How to Clean Different Types of Landscaping Stones

Landscaping stones such as gravel, pavers, pebbles, and boulders add instant appeal to any yard, are long-lasting, and are low maintenance to boot. With that being said, a yearly deep clean is essential to keep your stones looking their best.

In this post, we’ll discuss the best tips for cleaning your boulders, decorative stones, rock walls, and more.

Implementing a weekly maintenance routine makes your life easier

Before we jump into how to clean, it’s important to note that by regularly maintaining your rocks you’ll have less work to do when it comes time for a deep clean. You can keep maintenance to a minimum by doing the following on a weekly basis:

• Pick up and rinse off debris after storms roll through
• Edge your lawn, particularly around gravel beds
• Whenever you notice weeds sprouting, pull them up ASAP
• Use a blower to blow leaves out of the rocks
• Add weed killer to pebble garden pathways and pavers to slow down weed growth

Now, let’s look at how to deep clean, which should be done annually.

1. How to Clean Paving Stones

Start by sweeping the paving stones using a stiff outdoor broom. If they are only slightly dusty, simply rinse them off using a high-pressure setting on your hose.

If there are stubborn stains, use a wire bristle brush and dish soap to scrub them clean before rinsing with the hose. Some stains may persist, in which case, chemical cleaners can be used– just don’t mix chemicals and always thoroughly rinse afterward.

Finally, fill in paver gaps with polymeric sand. This helps cut down on weed growth.

2. How to Clean Rock walls

If you’ve had professional masonry work done, you’ll need to be careful as these materials may not fare well being sprayed with a pressure washer or cleaned with harsh chemicals.

The best course of action is to ask the manufacturer how best to clean your exterior rock walls. 

If you aren’t able to get an answer, scrub one small area of the wall using gentle dish soap and water, then wait and see how it turns out. If the wall colors and composition are not affected, go ahead and continue scrubbing.

3. How to Clean Landscaping pebbles and Gravel

There are a few effective methods for cleaning garden pebbles and stones. Here’s what you can try:

• Use a wire mesh as a sieve to sift debris from gravel.
• Push an outdoor broom over garden pebbles while hosing them down at the same time.
• For white stones, sift the debris out with a wire mesh, then mix ¼ cup of chlorine bleach with five gallons of water in a large bucket. Soak the stones for 1-2 days, then rinse and replace the stones. Pour the bleach solution down a drain- never in your yard.