The need to keep our surroundings clean can never be overemphasized, and using the right materials to do this means we can enjoy a tidy environment.
Many things can stain the brick pavers in our homes, from food drips to greasy stains from cars and machinery, metal rust, and the likes, all contribute to leaving an eyesore if a stain all around.
The good news is that there are many home remedies you can apply to remove these stains from brick pavers. One of such remedies is vinegar. As common as this material is, it is more useful in removing tough stains than you find around.
What Do Some People Have Against Vinegar?
We have heard a lot of people say that you should never use vinegar to clean your brick pavers because it will damage them, this point might seem valid, but the truth is that they are either using the wrong kind of vinegar to clean these pavers or the concentration level of the vinegar the use is too high.
If you want to use vinegar to clean your brick pavers, you must use white vinegar because it is less acidic and safe for cleaning most surfaces and removing stubborn stains.
If you use dark-colored vinegar like balsamic, you might end up staining your pavers the more instead of making them look better. This type of vinegar that most people complain about stains their brick pavers.
You can use white vinegar for removing stains because it is not toxic, which means you don’t have to worry about your kids and pets getting harmed by it.
It is also environmentally friendly, which means it does not destroy our environment in any way. It is also effective, which implies that it can remove the toughest of all stains if you use it correctly.
The only objection you might have regarding its use is its smell which some people find offensive. But asides from that, white vinegar will keep your brick pavers looking good.
Why Is Vinegar A Great Option For Removing Stains
Vinegar is great for removing stains because they are made mostly from everyday material around us, from fruits to grain like corn, and so you are dealing with natural products that are not toxic.
Vinegar is also biodegradable, which means it can easily be decomposed by an organism which means there is no pollution.
The acid content of undiluted vinegar is very high. So if you will be using it in delicate places or materials, you will have to dilute it with water so that it doesn’t burn or destroy the material. You should also use a hand glove while using vinegar for the same reason.
Common Stains That You Find On Brick Pavers
Brick pavers are exposed to a lot of stains, and this is because they are usually outside, where they are exposed to lots of things. Here are some of the most common Stains that brick pavers are stained with that can be gotten rid of with vinegar:
1. Rust Stains:
Many metallic objects around us can rest and leave stains, including old gardening tools, old utensils, metallic cans. Using white vinegar and a stiff brush to brush such rust stain places will get rid of the stain
2. Asphalt and Roofing Tar:
It is common for a bit of tar to fall on your brick pavers as you are probably reshingling your roof. You can use vinegar and a tar remover to clean off the tar.
3. Fluid from Cars:
Car fluids like hydraulic oil, bracket fluid, and antifreeze oil can easily stain your brick papers. Using vinegar and another great remover will remove any of such stains.
4. Mold or Mildew: ‘
These are common types of stains that you find in brick pavers; simply soaking the area with diluted vinegar and leaving it for 15 minutes, and then scrubbing it will remove the stain
5. Food drips:
There are lots of food stains that can find their way to our brick pavers, from ketchup to sticky candy, and lots of them. Vinegar can clean off these stains and keep the brick pavers looking new again.
6. Leaf stains:
Leaf stains can be easily removed with vinegar; giving the stained area a good dab of diluted vinegar will remove the stain.
Steps To Cleaning Brick Pavers With Vinegar
Vinegar mixed with water and a cleaner solution for pavers is an effective combination for removing very stubborn stains in brick pavers.
A mix of water and vinegar is a great combination to remove stubborn dirt and stains. If you want even better results, use this mix with a cleaner solution specifically for pavers or soap and water. Below are some of the materials you will be needing for removing stains from brick pavers:
1. White vinegar
2. Paver cleaner or any dish soap for that matter
3. Spray bottle
4. Bristle brush
5. Gloves for your hand
6. Garden hose or pressure washer
Procedure:
1. Use the garden hose to wet all the stained areas you want to be cleaned. When the brick pavers are wet, they can easily absorb the vinegar solution you will apply.
2. Proceed to make a vinegar mixture and warm water in an equal ratio. The area of stains you want to remove will determine how much of this mixture you make.
3. Put the vinegar mixture in the spray bottle and then spray the mixture on the stained area. Ensure that you apply a good mix and uniformly spread it. Leave it to stay for an hour.
4. Then water the brick pavers again using the garden hose; afterward, apply the discount soap or paver cleaner and water over the area.
5. Use the bristle brush to scrub away the dirt and stains from the surface. You will notice that you might not need to scrub hard because the vinegar solution would have removed most of the stains already.
