April 15th, 2020 by Sarah Miles

You would think that any decking or patio areas of your garden should be the easy parts compared to the planting, weeding, digging and cutting that is required for borders and lawns. However, it seems that a gardener’s work is never quite done and the biggest issue with these types of areas is the mould and algae that can grow there. Whatever proportion of the garden these represent, it can look unsightly and spoil the effect of the whole garden (taking impact from your hard work elsewhere!).

Not only does it not look great, from a practical point of view it can make these surfaces quite slippery creating trip hazards and, in extreme cases, making them unusable.

Why do mould and algae grow on patios and decking?

Mould and algae thrive in damp, shady areas. That’s because they need plenty of water to grow (often paved patios don’t have a lot of drainage) and water doesn’t evaporate as quickly from areas that don’t get as much sun. They also require air and bacteria. All of which are in abundance outside.

How can you get rid of it?

You could just scrub it with bleach or some other household cleaner and it will shift some of it but it’s not great for the environment, smells nasty, is harsh on your hands and could potentially damage decking or patio surfaces. The ideal cleaner to use is something that is developed specifically for this purpose. Patio cleaners are formulated for this exact issue so they work on destroying the mould and green algae but they won’t damage the surfaces. Simply Spray and Walk Away is the most popular patio cleaner in the UK.  It’s also really easy to use: mix up the required dilution, spray or pour (using a watering can) onto the patio or decking and then leave it for a couple of days. It will work on the algae over this time and then you can just rinse it away.

5L Pro-Kleen Simply Spray Green Mould and Algae Remover

Price: £16.96

Buy Now

How do you stop algae from coming back?

One of the big frustrations with gardening is how quickly everything needs doing again after all your hard work. Well, the good news is that a product like Simply Spray and Walk Away keeps it from re-growing for up to 6 months – that’s one less gardening job on your list!

But what about the environment?

Something that gardeners are very conscious of these days is the harm that chemicals such as weed killer and outdoor cleaning products can have on the environment. Luckily you don’t have to worry on this score as Simply Spray and Walk Away contains no bleach, no acid and is pH neutral. That means it’s safe to animals and children and won’t be emitting nasty toxins into the environment.

Now you can focus on the nice gardening jobs like tending to your plants (and sitting in the sunshine!).