The patio at home is often the central place to stay outdoors. The joy is particularly great when the patio tiles shine clean and inviting. We explain how to clean them with simple home remedies.
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Which agent for which surface?
- Holz (z.B. Bangkirai, Douglasie, Teak etc.)
- Artificial stone (e.g. concrete)
- Natural stone (e.g. granite, sandstone, limestone etc.)
Not all types of patio tiles can be cleaned equally well with every household product. Especially if you take over an existing terrace from previous owners, you should therefore carefully consider what material you actually have in front of you. In addition to the cleaning success, the wrong agents can sometimes even lead to damage that even worsens the appearance.
water and soap
Before you resort to other home remedies, you should clean your patio tiles with water and a little soap. Put some washing-up liquid in a bucket of water and scrub the decking surface thoroughly with a brush or coarse broom. A lot of “normal” dirt can be removed in this way without you even having to put in the effort for one of the following methods. Then rinse off the loosened dirt and the soapy water with plenty of water so that the loosened dirt does not settle again immediately. This method can be used for all types of terraces , regardless of the material .
Soda
Soda is one of the most well-known and proven home remedies for many uses. It can also be used easily but effectively for cleaning a wide variety of patio tiles.
Fitness:
- wood
- artificial stone
Variant 1 – wooden panels
Application:
- Sprinkle a thin layer of soda on the plates
- Leave on for about 1 hour
- Rinse with plenty of water (e.g. garden hose)
- Sweep away standing water to prevent rapid re-contamination
Variant 2 – artificial stone
Application:
- Mix three to four tablespoons of cornstarch with 100 grams of soda and water to form a paste
- Apply paste evenly to panels
- Leave on for about 5 hours
- Scrub the patio tiles thoroughly (e.g. with a coarse broom or brush)
- Rinse residues with plenty of water
- Sweep away standing water
baking powder
Suitability: Natural and artificial stone slabs
Application:
- Wet the surface with plenty of warm water
- Sprinkle baking soda evenly on wet surface
- Scrub the surface thoroughly with a brush or broom to spread the baking soda over the surface
- Rinse with plenty of water
Baby pillows
Again and again it can happen that your terrace gets one or the other splash of fat when barbecuing. With baby powder, you can clean dirt from fat or fat-containing substances particularly easily.
Fitness:
- wood
- natural stone
- artificial stone
Application:
- Sprinkle local baby powder directly onto the grease stains
- Leave on for about 1 day
- Sweep off powder clumped with fat
- If necessary (remaining fat) repeat the process
- Thoroughly rework with soap and water
vinegar and citric acid
In addition to normal dirt, bacteria and other microorganisms can also play their part in spoiling your patio tiles. You can get rid of these unwelcome residents with acids. Common acids from the home environment are, for example, vinegar essence or citric acid.
Fitness:
- wood
- artificial stone (concrete)
Application:
- Mix water with vinegar or citric acid
- Apply the solution evenly, eg with a brush
- Leave on for about 30 minutes
- scrub surface
- Rinse thoroughly with water
Refuted home remedies
In addition to effective home remedies, some methods have proven to be ineffective or even disadvantageous over time. Therefore, avoid the following approaches when cleaning your patio areas:
high pressure cleaner
For a long time, the high-pressure cleaner was considered the means of choice for mechanically removing dirt from all sorts of things quickly and easily. In addition to the cleaning effect, the high water pressure can also cause enormous damage to the terrace tiles:
- Chipping of wooden panels
- Detachment of the coating on artificial stone
- Promotion of porosity in natural stone (resulting in frost damage in winter)
vinegar and salt
Vinegar and salt are repeatedly touted as a kind of panacea for stubborn dirt. However, the use of this combination of active ingredients for terrace cleaning is prohibited in Germany. Because residues that get into the soil effectively kill microorganisms and small creatures there and thus destroy the soil function.
