If your home has a garden patio, you’ve already got an excellent feature to be proud of. If not, you should probably consider adding one as it’s a wonderful home renovation! There are so many ways to use a patio to extend your living space outdoors. However, if you don’t look after it correctly, it can deteriorate quicker than expected. This will lead to dirty patio tiles that are prone to cracking or breaking. With that in mind, here are three patio maintenance tips all households should know and follow:
Regular cleaning (both light & intensive)
Obviously, you need to keep your patio clean if it’s to be maintained. This involves two different things: light cleaning and a more intensive effort. Light cleaning is when you brush the patio surface or lightly scrub it free of any dirt and debris. It can be done as often as you like throughout the week, and all you need is a good outdoor broom. Intensive cleaning should be done maybe once a month or so, and it involves using a power washer to obliterate any dirt. This is the best way to stop dirt from festering in the grout between the patio tiles and will get rid of the most stubborn stains.
Protection from the elements
Technically speaking, patio tiles are weatherproof. However, that doesn’t mean they won’t deteriorate faster when exposed to harsh weather conditions – like snow, rain, and hail. For many months of the year, your patio could be battered by bad weather, and this damages it considerably. So, you need to protect it from the elements, which can be done with things like aluminum patio cover kits. This includes things like awnings or covers that are raised above the patio and protect it from any bad weather. It also protects the stones from the sun, which stops them from getting super hot and possibly fading the color.
Get rid of any weeds
The biggest problem for patio owners is unwanted weeds finding their way into the tiles. This tends to happen when tiles have cracked or split, so one way to prevent this is to follow the previous tips to keep them in the best condition possible! However, weeds are also known to grow in the grout between tiles if you don’t remove them. Therefore, you need to carry out regular checks to spot weeds and remove them while they’re young. This should be done as often as you can manage, which will make it easier to remove weeds as they show up. Leave it too late and you could have a forest on your hands! The video above shows a few tips on how you can remove weeds from a patio, so feel free to watch it if you have some free time.
That’s it, these are the only three patio maintenance tips you need to know. By following them, you will keep your garden patio in the best condition for as long as possible. Now, you and the rest of your family can enjoy the comfort of a gorgeous outdoor living area.
