How to remove moss from a patio : my best technics!

Sign up and receive 5 £.

Book the ideal provider for your home services.

I take advantage

Moss and lichen don't spare any patio, no matter the material or climate.

Whether your patio is made of stone, asphalt, wood, or cement, you're probably all too familiar with the issue... moss is everywhere, and it keeps coming back.

Because, like you, I’m fed up with this dreadful moss, but I also love nature. 

So, I asked the most active gardeners available on our website to share their expert tips with you on how to naturally get rid of moss and lichen!

Here you go :

Preliminary advice: think about removing most of the moss manually

If the moss on your patio is thick enough to form clumps, it's highly recommended to start with a manual cleaning.

It's a bit of a hassle to do, but the result will be much better in the end, and it will help prevent the moss and lichen from quickly taking over your patio again.

How to do it?

Using a stiff-bristle broom or a hard-bristle brush, scrub the surface vigorously to remove as much lichen as possible. 

Once the moss is detached from the patio surface, sweep it away to clear all traces.

From there, you’ll have a good base, and you’ll only need to eliminate the more stubborn moss with our natural moss remover.

My favourite natural moss remover for your patio

Moss and lichen may easily take over your patio, but thankfully, it’s just as easy to get rid of them. 

And you won’t need to buy products full of harmful pesticides that could disrupt your garden’s balance.

With our quick and easy tips, you can make natural moss remover using everyday household items. 

All you’ll need to do is put everything in a spray bottle, and your patio will look like new again.

1/ Get rid of moss with citric acid

To naturally remove moss and lichen from a patio, citric acid is the perfect ally. It’s a moss remover that naturally dries out the moss.

Here’s how to make your natural cleaner with citric acid:

• Pour 4 litres of warm water into a bucket.
• Add 300 grams of citric acid, 75 grams of baking soda, 7 drops of tea tree essential oil, and 10 ml of vegetable cooking oil.
• Once your mixture is well-blended, spray it on your (dry) patio.
• Let it sit for 3 days.
• After that, clean your patio with a stiff-bristle broom.
• Finish by rinsing with a hose.

💡 Note: Check the weather to ensure it won’t rain during the 3-day application period.

2/ Make a natural moss remover with baking soda

Another option to get rid of moss and lichen is using baking soda.

Here’s the recipe:

• Pour 2 tablespoons of baking soda per litre of hot water.
• Apply the solution to your patio using a brush.
• Let it sit for 30 minutes.
• Scrub again with the stiff-bristle broom.
• Rinse with water.

It’s quick, it’s natural, and it works perfectly!

3/ Dishwashing liquid + black soap combo = moss killer

To make this effective moss-removing mixture:

• Pour equal parts of dishwashing liquid and black soap into water.
• Mix well so the water absorbs these elements thoroughly.
• Scrub your patio with this solution wherever there’s moss or lichen.
• After you’ve finished the manual work, let the mixture sit for half a day.
• Then you can rinse with water and get rid of that unwanted moss that’s crept onto your patio.

4/ Potato cooking water: the magical moss remedy

Yes, you read that right, we’re talking about the same potatoes we eat! Thanks to the starch in potatoes (or even rice or pasta), you can effectively remove lichen from your patio.

To do this, use the hot cooking water from your potatoes – or even pasta! – and pour it over the lichen. Scrub with a stiff-bristle broom and finish by rinsing with clear water.

5/ Remove moss with salty water from your cooking

This trick doesn’t just work with potato cooking water, but also with the water from rice, pasta, and any other starchy foods.

To boost its effectiveness, add salt to your cooking water, and once it’s dissolved in the hot water, pour it over the moss on your patio.

It’s an easy and inexpensive solution available to everyone and highly effective against lichen.

6/ Natural moss remover with white vinegar

This is a classic grandma’s remedy: the famous white vinegar. This product is used for so many things that everyone should have some at home.

For real results with white vinegar, it must be used undiluted.

You can either spray it directly at the root of the moss or dilute it in hot water, using 2 litres of water for 1 litre of white vinegar.

Guaranteed success!

7/ Basil essential oil against lichen

Thanks to its fungicidal properties, basil essential oil is a great weapon against lichen. Put a few drops of this oil in a bucket of water with some liquid black soap. Pour the mixture on the areas of the patio affected by moss, then scrub.

Conclusion and extra Yoojo tip

And there you go! Now you’re ready to tackle the moss and lichen on your patio, and it’s much easier than you thought. However, if you have a large patio, it might take some time.

An extra tip from Yoojo is to search for and book a gardener who will take care of all these tedious tasks for you at an affordable price: moss on the patio, weeds, mould, green pool cleaning, and more…

Discover our patio and terrace cleaning service right here and make a request to see our price proposals.

Discover all our gardening services and service providers near you

Click to book a gardening service