Removing bird poo from paving stones

MouldyOldDough

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82076121#Comment_82076121

Yes - it definitely is b!ird poo - You can see fresh spots all of the time - they dry to form these patches

kitten_bitten

That explains it then! I'd just keep cleaning them off while they're fresh, as they're much easier to remove before they dry out.

davetaller

i’m surprised that no one has suggested using biological washing powder.

HillStreetBlues

If it's bird poop I wonder how the 1000's of birds managed to all miss the top right hand side

silvercar

If you are in a hose pipe ban area, you can't use a pressure wash yourself, though you can employ a commercial firm to do it.

casper_gutman

I'm still entirely convinced this is lichen. This Reddit thread has some tips -

How do I get these white marks off my patio? : r/DIYUK

Incidentally, this other thread has several posters who mistakenly assume a similar issue is due to bird poo, so the OP isn't alone -

What are these white spots on my driveway and how do I remove them? : r/AskIreland

stuart45

It would be unusual for birds to target a small area like that, unless there's a lot of overhanging trees where loads of them roost. I remember round the Old Steine in Brighton where it was hard to walk on the pavements because of all the Starlings gathering there in the Autumn, but that's exceptional.

Annemos

I have similar along a brick garden wall that faces South. London Cotswold Bricks. I have always thought it is lichen or algae. Wall is 46 years old.

I have only been able to take a photo of a small section which is in the shadow. (Taken in the full sun, the photo would not be as clear.) But further along from the piece in the photo, the section of the wall which is in the sun all day is much more covered in it, like the Poster's.

It is in an area where I do not notice it, as it is along the side wall. And in a way it adds to its character and is not doing any harm. (It is always a talking point, if tradesmen come to do any other work, like when my Subsidence work was being done and a section had to be rebuilt at the top.)

I can see it would be more annoying when on a Patio.

Momogeew

Could it be salts/efflorescence ?

On my brickwork, front drive, i have white spots and was told it was salts coming out.

MouldyOldDough

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82097575#Comment_82097575

Because there is a fence there - they swoop down and have to fly upwards, otherwise SPLAT !