Of all the natural stone options, travertine pavers are perhaps the most popular one. And for good reason, as travertine is the best material for pool sides and deck installations. But what about cleaning? Can you pressure wash travertine pavers?
Maintenance and regular cleaning are extremely important when talking about pavers. Long term value is the key, and proper maintenance practices is the only way to make sure the investment in pavers comes to fruition.
It wouldn’t be different with travertine paver. In fact, maybe even more so. With other option of pavers, like concrete or brick, you have more options of colors and textures. Those colors and textures can, sometimes, “disguise” how dirty the pavers are.
With travertine, however, things are more complicated. Travertine always comes in a lighter tone, with pristine look and texture. Dirt is very apparent in travertine, and therefore something that needs to be taken care off more regularly.
So, the goal of this article is to talk about the cleaning and maintenance practices you need to have with your travertine installation. More specifically, whether you can pressure wash travertine or not and what are the day-to-day recommendations when it comes to cleaning.
So let’s get right to it.
Jump to:
Can You Pressure Wash Travertine Pavers?
The answer is yes, you can pressure wash your travertine pavers. But be careful! Don’t start using pressure washers before understanding how they work and, even more important, knowing the proper settings for the specific cleaning you want to do.
Pressure washers are powerful machines that require care and patience when handled. Too much pressure can damage the surfaces you intend to clean. Too little and the cleaning won’t work. It will just be a waste of time, water and resources.
So the first thing is to know what are the exact settings you need to use on your pressure washer to wash your travertine. Second, is how to actually use it and then, finally, what are the right cleaning products to use.
Remembering that pressure washers should be used only as surface cleaners. That means their job is to get rid of all that hard and apparent dirt on top of the pavers.
Stains and deep dirt should be left at the second stage, the soft wash stage, where you’re going to work with cleaning products and less aggressive tools.
Pressure Washer Settings and Cleaning
So, starting with the settings on a pressure washer. You can use a high pressure cleaner at 200bar and 25 liters a minute. If you have the hot water setting, even better, as you can use water at a 90c heat setting.
Simply walk back and forth slowly with your pressure washer, removing all the dirt from the pavers. Don’t spend too much time on a single area, keep moving at a steady pace.
As you go through it, you’ll see all the dirt getting “loose” and being washed away by the pressure washer. Again, don’t worry about stains or dirt that refuses to get loose after a first passing. They will be dealt with in due time.
After going through the entire installation with the pressure washer, you’re going to rinse the area with the help of a garden hose. At that point, you’ll remove any dirt that has been already loosened up by the pressure washer.
With that stage done, now you’re free to move on to the soft wash stage.
Soft Wash Stage: Cleaning Products
Now is time to perform the deep cleaning of your travertine patio. To do that, you’re going to need a soft washing gun and specific cleaning products. And at this point is worth to spend a little time thinking about cleaning products.
Travertine is a natural stone. As such, it cannot handle any abrasive or acidic products. For starters, never use any product that has a pH of more than 7. Use only neutral cleaning products, that are mild and phosphate-free.
A good alternative is to use cleaning products that are designed specifically for stone, the stone soaps. Good alternatives in the market today are the Miracle Sealants LTSS6QT Natural Stone Soap and the Black Diamond Stoneworks Limestone and Travertine Concentrated Cleaner.
Whatever the product you choose, make sure to closely follow the instructions that accompany the product. In case there are no instructions, or just to be safe, here is how these products usually should be applied.
Using the soft washing gun, spread the product throughout the installation. Let it act for 20 to 30 minutes and then rinse the area. Yes, it is that simple. You can repeat the process if things are particularly dirty, but usually one application is enough.
After that, the only thing left is to focus on the re-sanding and re-sealing.
Day-to-Day Cleaning
There’s not much mystery regarding the day-to-day cleaning of travertine pavers. Focus on regular simply, preferably every day, to make sure the installation is constantly free of dirt, leaves and other biological materials.
In the case of spills, clean it up as fast as possible and use the poultice method if things get out of hand. There are poultices sold commercially, but you create your own by mixing baking soda and stone cleaner until you have a thick paste.
Simply spread the poultice over the stain, cover it with plastic wrap, and let it act for the next 24 hours. After that, remove the plastic and sweep away the poultice, repeating the process if the stain hasn’t yet been removed.
Professional Help to Pressure Wash Travertine
Even though all these instructions are safe enough to be tackled from a DIY perspective, hiring professionals to help you is always the best course of action.
Qualified hardscape professionals have the proper tools, materials, techniques and experience to help you clean your installation and already re-sand and re-seal it afterwards.
We here at JS Brick have helped countless homeowners with that kind of service during our 22 years of activity. We know the importance of working closely with professionals, so we always recommend you find someone you can trust around your area to help you.
And if you happen to be around our area of activity, the Sarasota and Manatee counties, in FL, why not give us a call to help you with your project?
You can give us a call anytime at +1 941 586 9140 or email us at [email protected]. We would be happy to hear from you and help you any hardscape need you might have.
