Spot removal outside
Cement and brick pavers
To clean pavers, sprinkle with a little bicarb followed by a little white vinegar. As the mixture fizzes, sweep with a stiff broom. If there’s any mould, mix ¼ teaspoon of oil of cloves in a 1 litre spray pack of water and spray over the area. Respray after 24 hours. Clean pathways with 2 cups of water and 1 tablespoon of dishwashing liquid in a bucket of sand. Mix thoroughly, spread over the path and sweep with a stiff broom. Collect the sand and reuse it.
Q: When it rained, our new spotted gum decking oozed brown stains on the sandstone coloured concrete composite pavers. What can I do to fix this?
A: Brown stains on pavers. Use: Glycerine, deck scrubber or stiff scrubbing brush, eucalyptus oil, old toothbrush, dishwashing liquid, 9 litre bucket, water. The brown stains are tannin marks and can be difficult to remove. Scrub with glycerine on a deck scrubber or brush, leave to soak for 20 minutes and scrub again. If there’s gum sap (it looks shiny and resinous), remove with eucalyptus oil on a toothbrush. Add 1 teaspoon of dishwashing liquid to a bucket of water and scrub with a deck scrubber or stiff brush. Repeat if the stain remains. There is a proprietary product that removes stains from pavers which is available from hardware stores. Wear protective clothing when using it. Tannin stains become harder to remove with time so tackle them as soon as possible. If there are gum leaf stains, use eucalyptus oil on an old toothbrush to remove them.
Q: I’ve got oil and petrol from a lawnmower that’s leaked onto pavers and stained them. How do I remove them?
A: Oil and petrol on pavers. Use: Plaster of Paris, water, dishwashing liquid, broom. Mix plaster of Paris and water to form a paste the consistency of peanut butter. For every cup of mixture add 1 teaspoon of dishwashing liquid and stir. Spread a 1 cm thick layer over the stains and leave to dry. Sweep away with a broom; the oil and petrol will be absorbed into the mixture.
Q: I’ve got cooking oil on my brick pavers’. How can I get it out?
A: Cooking oil on pavers. Use: Plaster of Paris, water, dishwashing liquid, broom. Mix plaster of Paris and water to form a paste the consistency of peanut butter. For every cup of mixture, add 1 teaspoon of dishwashing liquid. Place a 1 cm thick layer over the stain and leave to dry. Sweep away with a broom.
Q: Our umbrella stand has left rust marks on our pavers. How can I get it out?
A: Rust on pavers. Use: Talcum powder, disposable rubber gloves, CLR/Ranex, water. Cover the rust with a sprinkle of talcum powder and, wearing rubber gloves, moisten the powder with CLR or Ranex. Leave for 2 hours and rinse with water. You may need to repeat.
A: Bore water stain on brick. Use: White vinegar, water, bucket, stiff broom. Because bore water is high in mineral salts, it causes white marks on bricks. To remove, mix equal parts white vinegar and water in a bucket. Sweep over the bore water stain with a broom.
Q: Help! Eggs were thrown on the front brick wall of our home. How do we remove them?
A: Egg on brick. Use: Cake of bathroom soap, stiff brush, cold water, glycerine. If you get to it before the egg fries, rub a cake of bathroom soap and cold water over a stiff brush and scrub over the egg until it’s removed. Don’t use dishwashing liquid or spray products. If the egg has set, wipe with glycerine on a stiff brush. Leave for 20 minutes. Then use a cake of bathroom soap, cold water and a stiff brush as described above. Don’t use hydrochloric acid as a cleaner. It strips the top surface and leaves orangey marks. If you have used it, neutralise with equal parts bicarb and water.
Glazed tiles
To clean tiles, lightly sprinkle with bicarb, spray with white vinegar and, while fizzing, scrub with a broom. Don’t overuse the bicarb and vinegar or you’ll get residue. If you do, wipe with a clean damp cloth.
Q: What’s the best way to remove bark and eucalyptus leaf stains from ceramic patio tiles?
A: Bark and leaf stains on tiles. Use: Glycerine, broom, dishwashing liquid, 9 litre bucket, water; eucalyptus oil. This is a tannin stain. Apply a little glycerine directly to the stain and scrub with a broom. Add 1 teaspoon of dishwashing liquid to a bucket of water and sweep backwards and forwards over the stain with a broom. If the leaves are eucalyptus, add 1 tablespoon of eucalyptus oil to the solution.
Unsealed tiles
Q: Our outside balcony has unsealed matt black ceramic tiles. But some of the tiles are turning white-ish. house is near the coast so there’s salt in the air. Any suggestions?
A: White marks on tiles. Use: White vinegar, stiff broom; or sweet almond oil, stiff broom, cloth; tile sealer. The white markings could be from salt, lime scale build-up or glass cancer. If it’s from salt or lime scale, wash with white vinegar on a broom. If this doesn’t work, it’s glass cancer, which means the surface has been damaged. To deal with this, wipe with sweet almond oil on a stiff broom and polish with a cloth. Seal with a good quality tile sealer.
Concrete
Q: How can I remove battery rust stain from my concrete driveway?
A: Rust on concrete. Use: White vinegar, deck scrubber or stiff broom, disposable rubber gloves, CLR/Ranex, water. To remove battery acid (which is actually an alkaline), scrub with white vinegar on a deck scrubber or broom. Put on rubber gloves and sweep with CLR or Ranex on a broom and rinse with water.
A: Fluorescent float paint on concrete. Use: Non-iodised salt, water, cloth, ice-cubes, zip-lock bag, cake of bathroom soap, broom. Mix 1 cup of salt with 1 cup of water and apply with a cloth. Place ice-cubes in a zip-lock bag and put on top of the stain and leave until the ice melts. Remove and rub a cake of bathroom soap over the bristles of a broom, add water and scrub over the stain. Repeat until removed.
Slate
Q: I’ve got slate tiles. What’s the best way to clean them?
A: Dirty slate. Use: Bicarb, white vinegar, broom, water, non-iodised salt, marble wax. Sprinkle on bicarb, followed by white vinegar and scrub with a broom, then rinse thoroughly with water. If mouldy, add 1 cup of salt to the rinse water. Seal with marble wax.
Stone
Q: It looks as though wax has been splashed over my mother’s headstone. It’s gone into the granite and left a grease mark on the stone about the size of a hand. Can you help?
A: Wax on granite. Use: Tea tree oil, pantyhose, Brasso, cloth. Scrub the wax stains with tea tree oil on a pair of pantyhose. You may need to repeat if the wax returns to the surface. If there are watermarks, rub with a little Brasso on a cloth. It will look worse before it looks better.
Q: How do you remove graffiti on white marble?
A: Graffiti on marble. Use: White spirits, pantyhose; or plaster of Paris, methylated spirits; or rotten milk, damp cloth. If the graffiti was applied with Texta, oil-based paint or spray paint, use white spirits polished on and off with a pair of pantyhose. If the graffiti is from water-based paint, mix plaster of Paris and water to the consistency of peanut butter. For every cup of mixture, add 1 teaspoon of methylated spirits. Paint a 1 cm thick layer over the stain and allow to dry then brush away. If the graffiti is ink-based, place rotten milk solids over the stain. The ink will be absorbed into the solids. Remove and wipe clean with a damp cloth.
Reference: Fleming, Jennifer; Lush, Shannon (2011-02-01). Spotless 2: More room-by-room solutions to domestic disasters. Harper Collins, Inc.