Outdoor Maintenance
The Australian outdoors is a quintessential part of life thanks to our year-round sunshine and temperate weather. With summer fast approaching, the weekends will soon be given over to BBQs, backyard cricket, enjoying the pool (or your neighbour’s) and relaxing in the outdoors.
It’s been a long winter so to get your outdoor area ready for entertaining or family time, Australis have some quick tips on maintaining the garden, pool, and paved areas.
Trimming trees
Overgrown greenery can drop branches, shed leaves, and encourage pests in to your backyard. Check your trees for dead hanging branches and trim back any limbs getting close to air conditioners, power lines, patios, roofs, or pools. Trim back bushes and hedges to minimise hiding places for termites and other insects. Also check for signs of beehives or wasp nests starting to develop and call in a pest controller to deal with these nasties. Trees can harm pavers as they tend to leak oils that cause damage to the paver. Pavers should be sealed when they are laid and resealed over the years for protection. Chat to the experts when updating your pavers and they can give you all the tips and tricks including when to re-seal.
Cleaning pavers
Winter rains, dirt, and wear can make your once-new pavers look a little tired. Luckily limestone pavers are easy to clean! We recommend weeding between your pavers and applying a purpose made ant and weed jointing sand. This means by the end of next winter, there will be little to no weeds found between the gaps in your pavers!
Sweep debris off the pavers and scrub with water and a mild detergent. Wash away stubborn grime using a hose, or really go to town by hiring a high-pressure cleaner (as long as you’re careful not to damage the pavers). If you’re having difficulties removing stubborn stains with a high pressure cleaner try using a concentrated Napisan solution or a very mild acid solution. You can make your own by using Hydrochloric Acid, 20 parts water to 1 part acid. Apply the formula using a watering can and scrub the stain using a coarse outdoor broom. Ensure that you do not leave the formula on your pavers too long, and you rinse thoroughly with a hose to avoid damaging your pavers.
Cleaning the pool
If you’re lucky enough to have a pool you are guaranteed to be popular in summer. Hopefully you opened your pool to clear water, not a disheartening shade of green. Even if the water looks clean you should still go through rigorous checks to ensure it’s safe to use! Call in a pool expert to test all acid, PH and salt levels. Ensure to do this early and you will be swimming in no time.
Cleaning outdoor furniture
Did you forget about the furniture over winter, leaving the elements to do their work? Don’t worry, patio furniture is built more rugged than indoor furniture. Use a fabric detergent and water to remove stains from soft furnishings then leave them in the sun to thoroughly dry out. Check for creepy crawlies under chairs and tables and give plastic furniture a good scrub with soapy water.
Get started on your spring cleaning early to have your outdoor area ready for entertaining come summertime. After a long winter indoors, you may have decided it’s time to think about updating or revamping your outdoors. Australis’ have an extensive range of paving – from African Stone to their locally manufactured range, guaranteed there is something beautiful at Australis Pavestone to replace your existing paving.
