How can I remove lichen from the patio?

[MrsPelligrinoPetrichor]

Loads of it! Looking at Wet and Forget but is there something else ? I've seen vinegar mentioned.

Thanks in advance 😊

Jet wash

As above, jet wash 👍👍

Do you need to?

Definitely Wet&Forget. If you have a Costco membership you might find some in stock in there. I brush it on my patio and fence panels with an exterior paintbrush. It's great stuff.

For ease wet and forget although it does take some time to work. Immediate results are from power washing your patio. However, if there are black spots or the lichen has been there a while then you may need to go down the chemical route so sodium hypochlorite to wash the patio with. We started with wet and forget but then had to go all the way to sodium hypochlorite as my patio has a natural surface, beautiful to look at but water pools in the uneven surface so algae grows etc. We had a hosepipe ban here so I couldn't clean it with the power washer meaning it got into a right state.

As for why to remove it @swanling if it is left it can become slippy which is dangerous but cosmetically it looks awful and considering how much patio paving costs I remove it.

I've spent hours jet washing,this stuff isn't moving!! I don't mind a bit of rustic looking patio but it hadn't been cleaned for 2 years and was getting uneven and slippery. It hit all the green stuff off but the lichen has set up home there! Is Wet and Forget ok with animals about, we have a cat?

Got not hit

Removing algae I understand because that's slippery, although I'm not sure adding poison into the ecosystem would be my first step then either. What kind of lichen?

W&F contains benzalkonium chloride. It's a biocide.

From their own website hazard statement:

H315: Causes Skin Irritation.
H400: Very toxic to aquatic life.
H319: Causes serious eye irritation.

I doubt it would do your cat much good to come into contact with it.

Some research on its toxicity:

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6594094/#tox22722-sec-0020title

Vinegar and a scrubbing brush!

Op the answers aren’t right, wet and forget doesn’t touch lichen or black spot as it is more commonly known. And neither does jet wash.

you need this stuff. It’s brutal though. Don’t over dilute, I use it about 2/3 product to 1/3 water and it disappears like magic.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B087XBBMG1/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Bleach? Really?

assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/427651/Sodium_hypochlorite_TO_PHE__130515.pdf

I've used white vinegar in the past.

DH periodically uses Patio Magic on ours.

I use vinegar and washing up liquid in water. Needs to be done in dry weather and scrubbed as you put it on, then left for a while, Maybe a second lot before you give up in despair.
Depending on the type of surface you might find it hard to shift, especially if someone has previously stripped and protective surface off with cleaning solutions.
If you know what it is made of, or even if you don't, look it up online for the best way to deal with what you have if the vinegar doesn't work.

Why would you do this?

It's supposed to be there

A pic would help

Will take a pic tomorrow.

Why would you clean anything? I'd prefer not to use anything harsh that's why I asked about vinegar.

It's sandstone and only been jet washed before as we had it laid,no chemicals used.

Dilute bleach works to remove black spots.
Dilute and pour onto the patio. Scrub it a bit if you like.

Given you basically want to kill the plants growing on it, you will need to use something that does that.

Pressure washing is good for surface dirt, doesn't really shift the black spots that are embedded in the stones.

I've just ordered white vinegar,I'll give that a go first .

I don’t understand this either! What is wrong with a bit of lichen? What is with this scorched earth sterility mindset?

How dilute, @rampagingrobot ?

You would do it because lichen on Indian sandstone is black, often.

It's not a just a bit otherwise I wouldn't bother. We don't use any weed killer or rose spray.