As the mercury begins to rise, it's time to turn our attention to getting outdoors and enjoying the spring. As you turn your attention from indoors to outdoors, you will probably notice your brick or stone pavers definitely need some attention.
For the DIYers, this means dusting off your pressure washer. If you didn't winterize it last fall, you want to make sure you drain the gas and refill it with fresh gas. Be sure to check the oil level in both the engine and the pump. Remember to only use non-detergent oil in the pump. Once you have topped of the oil levels and filled with fresh gas, you should be ready to get it started.
Before you begin cleaning your pavers, take a quick walk around and see what you are up against. If you notice you are getting weeds in the joints of the pavers, pretreat those guys with your favorite weed killer prior to pressure washing the pavers to make sure the weed roots are dead.
Also, keep on the lookout for any new stains that inevitably show up from time to time. The most common stains are rust (from patio furniture), stains from the overhanging trees and shrubs and mold and mildew.
Prior to firing up your pressure washer, pretreat these types of stains with a rust remover. If you noticed that you have some newly installed oil stains on your pavers or just some ground in dirt, pretreat these areas with a mild cleaner, prior to pressure washing.
Once you have pretreated with the appropriate cleaner, now it's time to fire up that pressure washer and have some fun. Alternatively, hire a professional contractor to clean your pavers and think about sealing (or re-sealing) them to get your outdoor space ready to enjoy!
Barbeque, anyone?