Bricks are often used to beautify a home so it’s important to keep them looking good. Your house may have a face-brick façade, a decorative brick wall, or a brickwork driveway. Whichever it is, at some point your brickwork will need cleaning.
Cleaning bricks is not a complicated task, but it is often a time-consuming job. Although brick gives the impression of being a tough substance, it responds best to gentle cleaning methods and materials.
Which Cleaning Material?
Assess what type of dirt your bricks are covered with. They may be stained with rust or smeared with cement, or they may have mould, moss, mildew, or algae growing on them.
The type of grime dictates which cleaning agent to use. For example, chlorine bleach works best for mildews and moulds, while oxalic acid may remove rust. Test a small area first to make sure that you are not just introducing further discolouration onto your bricks. Often, plain dishwashing liquid is all you need to clean your bricks.
Remember to wear strong rubber gloves and goggles, no matter which cleaning material you use.
Cleaning Methods
It’s best to start off with the gentlest method first. This means using a garden hose or a bucket of water and a scrubbing brush. Use a brush with synthetic bristles, not wire, as the latter may cause more rust stains and damage your bricks because it’s too harsh.
Once you’ve cleaned the bricks with your cleaning solution, always rinse it well. If the bricks are outside, choose a time to clean them when they’re not in the full sun, as they will dry too quickly. If you have an indoor brick wall or fireplace to clean, make sure that the windows are open so that there is not a build-up of poisonous fumes.
Sometimes you have to resort to pressure cleaning of bricks. Great care needs to be taken with this as it is very easy to damage the bricks and mortar.
Assertio Services are experts in the cleaning field. If you want to find out more about cleaning your brick surfaces, contact us today.