with a scraper or wire brush. And you are right about that. Because of course the visible growth can be easily removed and disposed of. However, you will find that after just a few wet nights or a little rain, the first green tracks can be seen again. Because even if you remove the moss, parts of the roots, in particular, remain, from which the stones will soon be overgrown again. It is therefore important to really remove the whole plant, which is done particularly well with the following home remedies:
brush
The simplest home remedy for moss infestation is a standard brush with hard bristles and some water. The moisture reduces the support of the roots. The smoother the stones are, the easier it is for the bristles to remove even the tiniest residue from the surface.
Cola
Believe it or not, you can reliably tackle mosses with the well-known sweet fizzy drink. The phosphoric acid it contains quickly attacks the plants and kills them:
- Spray Cola undiluted on overgrown stone surfaces
- let it take effect for a short time
- Remove fouling with a scraper
- be sure to rinse thoroughly with water
vinegar
Both diluted as a vinegar solution and pure, you can use the well-known and widespread fruit acid against mosses:
- Spray vinegar essence, vinegar solution or pure vinegar generously with a spray bottle
- let some stretchers act
- spray several times in the event of rain or intense dew
- Scrape or brush off moss
- rinse with water
Hot water
Without any chemical additives, hot water can already be sufficient to loosen the growth on stone surfaces so that you can remove it without any problems. The overwatering also kills the plant cells and thus prevents rapid regrowth:
- Boil tap water
- Pour with bucket over moss-covered areas
- Brush or scrape off moss
- Rinse off the rest with hot water
salt
Salt is the death of every plant. It can also be used effectively against mosses to remove them and restore your stones to the desired look:
- Moisten the moss surface with a spray bottle
- Sprinkle salt over wet moss
- if necessary, spray again to accelerate the dissolution of the salt
- wait a few days
- Water moss surfaces well
- Brush or scrape off growths and discard
- Rinse off any remaining salt with clear water
soft soap
Soft soap is known to fight lice. But it can also be an effective helper against moss:
- Prepare a soft soap solution from water and soap
- Apply evenly to moss-covered areas, e.g. with a painter’s brush
- leave on for about an hour
- Brush or scrape off growth
- Rinse off the remaining soap solution with clear water
Sodium carbonate, also known as washing soda, can be used wonderfully against moss on stone surfaces:
- Dissolve washing soda completely in hot water
- Using a spray bottle, spray the solution intensively onto vegetation
- leave on for around half an hour
- Loosen the moss with a scraper or brush
- rinse off leftovers
