How to Remove Mildew on a Garden Statue

Garden statues offer mildew a good place to grow.

Like any other surface on your patio or in your garden, statues must be cleaned and maintained regularly to keep them dirt and mildew-free. Although commercial fungicides are available, they introduce chemicals into the environment that can harm wild animals and your garden plants. Home remedies are just as effective and safer for the environment.

1. Wear rubber gloves to protect your skin from dryness or irritation caused by your cleansing solution.

2. Mix 1 cup bleach with 1 gallon warm water in a bucket. Dip a scrub brush in the bleach solution and scrub the mildew stained areas on your garden statute. Apply more bleach solution to your brush and continue to scrub the entire surface affected by mildew.

3. Rinse your garden statue off with a garden hose. Start rinsing at the top of the statue and work your way down to make sure the mildew spores are rinsed off.

4. Air dry your statue completely. If it's small enough to be moved, place the statue in direct sunlight to dry. Sunlight naturally kills mildew and will get rid of any remaining mildew spores and stains.

Tip

Substitute an equal amount of trisodium phosphate for the bleach to clean severely mildewed statutes. When putting garden statutes in your yard, place them in an area that gets a few hours of direct sunlight each day to prevent mildew growth. Treat small mildewed areas with undiluted white vinegar.