Cleaning of Porcelain Pavement

When properly installed, Porcelain pavements have very low maintenance and provide an attractive surface for decades. Underfoot and vehicular traffic, they can become exposed to dirt. This is common to all pavements. This technical bulletin addresses various steps to ensure the cleanliness of Porcelain pavements to help maintain their original appearance. These steps include removing dirt and cleaning.

Dirt on specific areas is easily removed with soap and water, a high-pressure cleaner may be used for high traffic areas. The cleaner should be used to remove any dirt from the entire pavement. A newly cleaned pavement can be an opportune time to apply joint sand stabilizers. To achieve maximum results, use cleaners, joint sand stabilizers, specifically for porcelain pavers. These may be purchased from a manufacturer, contractor, or dealer. Common household products such as Dawn soap can be just as effective.

Removing Stains

If applying a cleaner other than soap, a test application should be evaluated in a small, inconspicuous area for cleaning effectiveness. Some areas may require repeated applications of the remover to achieve effective cleaning. This is often the case for deep-set oil spills. With all removers, cleaners, joint sand stabilizers, the label directions, and warnings should be read and carefully followed for all precautions.
Start cleaning at the bottom of the pavement and work up the slope in manageable sections. By working up the slope, cleaning fluids will drain down the pavement. This technique assists in uniform removal while allowing the used cleaner to be rinsed away consistently. The surface remains dry ahead of the cleaner-soaked wet areas, allowing better visibility of the areas to be addressed.
Take care in selecting and applying cleaning products, as acidic ones may harm vegetation and grass and are not required to clean the surface of porcelain pavements. Should any heavier cleaners be used, these cleaners should not run onto vegetation. When using strong cleaners that might drain onto vegetation, saturate the vegetation with water before using cleaners. This will minimize absorption of cleaner rinse water and reduce the risk of damage to vegetation. 

Porcelain Paver 2cm Shellstone - Latux
Porcelain Paver 2cm Shell stone

Overall Cleaning 

Porcelain Pavers are stain-resistant and do not require any form of sealer application because of their absorption rate of 0.5%. Commercial stain removers available specifically for porcelain pavers provide a high degree of certainty in removing uncommon stains. Many kinds of buildup can be n preparation for cleaning, low tree branches, shrubs, and vegetation adjacent to the pavement should be tied back or covered to protect from overspray of cleaning solutions.

Removal of accumulated dirt is the objective of cleaning. However since the porcelain pavers have 0.5% absorption, they never need to be sealed and they won’t fade. Many cleaners effective in removing dirt are a mix of detergent and acid. The use of acids is not recommended for cleaning porcelain pavers.

Anticipate where the cleaning fluids will drain, i.e, across the pavement and not onto grass or vegetation. Sediment or cleaners allowed to pond in low spots may dirty the porcelain pavers. If unsure of the runoff direction, test drainage with ordinary water first to identify any trouble spots. Be sure to rinse these areas thoroughly.