Keeping your patio neat can be challenging, especially when it becomes overrun by moss, a resilient organism that spreads quickly and unpredictably, making it difficult to control.

Patios can become overtaken by moss due to their often damp, shaded conditions, which provide an ideal environment for the plant’s spores to thrive and spread.

Director of Infinite Paving, Rowan Cripps warned that moss is very "unpredictable" and “will grow anywhere that there is an opportunity”. 

Moreover, moss can grow quickly because it doesn't have true roots, instead relying on hair-like structures called rhizoids to anchor itself, Mosskillers explains.

These rhizoids allow moss to absorb water and nutrients directly from the surface it grows on, especially in damp environments where it thrives. 

As a result, the absorption of moisture, combined with its ability to reproduce rapidly through spores, enables fast growth. 

While commercial moss killers or adding layers of sand and gravel can help restore a moss-covered surface, there’s another solution that’s budget-friendly and likely already in your home.

The paving expert recommended using white vinegar. He explained: “While white vinegar is relatively popular for killing weeds and lichens, it is just as effective at getting rid of moss as it is getting rid of weeds. 

“This is because the vinegar helps to break down the unwanted moss and resultantly makes it far easier to unroot and remove. 

“This means that the moss will disappear and also that it should not come back anytime soon.”

Creating your own moss-repelling vinegar solution is easy: simply fill a spray bottle with vinegar, then dilute it with an equal amount of water to make an effective cleaning solution.

Proceed by spraying the solution in all the surfaces that have been affected and let it sit for approximately an hour.

After allowing the solution to soak for a sufficient amount of time, you can use a soft-bristled brush to gently scrub away the moss from the surface. 

Diluting the patio cleaner solution and using a soft-bristled brush is better than using a harder-bristled brush, which could cause damage to the surface of your pavers, Rowan explained.

These simple and accessible tricks will ensure that you “get rid of the unwanted moss” while also “avoiding any other damage”, according to the expert.

If you don’t already have white vinegar on hand, you can easily grab a bottle from Asda for just 29p (568ml) or from Tesco for only 35p (568ml).