The Brew Cabin

Hi,
I had some Marshalls Tegula Pennant grey coloured blocks put down this year.
They look good, but in the last couple of weeks dead leaves from some cherry trees have stained the blocks a dark brown colour. This has occured mainly where cars have driven over the leaves.
A wash with soapy water and a stiff brush does not remove the stains.
Any ideas on how to remove this particular type of stain?

Thanks for an excellent web site.

Mike

Going back to my days doing botany, leaf stains will be mostly tannins, the same stuff that makes tea (and therefore my teeth) a dark orangey-brown colour. You should be able to shift the stain using ordinary household bleach, but, as always, test it out on a discreet area first, just in case there's a reaction with the blocks.

The tannins will break down naturally over time, so the stain would disappear with a bit of weathering, but the bleach should help accelerate the process.

If you give it a go and it works, let me know - or if it doesn't work, you can still let me know so that I can add it to my list of bogus cleaning solutions.

Hi,

Thanks for the advice Tony.
You are right, the leaf stains are going all on there own!

I did try a bit of bleach on one block and the stain went, but so did a similar stain on an adjacent block! So I think the blech may have worked. It did not seem to have any adverse effects.

I will leave what stain is left and hope it will all go naturally.

I will let you know if I have to resort to the bleach again!

Mike

Good to hear that it works, Mike. I'll put my teeth in a bucket of Domestos overnight! ;)