If you have brick around your home, you have surely asked yourself about how to clean brick efficiently. Since brick is porous, it takes a little more work than other surfaces that are smoother.
Remember that while brick is tough, using cleaning methods and techniques that are too harsh can damage your brick.
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Clean Brick Efficiently
- How to Clean Interior Brick?
- How to Clean Exterior Brick?
- How to Clean Fireplace Brick?
- Clean Brick Floors?
- Clean Brick Pavers?
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How to Clean Brick Efficiently?
It is important to understand how to safely and effectively clean brick so that you can maintain the brick in and around your house and help to keep it in good shape for years to come.
How to Clean Interior Brick?
Keeping your interior brick clean is an important part of home cleaning and maintenance. Use the following steps to get the job done:
- Mix the detergent using one part table salt, one part dishwashing liquid and water. It should be a paste-like texture.
- Use a wire brush and the detergent to scrub the wall.
- Use a wet sponge to rinse the detergent away.
How to Clean Exterior Brick?
Your exterior brick is assaulted by the elements on a regular basis, so it is important to ensure cleanliness and regular maintenance. An outdoor brick cleaner and a water hose are all that you need to keep all of your exterior brick clean.
You should only use a power washer as an absolute last resort since the water pressure is generally too strong for brick.
It is best to consult a professional if a power washer must be used to ensure that it is used properly and safely on your brick. Remember that exterior brick can be a little more fragile due to being exposed to the elements.
How to Clean Fireplace Brick?
There are a number of cleaners that work well to clean a brick fireplace and these include:
- Abrasives and soaps: You apply the soap to the brick, use a cloth to rub it in, let it dry and then remove it with a stiff brush.
- Ammonia: Mix ammonia with pumice, hot water and soap, paint it on your fireplace, allow it to dry and use a wet scrub brush to wash it away.
- Tri-sodium phosphate: Mix and dilute the cleaner per the instructions, scrub the brick with a stiff brush and rinse completely with a gentle stream of water.
- Oven cleaner: Spray the brick of your fireplace, let it sit for five minutes and then use a coarse towel to wipe it away.
How to Clean Brick Floors?
When you clean brick floors, there are two things that you need to look at and this includes the bricks themselves and the grout that holds the bricks together. Create a cleaner using one tablespoon of borax and one gallon of warm water.
This is an alkaline cleaner and it is not too harsh for your brick. Never use cleaners like bleach or ammonia on bricks. It is also important that you never use strong water sprays because this can damage your brick.
When it comes to the grout component of your floors, there are commercial grout cleaners that are ideal.
These provide enough power to clean the grout, but they are not strong enough to erode the grout. Rinse the cleaner away with a gentle stream of water.
How to Clean Brick Pavers?
Brick pavers are used for things like driveways, outdoor walkways, and patios. The good thing about brick pavers is that they do not require extensive maintenance to be in good shape.
Use the following to clean and maintain your brick pavers:
- Start by using a broom to sweet away things like leaves and other loose debris on your pavers.
- Never use excessive water pressure because this can damage brick pavers due to being made of cement, water, aggregate mixture, and water. If you use high water pressure or harsh cleansers, this can prematurely wear away your brick.
- Use a standard water hose to rinse away any dust, surface dirt and debris from your brick pavers.
- Basic household detergent is enough to cleanse your brick and remove stains on your pavers.
- Use a gentle brush meant for brick and your detergent to scrub it.
- Once you scrub your brick, use your water hose to rinse away the detergent and make sure that you are rinsing thoroughly so that there is no leftover residue on the pavers.
When it comes to how to clean brick, make sure that you are using the right techniques and products. You should create a brick cleaning schedule so that you can ensure that it gets done on a regular schedule.
This ensures that you are able to maintain your brick and keep it clean all throughout the year. Interior brick can be cleaned about twice a year, but you should aim to clean your exterior brick once a season.
This ensures cleanliness, but it is also easier to remember when you plan to clean it once per season.