well...I went out to the pond today as most of the ice has melted. Unfortunately, every critter that was unaccounted for is dead except 2 frogs I havent found yet. I'm sure they are dead somewhere. I am def investing in a net this year. So much crap found its way into the pond..turns out the white stuff was a piece of newspaper, a piece of burger wrapper, and what looked like a wet napkin. I'm pretty ticked..none of it was from me..was all stuff from litterbugs. There is also a plastic bag stuck way up in a tree where I cant reach it. The house next door has been vacant, and I suppose some of the crap came from over there. So much litter is in that yard, plus their garbage cans blew over awhile back into the backyard..guess they didnt take that last haul out b4 they moved. I hope there arent any bags in my pond!!! God, people really p!ss me off. Someone threw an empty vodka bottle in my driveway the other day..what is wrong with people??? I need to move out into the middle of nowhere so I dont have to deal with this anymore. Sorry about the rambling..guess I needed to vent. BUT white stuff mystery solved. No fish living. I have decided to empty & clean the whole thing come warmer weather, and start all over again. Maybe I will take some algae mixed with wet leaves from the pond, make balls out of it and whip it at people as they litter by my house..right at their heads..that could be fun. I could wear camo and hide in the bushes, lmao. Sorry to hear about the fires..kinda odd it happened twice. But I'm not gonna get involved in all that lol.

There are various enzyme-based cleaners on the market for this purpose. You can usually find them at places like home improvement stores (Lowe's, HD). They are typically concentrates you dilute and spray on, allow to sit for a period of time then hose and brush off. About as much time and effort as involved as power washing, all in all :-) Using a bleach solution works well also but poses some issues with the environment - at least the immediate environment. The enzymes are totally safe. As you might tell, I have the same issues. With our moist winters, concrete surfaces that are not in a full open exposure tend to grow some serious crops of algae over winter. And older pavers or exposed aggregate surfaces seem to do a better job of hosting them than smooth finishes. Sealing the surface might be the only long term solution.

Hi Altacountrygirl, Welcome to the painting forum. Hey, you could even take some of your painted pavers to work--I'm sure your coworkers and customers would enjoy them. They are so easy to paint--but use your old brushes, they are sort of hard on brushes. I just use my acrylic paints and then spray two or three coats of sealer on them. You could also use the Patio Paints and skip the sealer, or even use left over house paints. There are two books out with cute patterns. You might check www.artistsclub.com or your Michael's store. I have one of them--will have to hunt for it and give you the name and author. You can use anything on them. The fun foam would be best if you intend to put them outside. Regular felt would not hold up outside. You can add wire or chenille stems for antenae on the ladybugs. You can glue eyeglasses on some things. You can add some bling by gluing some pretty half marbles or old jewelry on. Just use your imagination, and the sky is the limit! Hope you have lots of fun with it, and please come back and share your pics with us. Luvs

I live in northeast Ohio - I've got salt stains on my garage cement floor that I'd like to clean ( was going to mix up a solution of 1 gallon of warm water to 1 cup of vinegar with a squirt of dish soap. Pour the solution onto the stains and scrub with a stiff deck brush). Facing north in my backyard, I also have a paver patio with "rubbery grout" between all pavers (see photo). Some moss/algae has grown in between; I applied the product wet'n forget which is great and has gotten rid of the green stains but in areas that had mini algae "trees", they are brown/dead but still there. I was hoping to use a deck brush to wipe them away without damaging the grout. Can anyone recommend a specific "deck brush" for both of these jobs? Thank you in advance.