Professional Patio Cleaning in Dorset Sandstone, Porcelain & Slabs: Restored, Optionally Sealed.
Patios lose their look faster than any other outdoor surface, algae in shade, weeds through pointing, sun-baked drink stains. We restore them properly with the right pressure and chemistry for each stone, then optionally seal the finish so it stays that way. Owner-led, £10M insured, quoted on-site.
5.0 Google · 10 reviews £10M public liability Reply usually within 30 minutes
£10M Public Liability
£5M Employers' Liability
Smartseal-Trained
Optional sealing
Reply in 30 minutes
During contact hours
Owner-Led Team
Adam runs the business
5-Star Google Rated
Verified customer reviews
The Service
What this job actually involves.
Patio cleaning is stone-specific. Sandstone and limestone are porous and soft, they need chemistry-led cleaning and controlled pressure. Porcelain is dense and hard but shows every streak, so it's about detergent choice, not force. Concrete slabs take the deepest clean. On every job we also treat the pointing between slabs, moss and algae live in the joints, and cleaning the slab face without treating the joints is a temporary fix.
Who it's for
Homeowners whose patio has greened over from winter shade, developed black staining, or grown weeds through the joints; garden designers preparing established patios for a photoshoot; commercial hospitality sites (pub gardens, hotel terraces) where the patio is the customer experience.
When you need it
Green tinge in low light, black spot fungus on sandstone, algae ring around planters, slippery underfoot after rain, food or barbecue stains that haven't rinsed away, these are all cleanable. The earlier, the easier.
Why it needs a specialist
It's easy to ruin a patio with the wrong approach. Sandstone gets pitted by pressure it can't take; limestone gets etched by the wrong acid cleaner; porcelain gets streaked by cheap detergent left to dry in. Getting the right combination for the stone in front of you is a matter of experience, not equipment.
How we quote
For most work we prefer to visit in person so the quote is accurate, no online guesswork. Roof cleans can also be quoted from satellite imagery when a visit isn't convenient. Payment is on completion, cash or bank transfer, no deposits.
Why Waiting Costs More
Left untreated, small problems get expensive.
A patio is an outdoor room that gets used less and less as it looks worse and worse. Left too long, the fix moves from a clean into replacement territory.
What happens if it's ignored
Black spot fungus on sandstone is difficult to remove once it's embedded, treated early it lifts cleanly, left for years it's a lifetime feature.
Weeds in slab pointing lift and dislodge slabs. The longer that goes on, the more the substrate below shifts and re-laying becomes the only real fix.
Slippery moss-covered patios cause falls, a real risk in family gardens and even more so on stepped or split-level patios.
Sun-baked drink and food stains bond into porous stone. Same spill, treated within days, comes out completely.
Sealer applied over a dirty or damp patio locks the problem in permanently, the wrong sequence costs the whole surface.
Common DIY mistakes
Blasting sandstone with a fan pressure washer, it pits the surface, opens up the pores, and makes future staining worse.
Using bleach as a cleaner. It looks like it worked, then black spot returns worse in six months because the fungus was surface-killed only.
Ignoring the pointing. Cleaning the slab face while leaving mossy joints means the algae returns from the joints within one season.
Sealing before the stone is fully dry, trapped moisture causes cloudy patches or 'blush' that only a professional strip can remove.
Treating porcelain like sandstone. Wrong chemistry, wrong dwell time, and you get streaks that then need re-cleaning.
Our Process
A methodical system, not a rushed hose-down.
01
On-site inspection
Stone type, joint condition, drainage falls and any specific stains all identified. We quote in writing before starting.
02
Pre-treatment
Black spot on sandstone gets a targeted fungicidal treatment. Weeds knocked back. Any oil or ferrous staining spot-treated.
03
Deep clean
Rotary or lance depending on stone, sandstone and limestone at lower pressure, concrete and porcelain at a more assertive setting. Full-surface, edge-to-edge.
04
Joint treatment
Pointing between slabs cleaned or re-pointed as required. Loose pointing can be refreshed with fresh mortar if arranged in advance.
05
Optional seal
For sandstone and porcelain that would benefit, Smartseal-trained sealing can be applied once fully dry, deepens colour, resists staining, cuts future algae.
The Payoff
What you actually get for the money.
Stone-specific method
Sandstone, limestone, porcelain, concrete and travertine all get different pressure and chemistry, no one-size-fits-all wash.
Black spot properly killed
Fungicidal pre-treatment kills at the root, not just the visible spore, the reason it doesn't come back within months.
Joints treated too
Pointing cleaned as part of the job. Loose or missing pointing can be replaced on request.
Optional sealing
Smartseal-trained: sealing deepens colour, repels water and staining, and cuts the frequency of future cleans.
Safe again underfoot
Green algae removed, biocide applied, no more skating rink after a wet October.
