Supplies for Concrete Patio Cleaner:
You’ll need 2 parts baking soda and 1 part bleach. I usually start with two cups of baking soda and one cup of bleach. But, that is a fairly small amount. Feel free to double or triple (or even quadruple) this recipe since most patios are large sizes.
The patio cleaner will be thick and soupy (is that a contradiction? Like pea soup, no?). Grab some rubber gloves and a large scrub brush. I made my paste in a shallow glass pie plate (I wasn’t sure how bleach & baking soda would react with metal, so I opted for glass to be safe). I would just dip my brush and scrub the concrete. Then rinsed it all when I was done. I did line my patio with old sheets to catch the runoff. I didn’t want to harm my grass or let too many chemicals just go into the big, wide world. You can see below a photo after I began the process.
My husband and I were pretty amazed. And it goes fast. It didn’t take me too long at all. Of course, the next day, the dog tracked on prints AGAIN. But, since I had just cleaned it, it easily hosed off. I’d say doing this a couple of times a year will keep the patio super clean. It also worked where my pot plants had leaked onto the patio and formed rings. Our patio now looks new!As you can see in the bottom right corner of the above photo, I like to use a “Gong-Style” brush for this. It can get into the crack between the siding and the concrete, as well.
Just be sure to rinse really well after using the patio cleaner. Let dry completely before walking on it again.
More Patio Cleaners & Ideas:
- While we love this patio cleaner, we eventually changed the color of our entire patio area. See how we etched and then painted this patio.
- Hunker has a recipe for concrete cleaner that’s a bit more scientific, but also good.
- My Homemade Residue Remover is also a good one to try on stubborn gunk.
