The durability and timelessness of brick make it a popular choice among homeowners and builders, but like most masonry, it still requires some upkeep. Achieve clean brick indoors and outdoors with these easy-to-follow steps that will keep your brickwork looking ageless.
How do I clean brick indoors?
Interior flooring, fireplaces, backsplashes, and other exposed walls are the most common places to find this material in homes. Due to its location in a controlled indoor climate, cleaning these areas require less work and heavy-duty materials.
Necessary Materials:
- Waterproof tarp, plastic wrap, or old newspapers
- Old rags or towels
- A vacuum cleaner with a brush attachment
- Nylon scrub brush
- Water
- Spray bottle
- Dish soap & salt OR boric acid
- Cleaning gloves
- Safety goggles
Necessary steps to clean indoors:
- Step 1: Identify & Prep: Locate the area that you’d like to clean. Move any surrounding furniture, décor, and vegetation that you don’t wish to get wet or dirty. If it’s not possible to move, like flooring, then cover it with plastic wrap or any other type of waterproof tarp. Old newspapers and magazines may also work when covering a small area.
- Step 2: Remove loose dirt: Connect the brush attachment to the vacuum and lightly brush away dirt and dust from the surface.
- Step 3: Prep surface for chemicals: Completely saturate the surface by filling your spray bottle with water and misting it onto the desired area.
- Step 4: Apply chemicals:
- Option 1: Dish soap & salt Mix one cup of dish soap and one cup of salt to create your thick cleaning solution. Use the clean rag to evenly spread the solution across the saturated surface. Allow it to sit for a minute, then use your scrub brush on the brick, working from the top to the bottom.
- Option 2: Boric acid Ensure gloves and safety goggles are in place and worn at all times. Take your brush and dip it into the acid. Scrub the surface vigorously in a circular motion from top to bottom.
- Step 5: Clean up: Rinse away either solution with a rag saturated in warm water. If needed, take the vacuum back over the surface to get rid of any leftover debris.
How do I brick clean outdoors?
Exposure to outdoor elements and a larger surface area means external brick requires heavier-duty cleaning solutions to combat debris like efflorescence, mold, moss, dirt, etc.
Necessary materials:
- Pressure washer
- Professional brick cleaning solution
- Waterproof tarp
- Nylon scrub brush
- Gloves & safety goggles
Necessary steps to clean:
- Step 1: Identify & Prep: locate the area that you’d like to clean. Move any décor and cover vegetation that you don’t wish to get wet or dirty. Use plastic wrap or any other type of waterproof tarp.
- Step 2: Pre-wet surface: Using your pressure washer, saturate the entire area that you will be cleaning with only water. This helps the application of the cleaning solution and ensures its maximum effectiveness. Use a low-pressure setting.
- Step 3: Cleanse: Add a professional brick cleaning solution to your pressure washer. Using a high-pressure setting, thoroughly apply the cleaning solution from the bottom up.
- Step 4: Clean up: Rinse the bricks from top to bottom using only water. Always make sure all detergent is removed before letting it dry.
Looking for a professional brick cleaning?
TidalWashers offers high-quality industrial-grade solutions needed to clean brick. Get in touch with our team today or visit our website to shop and learn more!
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