The patio is a great place to relax after a long and tiring day. However only if you have maintained a clean patio with regular patio cleaning will you really enjoy yourself while on the patio. So if you think your patio needs to be cleaned, and don't know where to start, just follow these simple but effective patio cleaning tips.

Patio cleaning cannot be done at a go; it has to be done one step at a time. The first thing to do is to move the furniture off the patio. In the process, sort the furniture into pieces that are in good shape and those which have to be confiscated. Remember that it is possible to refinish and restore old hardwood patio furniture; so don't dispose of them immediately.

Next, use a good, strong broom to sweep the patio thoroughly. There are brooms specially meant for sweeping patios and driveways available at the local hardware store. If you don't have heavy duty garden tools and bags for pulling weeds, buy them too.

Make sure you do a complete weeding of the patio

After removing all dirt and leaves in corners and around planters of the patio, you have to start weeding. You could hire some teenagers to do this with you as removing all the weeds from cracks and crevices is rather tiring and time consuming. However they have to be removed as once weeds grow and spread, they tend to heave your patio tiles. In the process, they cause additional damage with water entering the tiles and eroding the soil supporting the patio tiles.

Once the weeding is done, the next part in patio cleaning is going through your plants and planters. All perennials have to be removed while ill-looking and unwanted plants have to be removed. Plants you don't want on the patio can be pulled out and either replanted or given to your friend.

Hire professionals if required

The patio stones are next in line in patio cleaning. Old patio stones build up grime, which have to be removed with a good scrubbing. Even broken and uneven plates, if any, have to be replaced with new stones. This being a difficult task in patio cleaning, you have a choice of hiring professionals or to do it yourself.

If you are hiring professionals, it is better to compare references and estimates of two or three services like Supreme-Carpetcare.com. You could also get some suggestions from your hardware store or perhaps check with the landscaping business for some ideas and references.

Be careful when using chemicals for patio cleaning

However if you decide to continue with the patio cleaning on your own, you have to rent a power hose or power scrubber for the job. While at it, be careful when handling chemicals as some chemicals may kill plants when they run into your yard and others, over bleach your stones. Approach your hardware store for help and guidance on the right chemicals to use, and their proportions. Once this is over, your patio cleaning is over and you have your patio ready to face the next season.