Best patio cleaner – our tried and tested favourites

Looking for the best patio cleaner for your outside space? Then search no further, because we've tried and tested outdoor cleaning solutions from all the leading brand names to find the most effective formulas.

Although you can combine most of these patio cleaning fluids alongside a pressure washer – check out our guide to the best pressure washers on the market if you're looking to invest – there isn't any need to have one. All of the patio cleaning fluids in this edit can be applied quickly and easily to achieve impressive results without any need to jet wash.

Our tester, Rachael Phillips, put each patio cleaner through its paces in the paved back garden of her Victorian terraced house in South Wales. She's rated each product for ease of use – that's whether she needed to dilute, scrub, or rinse away, as well as any additional tools that were needed to apply the cleaning solution – as well as testing how fast each patio cleaner produced results, how effective its cleaning powers were, the coverage it provided, and, of course, its price in order to consider its value for money.

You'll find a quick round-up of the best patio cleaners we've tested directly below, along with Rachael's full reviews of each patio cleaner and everything you need to know about each patio cleaner's application method further on down the page.

Best patio cleaner – the quick list

Best patio cleaner – tried and tested reviews

Below you'll find full reviews of each of the best patio cleaners in our round-up, as tested by writer Rachael Phillips in the back garden of her Victorian terraced house in South Wales. She tried and tested each one extensively so that you can be sure that our recommendations can be trusted.

Rachael Phillips

'I live in a Victorian terrace with a long, narrow garden that features two small patio areas. As the owner of two small terrier dogs, I was looking for a patio cleaner that would not only be easy to use but also safe for my dogs to walk on after application. Living in Wales, we get plenty of damp days so I also needed to combat green algae on my paving, and the general accumulation of grime that's built up over the winter months'. 

Algon Organic Path & Patio Cleaner is an easy-to-use, effective and, best of all, eco-friendly solution for cleaning outdoor surfaces. It's one of the very few patio cleaners on the market that is non-toxic, meaning it's safe for use around wildlife, pets, and children, and it can be used on almost all surfaces, including brick, stone, concrete, wood, slate, glass, and plastic. It comes in a 2.5 litre bottle which covers a 60m² area once diluted. 

I used this product in part of my garden where my dogs run around, so it was great to feel confident that I wouldn’t harm their health whilst still getting rid of the build-up of algae, lichen, and moss on my paving slabs. The application process couldn’t be easier, it just needs to be diluted in a ratio of 1 part Algon to 3 parts water. Once the solution has been diluted it can then be applied to the desired area and just left to work. Algon suggests using a garden sprayer for an even result, but if you’re like me and don’t have one, then you can just apply the solution and use a soft broom or paintbrush to work it into the surface. Like most patio cleaners, it needs to be applied when it’s dry and no chance of rain so if you think there’s some wet weather on its way, it’s best to hold back. 

I found this patio cleaner really easy to use, especially as it requires no scrubbing or rinsing away. It does have an overwhelming smell of vinegar which, whilst reassuring me that this is an all-natural product, did mean I had to make sure the windows stayed closed after application so the whole house didn’t smell of it. Algon claims that it can take up to two weeks before you see results, but I started to see the moss and algae lifting off the surface within a couple of days and after a week there was a very noticeable difference. 

Whilst this organic patio cleaner can't quite compete with the super-fast results that toxic chemical cleaners like the Smart Seal Xtreme Patio Cleaner and Jeyes 4-in-1 Patio & Decking Cleaner achieved, we've given this patio cleaner top billing because its non-toxic formula is a whole lot better for the environment, wildlife, and pets, giving you peace of mind that cleaning your patio isn't causing damage to your garden's eco-system.

 Jeyes is one of the biggest names in outdoor cleaning products, so I won’t lie when I say my exceptions were high, and I wasn’t disappointed. If you’re looking for a patio cleaner that will give you maximum results with minimal effort, then you’ll love this one. This 4-in-1 patio and decking cleaner is suitable for all outdoor surfaces, including brick, stone, concrete, decking and even fencing, so it’s the ideal solution if you want to do multiple jobs with just one product. It comes in two sizes, and each bottle offers a large coverage area. A 2-litre bottle will cover 99m² once diluted, whilst a 4 litre bottle will cover 198m².  

The application process was straightforward. One part solution needs to be mixed with four parts water, or if your cleaning job is light, you can mix it with nine parts water. The diluted mix can then be applied to the surface and just left to dry. Jeyes do recommend that you apply the product with a pressure washer for better results, but this isn’t necessary, and since I didn’t use a pressure washer with other products, I just lightly worked the solution into the area with a soft bristle brush. 

