Recommend me a ‘brush on’ chemical block driveway cleaner

[Nick67GT]

Tenant has asked me if I mind him cleaning the block driveway, but I’d rather not trust him with a 250 bar pressure washer (even if it has got one of those enclosed rotary devices on the end of the lance) only to find it’s caused damage or instability of the blocks in some way.

Has anyone any experience of successfully using the ’brush on - hose off‘ products on this type of driveway? It’s not got oil or other problem stains on it, just the usual moss / lichen stuff. Don’t know why he wants to clean it actually…….

 

[brightspark]

i just clean my blocks with power washer once a year and re sand and seal every other year, nowt worse than moss and filth on them

 

[Anguz]

Sodium hypochlorite.. watering can on.. brush about half hour later then rinse off

 

[Anguz]

Mind you it will kill anything bordering it

 

[Spark plug]

I never jet wash block paving, the best method I’ve found is to simply scatter a bag of sand around and drive the wicker plate round.

The abrasive action of the sand and wackier plate brings it up like new.

 

[badabec]

Mind you it will kill anything bordering it

That's a bonus worth having.
What percentage do you use?

 

[addjunkie]

Jeys fluid kills moss and such, I use it on a north facing door step.

 

[Brad93]

Sodium Hypochlorite

 

[Brad93]

My pal runs a company doing very lavish driveways/patios.

Britannia Exterior Cleaning

https://g.co/kgs/p1XJWA

What blocks/slabs have you got, i'll ask what he recommends.

 

[Onoff]

Made up copper sulphate solution will stop growth of lichens and moss.

 

[Nick67GT]

My pal runs a company doing very lavish driveways/patios.

Britannia Exterior Cleaning

https://g.co/kgs/p1XJWA

What blocks/slabs have you got, i'll ask what he recommends.

They’re the typical ‘Marshall’ type blocks

 

[Anguz]

Sodium hypochlorite.. watering can on.. brush about half hour later then rinse off

Domestic bleach is 4 % stuff I have is 15.. don't do nothing precise. Just a couple or three glugs in a watering can

 

[OJCar]

Ferric Sulphate Monohydrate is a good moss killer, that is also a grass fertiliser, if you have grass nearby that you care about.
Can leave a slight reddish brown stain if you go too heavy handed in the mix and don't wash it off properly.
However on most block paving you wouldn't notice the stain (unless you had done utterly mental concentration ratios ! ).

 

[Smouser]

Bleach works perfectly fine for me. I hate moss and lichen so treat all our areas once or twice a year. Cheap, and it works. Especially if you buy bleach in bulk.

5 litres of thin bleach for £3.69 before you use the 15% off code.

Mirius Thin Bleach W1 (5 L) 800-106-0034 | at Zoro

Mirius - Thin Bleach W1 (5 L) available at Zoro.co.uk - UK's Leading Supplier of DIY Tools and Supplies'

www.zoro.co.uk

The thick bleach is £4.99 before discount.
Zoro offers free delivery for orders over £25. Very convenient.

 

[Pigeon_Droppings2]

Bleach works perfectly fine for me.

Slight variation for me...I use oxygen bleach (sodium percarbonate)...a lot safer to use than chlorine bleach. Stick it on....brush it...then leave it half an hour and wash it off.

Works really well on wood decks too...I think it attacks the bonds between algae and the surface so stuff is a lot easier to then wash off.

 

[timgunn1962]

I've had success with a Benzalkonium Chloride solution. It's sold as "Wet and Forget", "Spray and Leave" and a few other names. I've bought it as "BAC 50" from ebay and diluted it to the maximum recommended concentration (8:1). It worked well enough on an aging DIY conservatory roof (it might have survived power washing, but it would have leaked) that I did the patio and next-doors block-paved drive the following weekend. The whirly power washer certainly gets it cleaner, but not by very much: a week, maybe 2?