Can weeding damage patio/path?

[Sheerdetermination]

I would like to weed and de-moss my patio and paths by hand. Someone told me that you lose soil that way and therefore the paving slabs and cobbles/stones could loosen. They recommended a chemical solution. Are they right about the losing soil problem? Thanks!

No idea but I suppose it makes sense.
Salt on weeds kills them, or boiling water I believe.

I’ve done it for 25 years with no problem, but if you’re really worried you could try brushing sand into the cracks when you’ve finished.

in practise, the moss and plants will hold on to blown debris which quickly rots into soil. When you pull something up, it will leave behind loose soil which you can brush into the cracks. The real difficulty is getting out the longer roots.

Thank you for sharing your knowledge @MereDintofPandiculation and @ThereIsAnEchoInHere I’m going to try both boiling water and some tentative scrapes with a weeding knife

May issue of the RHS magazine has as one of the jobs this month “remove the weeds you don’t want in paving using an old knife, a weeding tool or a stiff bristle brush “