Jeyes claim it takes up to three days before you start seeing results but I saw a difference in the colour of the area that was treated once it had dried, which was approximately five hours. I did apply this product around three times before all the moss and algae were gone but considering it didn’t require any manual labour, I was more than happy with that result. 

This product isn’t safe for pets or children, so it’s best to ensure that the area is out of bounds whilst it dries. But as well as visibly cleaning the area it can also kill up to 99.9% of bacteria and viruses. So if you have pets, this is a great product to use in the areas where they may be using as a toilet. Whilst I think this product produces faster visible results, if you cannot keep your pets from the treated area for a few hours then the Algon Organic Path and Patio cleaner would be a better option.

Smart Seal Xtreme Patio Cleaner is described as a fast-acting concentrated solution that will penetrate deep into surfaces to remove black spot, algae, moss, surface grim, and lichens. It comes in a 5 litre bottle which will treat approximately 40m² of patio area. 

On testing, I found it super easy to apply. The solution just needs to be mixed with water on a 1:1 ratio and then applied to a wet surface. It’s really important that the area is kept wet for up to an hour otherwise the solution won’t work. Even though you don’t need to, I scrubbed the area with a soft bristle brush before leaving it to work its magic. After an hour it can be washed away with a hose or pressure washer. I washed the area down after a couple of hours and genuinely couldn’t believe how clean the area looked.

This is the best patio cleaner I've used if you want super quick and effective results. The whole process was easy and the results were fantastic, and whilst I did work the solution in using a brush, it didn’t take much effort. This solution is powerful stuff, however, because of its strength, it’s important to keep all pets and children away from the area until it’s been washed away. It does have a strong chemical odour, which is no surprise given its strength, so you may want to wear a mask whilst applying this to avoid the fumes.

 Jeyes Fluid Ready To Use Outdoor Cleaner is a popular cleaning product that’s been designed for a multitude of cleaning jobs. Whether it’s removing the algae and lichens from your patio, cleaning your greenhouse so your plants can get more sunlight or hygienic cleaning of animal areas this one bottle will do the job. It comes in a small 500ml bottle which covers up to 3.8m², that’s about the size of a small pathway. Or there’s a 4 litre bottle that will cover up to covers up to 30m². Both are reasonable priced, and the ready-to-use solution is a real timesaver, although if you're willing to dilute yourself then the Original undiluted Jeyes Fluid Outdoor Cleaner will work out the best value.

Although the ready-to-use formula means there’s no preparation involved, it isn’t without elbow grease as you do have to scrub after application. First the area has to be cleared of any large debris, then the cleaner applied and left to soak in for 30 minutes, before giving it a good scrub with a brush. Then the next step is to rinse the cleaner away. 

The good thing about this, is unlike other cleaners such as the Ultima Plus XP green mould and algae remover, which you have to give some time to get working, this product starts to show results immediately. If you have dogs then I found it's really good at eliminating any odours associated with them. Plus, I noticed that it also lifted the stains in areas where they went to the toilet. The bottle states that it kills 99.9% of bacteria & viruses so again, if children or pets frequent your garden, it’s a really good product to use.

Another thing I really liked about this cleaner is that it's suitable for multiple jobs. As well as freshening up the patio area, it can also be used for pet housing and even greenhouses to get rid of that algae buildup that occurs over the winter months. It can also be used in all weather. Unlike other products that can be only used on dry days or when there’s no chance of rain for 8 hours, there are no strict conditions for using this. Which again, if you have pets is ideal because you can’t always wait for a sunny day to come along to clean.

Pro-Kleen Simply Spray patio cleaner is described as a non-acidic, bleach-free cleaner designed for removing algae and moss from patios and other outdoor surfaces. It’s concentrated, so it needs to be diluted with water, but that means that one bottle can make 25 litres of solution enough to cover 200m² which makes it a great value patio cleaner for large areas. It’s also suitable for any hard surface, including patios, paths, tarmac, glass, roofing felt, PVC, terracotta, and even caravans.

The application couldn’t be easier, as the name suggests you just spread it on the area and walk away and leave it. It suggests you use a sprayer but you can also mix it and use it in a watering can. Although, make sure that you don’t use the same watering can as you use for your plants as it can kill plant life and there’s no point having a sparkling patio if your flowers have all been killed off. 

I used a bucket to mix 4 parts water to 1 part solution and, made sure the area was evenly covered by working it in with a brush. You could see it starting to work quickly, the area started turning a brown colour within the first hour which is impressive as the directions say it can take a couple of days to achieve that. It needs to be used when there is no chance of rain for at least 8 hours, and when I applied it the solution was down for nearly 24 hours before it started to rain. The results were really impressive. After 3 days I brushed the area down as it had been raining and the algae had almost all gone.