Patio Cleaning in Dorking
Patio Cleaning in Dorking: dirt, algae and black spots lifted off paving and natural stone, with the method chosen to protect it. Dorking and the wider Surrey area are served from Horley. The first step is a free, no-obligation quote.
- Paving, natural stone and slabbed patios
- Removal of built-up dirt, algae and black spots
- Method chosen to protect the surface
- Tidy finish, ready to use
Patio Cleaning for homes and businesses in Dorking
Terraced gardens are common around Dorking, so patios here often come with steps, retaining walls and a change of level, not being one flat rectangle. That makes the steps the most important part of the job, and not for looks. A green step is a genuine hazard, and it is the part of the garden most likely to put somebody on the floor.
Steps are a grip surface first and a feature second
The tread of a step needs texture to be safe. Algae fills that texture with a slick film that turns greasy in the wet, and because a step is a change of level you have no chance to correct if your foot goes.
Cleaning them back to bare stone restores the original grip, and it is worth doing before the wet months rather than in spring after them. Where a step has a worn stone nosing we ease off, because a rounded edge on an old step will not take heavy pressure and it is already the most vulnerable part.
Retaining walls hold damp and feed the growth
A retaining wall on a terraced garden has soil against the back of it, so it stays damp permanently and the face of it stays green. Clean the patio and leave the wall and the terrace still looks unfinished, because your eye goes to the green wall behind it.
Retaining walls are usually a soft wash, not a pressure wash. Forcing water at a wall with earth behind it is a poor idea, and the growth on the face comes off perfectly well with a treatment and low pressure.
How we work
- 1Free quote and stone identification
The single most important step. Indian sandstone, limestone, porcelain, Yorkstone, concrete slab and clay pavers all behave differently under a washer, and getting this wrong is what causes the damage you see on badly cleaned patios.
- 2Protect the borders and check the pointing
Furniture and pots moved, nearby planting protected, and a look at the pointing. Slurry-pointed joints and loose mortar will lift under pressure, so we find that first and tell you instead of discovering it halfway through.
- 3Set the pressure to the softest thing on the patio
We work to whatever is most delicate, not whatever is toughest. Soft sandstone gets a gentler pass than the concrete edging next to it, even though both are getting cleaned in the same visit.
- 4Treat black spot and lichen with chemistry, not force
Black spot lichen roots into the stone. You cannot blast it off without taking the surface with it, so it needs a treatment and time to work. How much will shift, and how much may need a second visit, gets said before the job starts.
- 5Rinse down, sweep and walk it with you
Everything rinsed off, the silt cleared, furniture back, and a walk round so you can see the result and hear what we found while we were in there.
Black spot lichen roots into the stone, so it needs a treatment and time rather than more pressure. How much is likely to shift can be judged on the slabs themselves.
Other services in Dorking
Patio Cleaning near Dorking
Patio Cleaning: questions these guides answer
Real results
Patio Cleaning: before & after
Genuine before and after results from recent jobs across Surrey, Sussex and Kent.
Customer reviews
What our customers say
Dirty South Power Wash were absolutely fantastic from start to finish. They're extremely friendly, professional, and reliable, making the whole process completely stress free. I had my decking soft washed and the results were amazing, it genuinely looks like new and has been brought back to life. You can really tell they take pride in their work and pay attention to detail. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend them to anyone and will definitely be using their services again in the future!
No fuss, just excellent - from start to finish. Friendly to deal with, clear communication all the way, came when they said they would, did an excellent job. Would use again without a doubt.
Great service, really pleased with our garage roof. All the moss has gone and left nice and tidy. Great guys too. Thanks!
Did a fantastic job on a garage roof clean/moss removal, looks good as new! friendly & professional highly recommend 👏🏼
Really pleased with our driveway😊
They done an amazing job and great price
Good to know
Patio Cleaning in Dorking: your questions answered
Can you clean garden steps and make them less slippery?
It is one of the most worthwhile parts of a patio clean. The slipperiness is a film of algae filling the surface texture of the tread, so removing it restores the grip the stone was laid with. On steps with worn or rounded nosings we work more gently, because that edge is the most fragile part of the step.
Do you clean retaining walls as well as the patio?
On a terraced garden it usually matters as much as the paving. Retaining walls have soil behind them so they stay damp and the face goes green. They are cleaned as a soft wash at low pressure rather than a pressure wash, because driving water at a wall with earth behind it is not something to do casually.
Can you clean a patio on a terraced or split-level garden?
It is normal work here. Split levels mainly change how we manage water, since everything runs to the lowest terrace, and how we get the kit around the garden. We work down the levels in sections, clearing silt as we go instead of letting the whole garden worth of it collect on the bottom terrace.
Should the patio be cleaned before winter or after?
Before, if grip matters to you, which it does on any garden with steps. Autumn cleaning takes the algae off before the wet and frost arrive, which is exactly when a green step becomes dangerous. Spring cleaning makes the patio look right for summer but leaves you with a slippery winter first.
Will you need access through the house to reach the back garden?
Only if there is no side access, and it is worth mentioning when you book. Where the garden can only be reached through the house we plan for it and take the appropriate care with floors and doorways. Side access is easier for everyone, and on a terraced garden it also affects how we move kit between levels.
Patio Cleaning in Dorking, done properly
Free, no-obligation quotes across Surrey, Sussex and Kent. Send a few photos and we will do the rest.