Best way to clean pavers?

Hey guys,

I handed out 1000 post cards over the weekend. I’ve quoted a few jobs that have pavers. What is the best way to clean these? My thoughts are pre treating with SH and then washing off with the wand (I don’t have a surface cleaner yet). I’m concerned that if I hit it with just pressure then I’ll risk damaging the motar between the pavers. So my options as I see it is pre treat and wash/rinse or hit them with my turbo nozzle. I guess I could hire a surface cleaner however the nozzles probably arent ideal for my 4 gal machine.

What are your guys thoughts?

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My search isn’t working right or ide link it but there was a thread on them that pretty much said if you wash pavers your going to need to re sand them. Maybe an iPhone user can link you


maybe @florida_condo_cleani can chime in

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As long as the mortar is in decent shape I wouldn’t be too concerned with hurting it. It wouldn’t be any different than washing a brick wall. You really need to get a surface cleaner. To clean I would pre treat, hit the corners with a turbo, and use surface cleaner. Since you don’t have one just use your turbo nozzle. If you worried about the mortar just start in the corner and test it out.

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Is it mortor or sand? I’m assuming you planned on re sanding them and charged them for it. If its mortar get a surface cleaner. But yes pre treat wash post treat sand rinse you will be fine

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https://pressurewashingresource.com/community/search

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Awesome thank you!

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I’ve never cleaned pavers before, I’m a new to the game. Didn’t even think of resanding them. Just quoted the job based on how long I thought it would take to clean. Is resanding it basically just raking sand over the top of the pavers to replace any that is lost from the gaps?

I tested my down stream, it draws at 13:1 which means my SH will only be like 1% if the chlorine is at 12.5%. Would a 1% mix be effective or would I be better to buy a back pack sprayer, pre mix so I get more SH on the pavers?

I noticed the gaps between the pavers were pretty deep as he did say he used to do it with his home pressure washer. He has probably blasted away most of it anyway lol. I could hire a surface cleaner, they aren’t that expensive.

They are sand too btw , i just zoomed in on several of my pictures

There is a link above that Max1 provided that will let you use the search function, trust me it’s a good mine of useful information.
Heaps quicker than asking questions but if you require clarification post away.

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Please don’t do that. Get the right tool for the job. Hire a surface cleaner.

That’s grout/mortar, not sand?

If it is, pressure won’t get rid of deep mold in grout/mortar, it will need a strong mix to bleach it out.

My approach to this would be to DS neat SH, then clean with a SC, rinse it off, post treat with SH and pack up. If needed, I’d mix a sprayer with SH (50/50) and do any touch ups where the mold didn’t get removed.

Done :slight_smile:

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I’ve just been having a good read, learnt a lot about sanding and re sealing doesn’t seem too difficult at all. I’m glad I posted on here to get your guys feedback. Thanks!

Alright so based on your guys info, I should pre treat with sh, get the edges with my wand and then surface clean the rest, post treat and rinse. What percent SH would be ideal to put down on them. As I said above my Venturi is about a 13:1 so DSing I’d only be putting down 1% sh on the pavers. Am I wasting my time with 1%? Should I get a pump sprayer and go 50/50 or 30/70 so I’m putting down 3-6% instead?

Yes 1 % is a waste of time

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Only a year under my belt but I would pretreat with 2-3% and post treat with 3-4%. Make sure to pre rinse those shrubs before hand, you dont want to burn the leaves with a hot pre treat. Also make sure to set expectations with customer and talk about re-sanding

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That will make a mess. Use the floaty-type surface cleaner, not a wheeled one and you can do the edges at the same time.

Actually, it’s good practice to go around the edges first, like “cutting in” when painting. Then, clean the rest. This way you don’t have to go to the edge every time and make more mess.

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Okay, with the post treat, do you rinse off afterwards or just leave it? The customer asked how clean I could get them, I just said I can get them as clean as I can. It only appears to be general dirt and mold so they will come up good. I also said I’ll include re sanding the pavers in my initial quote. Profits won’t be as high now as I’ll have to get the sand plus brush it out but it will be a job well done and another learning experience for next time

Customer confirmed it is sand between pavers not grout so once i’m finished ill re sand the areas im cleaning

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