February 25th, 2022 by Sarah Miles

Black lichen is the black spotting you usually see on garden stone areas such as drives or patios. It is a combination of 3 types of organism: algae, fungi and bacteria. It is unsightly, can make surfaces slippery and is often tough to get rid of. This is because it is a very hardy organism that firmly attaches itself to surfaces. It also forms a hard-outer crust, making it very difficult to just scrub or brush away (and even if you managed to, there will often be growth still attached that is not visible and this will allow it to grow back). You also run the risk of damaging the surface of your drive doing it this way (not to mention the toll on your hands and knees!).

How to remove black lichen from your drive or patio

So, given that we’ve established that it’s difficult to remove, what can you do about it? The answer is to use something that is specifically formulated to deal with the problem. You could potentially waste a lot of time and money, as well as risk causing damage to your patio or drive, by pouring bleach and other general household cleaners on it and getting no results. A product such as Cleenly Black Spot Remover, which contains the active ingredient Sodium Hypochlorite which breaks lichen down, thereby enabling it to be simply rinsed away and preventing rapid regrowth.

Cleenly Ultimate Extreme Black Spot Eliminator 5L

Price: £24.95

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Here’s how to use it:

1. You don’t need any fancy equipment to apply black spot remover; just a watering can or pump sprayer. Just fill it with the cleaner (no need to dilute, it’s ready to use at the right concentration) and pour it onto the area you’re working on, ensuring to keep away from any grass or plant life that may be located around patios and driveways.

2. Leave it on the drive or patio for a minimum of 2 hours but ideally overnight (check the weather before you start – you don’t want an unexpected shower to wash it away before it’s worked its magic!).  Remember to keep children and pets away from the area while the cleaner is working.

3. Wash the area down with water again being very careful to avoid grass and plant life in the area. You can use a watering can or a garden hose to do this. You can also use a pressure washer for this, but be careful that the pressure is not too high as you could risk damaging the stone. Continue to keep children and pets away until dry.

You should find that you are left with a beautifully clean driveway, free of black lichen and other dirt and grime.

What started as looking like a tricky problem to resolve, is a very easy one – as long as you have the right product. It will even work on long-neglected surfaces with significant lichen coverage. There is therefore no need to put up with a discoloured, dirty looking drive or patio when it’s this easy to get a shiny, clean one!

5L Cleenly Black Spot Remover Cleaner

Price: £24.95

Buy Now