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When you are cleaning your patio, you will find that sometimes it is hard to know exactly how to get certain things done. There is a variety of help for different aspects of the cleaning process online, but it can sometimes be a help just to have an overview of some of the major parts of the patio cleaning process all aligned in one place. If you are the sort who likes to have things simple and easily laid out, then have a look over the following tips on cleaning your patio for a summary of the answers that you need!1.    Prepare the patio.You will find that the patio needs a little attention in a general sense before you can start cleaning. There is a difference between cleaning and tidying, in that tidying will help you to clean without worrying where everything is going to be placed! Have your patio area looking like it should before you start cleaning to avoid wasting time and getting distracted from the process. This will also ensure that you have opened up the area to as easy a cleaning process as possible, and that you can clean without things getting in the way. 2.    Weed the patioIt is important that you weed the patio early on, as it can dig up a lot of mess in the process. Unfortunately, there is little advice to give on weeding your patio, other than getting the gloves on and the trowel out! Use a thin stick to bring up the ones that are between thin slabs, and you should find it a bit easier. Spray the area with weed killed after you are done, to prevent the weeds coming back, and you should find that you don’t have to weed the patio too often! Sometimes a stiff brush between the stones will be enough, but avoid removing too much of the cement or pointing between the slabs!3.Sweep the area.Sweeping the area of loose dirt, dust and leaves will ensure that you have as little mess to contend with on the surface of the patio as possible. You will find that your patio looks immediately better for simply having had a decent sweep over, and you will likely fill a bin bag with the stuff that you bring up off of the surface. Getting rid of all of these little bits will mean that you are not wasting your time cleaning away larger bits, and that the washing process is a lot more effective over all.4.    Wash the slabs.You can either do this with a pressure washer, or with a stiff brush and a bucket of water. If you are sing a pressure washer than ensure that you have the angle and distance right for your particular machine, as otherwise you can damage the slabs themselves! A bucket with some weed killer and washing up liquid in will do a pretty good job of getting the stones cleaned, but you will need to really froth it up first, and put your back in to the brushing! It can be hard work, but it should be satisfactory, once you have your technique down.5.    Drying off the patio. Your patio won’t need drying off by hand, but when it has dried, some of the residue form the washing will have dried on to the area, so it may be worth giving it a light sweep off, to remove standing water that may be left and any dust that remains in place! With any luck, your patio now looks incredible!