How to keep your paving mould free
Having been through one of the wettest and cloudiest summers in a long time, I am sure many people have found the paving in their driveway and around their home is full of mould and algae.
Mould and algae on paving looks unkempt, but it is also very slippery, which can lead to very nasty accidents, especially if you have elderly people and children living in your home.
To make the paved area look more attractive and to prevent any accidents, you will need to clean it up.
Sunshine
Before cleaning the paving try and get the affected area exposed to sunshine.
Mould and algae cannot grow in dry heat, so wherever you can, cut away bush and branches to allow the sunshine through.
Increased sun exposure will also help reduce the reoccurrence of mould - once you have cleaned the paving.
If you have done a good job, you should have clean, mould-free paving for a long time to come.
Leaks and other causes
Check your roof, the geyser and especially your guttering.
Rusted or leaking gutters cause excess water to run over your paving and very often this overflow will speed up the growth of algae.
Leaves
The minute you have too much moisture over a long period of time, with our warm weather to boot, you will have algae and mould thriving.
Ensure that the paving is swept regularly and kept free of all fallen leaves and other garden debris as these also help keep the bricks damp for longer.
Cleaning
Once you have cut back any excess bush, swept the area clean, and sorted out any leaks, you can now clean the paving bricks or stones.
Put your garden hose on its strongest setting and wash as much of the algae and mould from the bricks. The mould will be more entrenched in the cement between the bricks, so be careful not to actually remove the grouting.
Once you have done this, use a strong brush to scrape off the rest of the mould and then wash it again with a strong spray of water.
Chemicals
You will remove most of the mould and algae with the hose and scrubbing brush, but in order to kill it and keep it from reoccurring you need to scrub it out with chlorine.
Take about 250ml (1cup) of pool chlorine and mix it into a five-litre bucket of warm water. You can use cold water, but the warm water will dissolve the chlorine a lot faster.
If you do not have chlorine, you can also use a 50/50 mix of strong bleach and cold water to do the same job.
Before doing anything, wet the area thoroughly with the hosepipe – as it is not advisable to spray chlorine onto dry bricks.
Pour a small amount of the chlorine mixture onto a brick in an area that is not too noticeable, to see if it changes colour - if not, you can go ahead and pour or spray it onto the rest of the paving.
If the area is small, put the solution into a spray bottle and spray the entire area. If you’re dealing with a bigger area, buy a hose attachment sprayer and spray the area that way.
Once you have covered the area with the chlorine mix, use a stiff brush to scrub off all the algae and mould. Take special care to scrub the areas between the bricks, but do not use a wire brush because this will damage the grouting and the bricks.
Once the scrubbing is done, wash the pavers down thoroughly using the hose.
If you have done a good job and removed any excess shade-causing bushes and branches, you should have sparkling mould-free paving for a long time to come.
Extract From Property 24
