There is nothing worse than seeing your beautiful pavers covered with a white haze, right? Well, this white haze you’re seeing is actually called efflorescence and it’s a natural process that can happen in pavers. Fortunately, it’s not impossible to remove it.
Efflorescence happens when pavers get wet and all the salt from the paving stones comes to the surface, leaving this white powder-like haze all over your patio, driveway, or walkway. Once this is a natural occurring, it doesn’t cause any damages to your pavers.
If you’re dealing with efflorescence, we can help you out! Check this article to see how to remove white haze from your pavers and make them beautiful again!
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How to remove white haze from pavers?
There are two main methods to remove white haze and clean your pavers: one is for fresh and the other is from crystalized efflorescence (which is harder to remove, for obvious reasons).
Method 1: Removing fresh haze
- Step 1: With a stiff-handled brush or a broom, brush it off all the early efflorescence, just be careful to not damage your pavers by brushing it too hard. This keeps all the salts from being washed back into the paving stones, if you leave it, the white haze will crystalize.
- Step 2: After brushing, rinse the area with a garden hose, that will remove some of the minerals and will allow the cleaner solution to be absorbed better.
- Step 3: Make a mix of warm water with pavers cleaner and spread it all over the area, then brush it off again, then let the cleaner dry on the pavers.
- Step 4: Water the pavers again to remove any residue. And then, let the pavers completely air dry.
Method 2: Treating Crystallized Efflorescence
- Step 1: With a stiff brush or a broom, sweep the area to remove loose efflorescence. This will help that all the salts don’t get back to the surface. You can focus more on the spots that the haze is worse, just be careful to not scratch your pavers.
- Step 2: If dry brushing doesn’t work, you can rinse your pavers with vinegar (which is very effective in dealing with crystalized efflorescence) and scrub them again.
- Step 3: If vinegar doesn’t work, you can use muriatic acid to remove the rest of the efflorescence. Make a mixture of water (about ⅘) and acid (about ⅕) and pour all over the area, then scrub them again. Don’t forget to wear safety gloves and glasses while dealing with muriatic acid!
- Step 4: After brushing it, use a mix of water and paver cleaner to pour over the area again (if you used muriatic acid, use a minimal amount of the mixture) and brush to remove any residue or efflorescence. Don’t forget to wear safety gloves and glasses during this step as well.
- Step 5: Rinse all the area with a garden hose, then let it dry completely.
How to prevent white have on pavers?
There are a few ways that can avoid efflorescence from happening in your pavers, but it’s important to say that since it is a natural occurring, you can experience this problem again.
One way to secure your pavers from white haze is by separating any water sources (sprinklers, garden hoses, etc.) from your pavers, which can avoid the water bringing all the salts to the surface.
Another way to prevent efflorescence effectively is by sealing the pavers with a hydrophobic sealant, which will create an extra layer of protection and inhibit the water from getting absorbed by the surface. You can also install geotextile fabric under the pavers before installing them to prevent any water or salt absorption from the soil.
Hire a professional!
As you could see through this article, the best way to remove and prevent white haze from your pavers is by cleaning and sealing them, which is not an impossible task to do alone, but hiring a professional to do the work is a guarantee that efflorescence will stay away from your pavers for a long time!
At JS Brick, if you hire our cleaning and sealing services we make sure that your pavers will look as good as the day they were first installed. So, if you live in Sarasota or any of our surrounding Counties, contact us for a free estimate!
