Not everyone is a fan of the rustic look of moss growing on their driveway, sidewalk, or patio. But, appearance aside, it’s a safety hazard. When moss covers materials like concrete, brick, wood, and paving stones, it can make these high-traffic surfaces extremely slippery, increasing the risk of someone falling.
While there are multiple methods for killing moss, baking soda stands out for being cheap, effective, easy to apply, and most of all, because it’s less harmful for wildlife, and nearby plants, flowers, and trees. Here’s how to get rid of moss on your driveway and sidewalk using baking soda.
How to remove moss with baking soda
The first step is hosing down the mossy areas, taking time to thoroughly soak any cracks in the pavement, or spaces between bricks. Then give it two or three hours to soak in. This will help the baking soda stick to the moss, and penetrate the cracks and crevices.
Next, apply the baking soda in one of three forms:
Powder
Sprinkle baking soda directly onto the moss. Let it sit for several days. When the moss turns brown, scrape it off and out of the cracks, then sweep it away the debris. You can also give it a final rinse with a hose if you’d like.
Paste
This is the same process as the one describe above, except instead of sprinkling powder, you mix some baking soda with a small amount of water to make a paste, then spread the paste over the moss. The powder method is much faster and easier to apply to large areas of moss, while the paste method is ideal if you’re targeting moss growing in cracks in the pavement, or spaces between bricks.
Spray
Pour ½ pound (roughly 1 cup) of baking soda into a garden sprayer, followed 1 gallon of water, then and shake until it’s combined. Or, if you only need a small batch, mix 2 tablespoons of baking soda with 1 cup of water in a spray bottle, and shake.
Next, spray the moss-covered areas. A few weeks later, check the sections where you sprayed the solution. If the moss is still there, spray the areas again, then check them in a few weeks. Keep cycling through the process until the moss is dead—which could take two or three months.
