Pool...cleaning the white stone surround

[Mouse]

Apologies I don't know the official name for the large white paving stones that surround the pool...but does anyone have a good tip for cleaning them?
Ours a looking a bit grubby now and apart from scrubbing them with a bleach solution (which gave poor results) I wondered how else they could be cleaned.

thanks!

Mousie
x

[KathyG]

Sorry can't help with cleaning them Mouse, but they're called Margelles.

[Jimbo]

We do ours and the surrounding terrace with a powerful pressure washer. Bit messy but works OK.

Jim

[Eileen2]

Pressure washer for us too mousey. It also makes short work of cleaning the plastic 'what-ever-it's-called' which covers the overflow channel around the pool.

[la vache!]

Pressure washer (Karcher) for me too, just be careful with the grouting between the tiles.

[Dotty]

We use a karcher pressure washer too

[Blue Shutters]

Pressure washer didn't really work well on ours, and caused a lot of grief with the grouting.

I would also love to know the answer, next year will try hands and knees scrubbing with builders strngth bleach that is used for pointing work....not looking forward to it

[Mouse]

thanks everyone. I feared it might be a high pressure washer...as we don't have one!
I'll ask around friends and see if I can borrow one when the season is over.
It is amazing how dirty they have become.

Mouse
x

[la vache!]

It is amazing how dirty they have become.

I have to do mine every week or so - I'm very jealous that yours have stayed white so long!

[Mouse]

Weelllllll! I wouldn't say they're white LV
But luckily they've gone unnoticed by the guests (or rather they've not been commented on). But after scrubbing with bleach every season I actually don't see much of a difference so I knew something must be wrong.

Mousie
x

[Hells Bells]

Careful if you use the brickwork cleaner, it's hydrochloric acid, and will react with bleach.

[Mustbemad]

For a pressure washer, check out your local area for hire companies.

That way you can get really powerful equipment and don't have storage problems afterwards....

We bought one last year but it was rubbish, you could spit harder than the jet it produced! It went back for a refund.

[Jimbo]

For a pressure washer, check out your local area for hire companies.

Don't know about Spain but that doesn't always work here in France. The best local hire companies with industrial-strength equipment will only rent to bona fide professional builders, not to the general public. We had to persuade a local artisan to rent on our behalf when we needed a big dehumidifier. Fine, too, for occasional use stuff but a high quality pressure washer (got to be Karcher - they just keep going) finds a lot of uses during a busy season.

Jim

[la vache!]

a high quality pressure washer (got to be Karcher - they just keep going) finds a lot of uses during a busy season.
Jim

Yes, I couldn't do without my Karcher for keeping the pool area, the bikes, my car and other paved areas clean in the summer.

[bornintheuk]

We have 2 pools here and the older one has margelles and slabs which can be cleaned with a "Karcher", they are not reconstituted stone, but are cement/concrete made to look like stone.
If you have reconstituted stone (pierre naturelle reconstituee) then we have been advised by two local suppliers to never use a pressure washer as this will damage the surface and allow more dirt to enter the following season. They suggest just a normal housepipe and lots of elbow grease !
I am about to lay the margelles and terrace in reconstituted stone so I will probably use a hydrofuge protection before the autumn leaves start to fall.