Photoshoot-ready
Selling a home, preparing an Airbnb, hosting a wedding? Book us a few days before the photographer, not after.
Recent Transformations
Real Dorset before-and-afters.
A selection of recent projects, actual customer results, not stock photography.
Every surface behaves differently under pressure, water temperature and chemistry. Here's the technical detail behind the work, the reason we don't quote sight-unseen for most jobs.
Stone types we clean
Indian sandstone is the most common patio stone in Dorset gardens, porous, warm-toned, prone to black spot fungus in shade. Yorkstone and reclaimed sandstone are similar in behaviour but often more valuable, so care matters more. Limestone (grey and buff) is softer and reacts to acid cleaners, so chemistry choice is critical. Porcelain is a completely different animal, dense, non-porous, shows streaks. Concrete slabs and imprinted concrete take a firmer clean. Travertine and quartzite less common but we handle both.
Indian sandstone (Kandla, Raj, Mint)
Yorkstone and reclaimed sandstone
Limestone (grey, buff, Egyptian)
Porcelain paving
Concrete slab and imprinted concrete
Travertine, quartzite, granite setts
Black spot fungus, the honest treatment
Black spot on sandstone is one of the toughest patio problems in the UK. It's a lichen, not a stain, and it lives inside the pores of the stone. Bleach kills what's visible on the surface and leaves the rest, which is why bleached patios go black again fast. A proper fungicidal biocide, applied with dwell time, kills the organism through the stone. On badly-affected patios we sometimes recommend two passes across two visits, cheaper than replacing the paving, and we're upfront about it at the quote.
Pointing and joints
Slab pointing is where algae, weeds and moss actually live. Cleaning the slab face without treating joints means everything returns within one growing season. We clean joints as part of the standard job; if pointing is loose, cracked or missing we can arrange to repoint with a colour-matched mortar. That's booked separately at quote stage so the timings work, pointing needs the patio dry, sealing needs the pointing cured.
Sealing patios, when it makes sense
Sealing isn't for every patio. On sandstone and porcelain that gets heavy use, outdoor kitchens, family dining spaces, pub gardens, a professional seal repels water, resists food and drink stains, deepens colour and dramatically slows algae regrowth. On patios in deep shade or with drainage problems, sealing on its own won't fix the underlying issue. Adam is Smartseal-trained and only seals patios that will actually benefit, we'll tell you honestly at quote stage.
Residential vs commercial
Domestic patios are usually a same-day job, larger split-level or wraparound terraces run to two. Commercial patios at hotels, pubs and restaurants get scheduled around trading, early mornings, closing days, off-season deep-cleans. All commercial work runs on RAMS, invoices and insurance certificates provided in advance.
Common Questions
Straight answers, no jargon.
Something not covered here? Send us a message or call Adam directly, most enquiries get a reply within 30 minutes during contact hours (7:30am – 8pm, 7 days).
Priced per patio based on area, stone type, condition and whether you're adding sealing or repointing. Book a free on-site quote and we'll give you a firm price in writing.
Will you get black spot off my sandstone?
Yes, we treat it with a professional fungicidal biocide that kills the lichen through the stone, not just on the surface. Badly-affected patios sometimes need two passes; we'll be upfront at the quote.
How long does a patio clean take?
Most domestic patios are a same-day job. Larger terraces or patios needing sealing on top of cleaning run to two days.
Can you seal my patio after cleaning?
Yes on suitable stone; Smartseal-trained. Sealing typically lasts 3–5 years and can be re-applied on a rolling maintenance basis.
Do I need to re-point after cleaning?
Not always. If the pointing is intact we clean it as part of the job. If it's cracked, crumbling or missing, we can arrange repointing with colour-matched mortar, flagged and priced at quote stage.
Will cleaning damage my sandstone?
Not the way we do it. Sandstone gets lower pressure and chemistry-led cleaning, the opposite of a domestic pressure washer used flat-out.
How often should a patio be cleaned?
Every 2–3 years for most Dorset gardens. Deep shade, tree cover or poor drainage push that shorter; sunny south-facing patios can stretch longer, especially if sealed.
Can you clean a patio in winter?
Yes, provided temperatures aren't below freezing. Biocides work slower in cold weather but still work; sealing is temperature-dependent and usually held for warmer months.
Do you work in Bournemouth, Poole and Wareham?
Yes, plus Weymouth, Dorchester, Swanage, Southampton and Yeovil. Most of our work is Bournemouth and Poole.
How quickly can you book me in?
Adam replies to most enquiries within 30 minutes. Patio cleans are usually scheduled within 1–3 weeks depending on weather.
Book a free on-site quote. No deposits. Pay on completion.
Adam replies to most enquiries within 30 minutes during contact hours. £10M public liability, £5M employers' liability, RAMS and Method Statements available for commercial work.
