If your concrete patio is more grime than divine, it might be time to start looking into how to clean a concrete patio effectively. An afternoon’s hard work is all it should take to get it looking like new.

Concrete is a practical, affordable, and durable landscaping material – whether laid a driveway, slab, or as paving. While it can be messy, wet work, a yearly clean will be worth the effort and transform any patio ideas. Like any flooring type, try to tackle any spills as they happen, to avoid them being too much effort next clean.

You can clean concrete with a brush, hose, and cleaning solution, or choose the quicker route of a pressure washer. ‘A tired patio can always be revived with a good jet wash,’ says landscape architect and designer Victoria Wade.

So, pop on your wellies and follow our easy steps on how to clean your concrete patio or driveway with or without a pressure washer. Then check out these patio decor ideas to make yours look fabulous all summer long.

Concrete – whether laid as a slab or individual tiles – has lots of benefits. Not only is it low cost, but it also offers plenty of design choice, thanks to imprints and colours now available. Check out these patio paving ideas if you are looking to replace yours.

A concrete patio is also extremely durable and fairly maintenance free – often an occasional sweep and rinse off will suffice. But if your slabs are looking a little green in places, where water pools, or you’ve moved pots and planters only to discover plant rings, then a clean-up will revitalise.

Image credit: Future Plc/Tim Young

This will stop cleaning solution from evaporating too quickly. Remove any outdoor furniture, flowerpots and planters and the barbecue from the concrete area you want to clean. Give the area a brush to remove loose or large debris. Remove weeds from paving by pulling or scraping them out of any gaps. 

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If using a pressure washer, connect to water and power. If you are using a specialist stone cleaner, then add to the washer as per the manufacturer’s instructions. Turn on the pressure washer and, starting with a low pressure, engage the trigger, slowly at first, until you are comfortable with the action. Do a few test sprays to check if your pressure is too high or too low; ideally use a fan setting over a jet one to protect your concrete paving.

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Working in a sweeping motion, clean the paving using long sweeps that overlap the previous, ensuring a consistent result once dry. To clean out any corners, aim the jet into the corner, following an L-shaped action. Try to work from a shallow angle, say 30 ° or less, and work diagonally across paving to avoid parallel washing of the joints, which could damage pointing.

Image credit: Future Plc/Emma Lewis

No pressure washer? You can still make concrete look great, just with more elbow grease and time. Start by clearing the area as before, then kit yourself out with a stiff-bristled brush, a bucket, and a hose. 

Depending on how dirty your concrete patio is, you could just use washing-up liquid mixed with warm water in your bucket. Pour over the slabs then agitate with a brush, before rinsing with clean water. Leave for 24 hours, before repeating if necessary. Or for more stubborn stains – or a concrete patio that hasn’t been touched for years – look at an off-the-shelf cleaning product, designed to tackle everything from mildew to black spots. Just check it’s suitable for the paving you want to clean first.

This depends on how dirty your concrete patio has become. For speed and ease, a pressure washer is your best friend, but they are expensive and bulky to store. They are also nosey, and while you get used to the spraying action, can result in a dirtier you than the patio started out as. They can also cause damage to pavers and joints if used too aggressively.

Some rate household bleach for grey concrete (it can cause any man-made coloured concrete paving to fade over time). It’s best to avoid if your paving runs off into a bed or lawn area though. Use a one-part bleach to five-parts water mix, leave for 15 minutes before rinsing with clean water. If you have pets, then rinse thoroughly and allow to dry before letting them out. 

While there are ready-made cleaning products especially designed for concrete, you can also make your own (although never put directly into a pressure washer). 

Try white vinegar mixed with equal parts water, or baking soda mixed with washing-up detergent (half a cup mixed with about 3 litres of water and a big squeeze of detergent). Leave either to sit on stubborn stains for about 15 minutes before scrubbing and rinsing off.