You might already have this simple item at home that's been named as one of the best for . As summer rolls around, there's no time like the present to get your garden into shape for the .

While people mainly focus on their lawns, plants and other aspects of their , the patio often gets forgotten. , it will no doubt become dirty, so now is the perfect time to freshen it up again. According to experts at Which? You should clean your patio with a stiff broom which can be purchased for as little as £9 on .

You may also benefit from using a hose or a pressure washer to help clear off the dirt once it's been scrubbed.

By doing this job now, you can ensure your will be ready for summer and any warm weekends or bank holidays before then.

Scrubbing your patio with warm water plus a squirt of washing up liquid can remove a lot of dirt and algae.

If you're , you should first fill a bucket with warm water, add a good squirt of washing up liquid, and stir to thoroughly mix.

Then, working on a small area at a time, pour the water over the paving and leave for several minutes to soak in.

Next, scrub the with the broom, first in one direction and then the other, to thoroughly work over the whole surface.

Finally, use a hose, pressure washer or bucket to rinse off the dirty water with clean water and leave to dry.

The cleaning process may need to be repeated, especially if the paving was very dirty.

You should also give your furniture a scrub to remove any algae that may have built up over winter.

Keeping patios clean not only makes them attractive to use and look at, but is also important from a safety point of view as debris and algae can build up making them slippy.

This may be one of the lengthier but it will completely transform your outdoor space making your paving look as good as new.