Today is the first official day of fall, one of our favorite times of the year! The temperatures start to drop to a comfortable level, the trees start to change into the gorgeous colors and we can finally pull out cozy sweaters again.
There are some important things you can do for your patio, walkways, and driveways to prepare for Mother Nature’s fury. Many of those beautiful leaves that have changed color are going to fall from the trees and get blown around. These leaves always find a way to rest on your patio, walkways, and driveways. It is very important to sweep or blow these leaves off the surface because at this time of year the nights are cool and days are warm, which causes condensation and when mixed with leaves can stain your concrete pavers. Some trees like the glorious maple have whets called samaras or what we used to call them when were children – “helicopters” because of the spinning action in which they fall to the ground. These samaras can stain much more easily than a leaf. They are designed by Mother Nature to dissolve with small amounts of moisture to help re grow more trees. It’s a natural tree protection system that we can’t stop from happening.
To keep your patios, walkways, and driveways debris free we recommend regular blowing and or sweeping the surface. Sealing the pavers will also help these brownish/yellowish stains from penetrating too deep in the capillaries of the concrete making it easier to clean in the future. Another really good tip to do at this time of year is to remove any of the furniture, pots, urns or BBQs from your patio. These items will see Mother Nature in action for a few months and may leach rust onto the surface which is a little harder to clean off. Some of these items may promote themselves as rust proof or exterior grade but may have a screw, bolt, or nut that wasn’t rust proofed and that would be all it takes to leave an unsightly stain on your gorgeous landscape.
You may also want to consider using EnduraColor™ Plus products which have stain resistance built right in to the top 12%of the surface!
