Homeowners with a garden will be all too familiar with the site of patios becoming covered in algae when conditions are cold and damp. But with sunny days finally returning in the UK, many will be looking to get their gardens back to their best to enjoy the weather with friends. Besides being unsightly, algae can also make hard surfaces slippery and dangerous, and even damage wooden decking if the moisture seeps in.

Thankfully there are cheap ways to tackle it, and you may even have all you need at home already. Furniture Clinic, a firm which specialises in cleaning and restoration for home and garden, previously revealed some top tips for banishing algae from your decking, including a simple bleach mixture.

In a blog post back in 2022, the company flagged using an equal mix of water and bleach to clear stubborn patches.

If you don’t have bleach, 750ml bottle of Easy Citrus Bleach are available from Wilko for just 55p, as per The Mirror.

However, Furniture Clinic noted that care has to be taken when using the mixture “as it can harm plants, grass and wildlife although you can spray greenery nearby with water before applying so that it dilutes any overspray”.

“Whilst it does kill the algae for now, it is not an eco-friendly option and the chlorine can sometimes change the colour and appearance of the surface,” it adds.