6. Repeat the process if the stains are not wiped out on the first try.
7. After cleaning the area, use a sealant to seal the paver surface to protect the pavers.
Other Options For Removing Stains From Brick Pavers
If you do not have vinegar available at home and you need to remove different stains from your brick pavers, then you should do the following:
1. For oily or greasy stains that have penetrated the brick pavers, all you need to do is use a rag to mop up the excess oil, then use an oil absorbent material like kitty litter talc or diatomaceous earth to cover the area. Leave it for about 24 hours, and afterward sweep off the materials.
2. For Tire Skid Marks, scrub the black area with scouring powder, detergent, and water. If the stains are so bad, then you might have to replace the stained pavers with new ones
3. If there is asphalt and emulsified asphalt in your brick paver, then chill it with ice and scrape away the asphalt. Afterward, scrub the surface with abrasive or scouring powder and then rinse the area thoroughly with water.
5. For Cutback asphalt and roofing tar stains, all you need do is to use a poultice made with talc or diatomaceous earth or any grease absorbent material and then mix it with kerosene, scrub it and allow it to dry, and then brush off every debris left. You can repeat the process if some of the stains remain.
6. Use liquid detergent on stains from blood, candy, ketchup, mustard, grease drippings from food. Apply the full-strength detergent on the area, and allow it to sit for about 30. Afterward, scrub and rinse the area. These stains will be removed faster if you clean them up immediately.
7. For clay soil stain, all you need to do is scrape off the dry clay and then scrub and rinse with a very strong detergent with hot water.
8. For Caulking and chewing gum stains, you have to scrape off the remaining gun and then scrub the area with denatured alcohol or naphtha, and then rinse afterward.
9. If you have a fresh paint stain on your brick paver, use a rag or paper towel to blot the paint. You will have to be careful as you blot out the paint so that you don’t spread the paint to other areas, increasing the stained area.
For water-based paints, soak the area with hot water and then use scouring powder and a stuffed brush to clean up the stain( after it must have tried). You can then apply a commercial paint remover on the area and leave for 30 minutes before you continue to scrub until you see improvement.
If the paint is already dry, scrape any excess remaining and then apply the commercial paint remover to help it loosen; afterward, you scrub the area.
10. For tobacco stains, wood, and leaf rot stains, apply your everyday household bleach and then use a stiff brush to brush the area and rinse it off with water.
11. Smoke stains and creosote can easily be removed with a poultice of talc, water, and bleach in the ratio 5: 1, respectively. Allow the mixture to sit for a while, and afterward, rinse with water.
12. Mortars can be removed off your brick pavers by allowing them to dry and harden very well, then use a chisel or putty knife to remove the hardened stuff.
How To Maintain Your Brick Pavers
There are quite a number of things you can do to keep your pacers looking excellent and new; some of them includes:
1. Keep your surroundings clean, rake the leaves around, sweep the paved areas after heavy rains. Remove anything that has the potential to leave a stain in the paved areas as soon as you notice them.
2. Spring cleaning helps ensure that dirt and grime that leaves stains do not build up around us. You can spray them with a high-pressure garden hose to keep everywhere tidy.
3. Use vinegar or other stain removers to remove any stain as soon as you notice it. Investing in suitable household cleaning materials like paver cleaning detergent will help maintain your pavers.
4. Maintain the joints of the brick pavers by applying joint Sand like polymeric Sand, which ensures that the pavers do not shift on impact; they prevent the growth of weeds, infiltration of water, an infestation of insects.
5. Although brick pavers are strong, they are indestructible, so care must be taken while maintaining these pavers that you do not use very harsh materials that can affect them. For instance, some deicing chemicals can cause wear and tear on the surface of these pavers, which could lead to damage in the future.
6. If you must use paver sealers, you must be very careful with applying them. This is because some of these sealers cause the surface to become slippery when they are wet and can pose an accident hazard for family members.
If you must apply paver sealants, then go for the water-based sealer, which should be applied just once in 3 to 5 years. There are also suitable acrylic sealers that are safe for use on brick pavers, and they too should not be applied more than once every couple of years.
7. Avoid gaps in your brick pacers; this is because leaving empty holes allows the other pavers to shift and move out of place. Hence there is a need to replace missing or damaged units.
Conclusion
Vinegar presents a simple option for removing stains on many materials and surfaces like clothes, shoes, decking, and pavers.
White vinegar is recommended for removing stains from pavers because they are nonharmful but effective and biodegradable. However, there are other great options for removing stains in brick pavers, and the choice is all yours.
Helpful Links:
- What Kills Weeds in the Winter
- How to Kill Tree Stumps With Bleach
- Leaf Filter Vs Leaf Guard – Which Is The Best
- Can Outdoor Heaters be Left Out in the Rain
We trust this article helped you learn how to use vinegar to remove oil stains from brick pavers. You may also want to check out the Best Way to Waterproof a Shower Wall?
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