Sandstone Cleaning

How to clean sandstone

What is the best method for cleaning the sandstone at your property?

How do you know whether a company understands which is the best equipment to use and what the best sandstone cleaning method is for your situation?

Pressure washing often comes to mind as a good way of cleaning sandstone, mainly because most people are familiar with domestic pressure washers and it makes sense that a higher-powered version of the same technology would make a highly effective sandstone cleaner.

There are several alternative methods for cleaning sandstone which should be considered; primarily Soft Washing. Using the Soft Wash System to clean sandstone can be far more effective than pressure washing.

Softwash Vs Pressure Wash Vs Doff Steam Cleaning

Pressure washing (or pressure cleaning) is great for removing visible marks and growth from sandstone, but it has its drawbacks.

Firstly, pressure washing sandstone can be very harsh its surface and cause irreparable damage if undertaken by poorly-trained or unskilled operatives, particularly on older sandstone which has a more delicate, powdery surface.

Secondly, pressure washing only removes what is visible. In fact, at a microscopic level, pressure washing actually promotes further growth of algae, moss, lichen and other organic matter because it lifts it from one location to another, allowing it to propagate further. And in some cases it can actually push organic matter deep into the surface, making it even harder to clean in the future.

Soft washing uses a low-VOC chemical cleaning process to completely remove dirt, moss, algae, lichen and other organic matter without using high-pressure water jets, leaving your sandstone pristine and sanitised and free from all organic matter in the process. This is why the results of softwashing last so much longer than pressure washing, typically between 4-6 times longer in fact.

Doff steam cleaning is another alternative to pressure washing which use high-temperature steam at low pressure to remove dirt and organic matter to great effect and is often used when cleaning listed buildings.

At Purple Rhino, our cleaning teams have been fully trained in using low-pressure Doff steam cleaners and softwash systems to safely and effectively clean sandstone to spotless condition without the risk of damaging the sandstone itself or its surroundings.

I look forward to helping you get your building super clean,

Yours sincerely

Darran Smith