Natural stone products generally arrive to your home free of dirt and dust. As they sit in your yard, they are likely to accumulate dirt, dust and even bird and animal feces. If you want to keep your natural stone clean and free of these less-than-pleasant substances, here are some tips that can help.

Use a Pressure Washer

A pressure washer can effectively clean your natural stone, regardless of what form it takes. Got a natural stone statue in the garden? The pressure washer can clean that. Got natural stone stepping stones or gravel? The pressure washer is good for those too. Better still, use a mixture of salt water, which purifies the water in the pressure washer while simultaneously and gently washing your natural stone.

Use Very Gentle Cleansers

Natural stone means that it has not been chemically treated or tossed with anything that would prevent erosion. As such, when you wash the natural stone garden statues you have, or the stepping stones, you should be using the gentlest of cleaners. As previously mentioned, a salt water/saline solution in your pressure washer works. You can also use the same dish detergent that wildlife rescuers use to wash oil spills off of ducks and other animals. Both of these would clean your natural stone products without being too abrasive or damaging the stone.

Wash Downhill Always

When you turn the power washer onto your natural stone, wash downhill. This includes your statues, which you will need to spray downward from on high. If you have some natural stone statues that are really tall, you may need to climb a ladder to spray them from the top down.  This reduces the blast force of the pressure washer coming at the statutes from all angles while still getting them really clean. As for gravel in flower beds and stepping stones, always spray and wash downhill so that the dirt, dust and mess moves away from your stone products.

Wash Weekly or Every Other Week

You should wash your natural stone products weekly or every other week if you live in a very dusty part of the country (e.g., the desert). You should also wash them after major wind storms or dust storms. If the task becomes too burdensome or you do not have enough time to wash all of your natural stone items, consider hiring a landscaper or other yardwork helper to do the job.

For more information, talk to a professional like Harristone Pre-Cast - Merrillstone Natural Stone Products - G. S. Harris Co., Inc.

Share