Cleaning Brick
How often do you clean the brick walls of your house or your brick fireplace?
Most of us give them a quick wipe down when we need to, but that’s because we can see the dirt or stains forming as they happen. For people with brick in their homes, it’s not so easy. Brick might look clean, but they're not.
Take a big swipe off one of the bricks in your home or fireplace, and see what comes off it.
I bet you’re thinking, “What in the..?”
And staring at your dirty hand in disbelief. You are not alone!
Here’s my list of high powered cleaning tips, and everything you’ll need to return your dirty brick to greatness.
Cleaning Interior Brick
Cleaning Tools Needed
- High powered vacuum cleaner with brush attachment or long handled brush
- Nylon brush for fireplace
- Bucket
- Laundry detergent/ounce of salt – depending on the size of your fireplace
- TSP for hard to remove stains
- Cloth to dry bricks
I’m a little nervous on a ladder, so to make my life easier I put my vacuum cleaner on a trolley that wheels along with me as I clean from high above. It’s not glamorous to struggle while you clean, so making it easy for yourself is important.
Cleaning Process:
1. To get those bricks around the fireplace squeaky clean, mix some laundry detergent and an ounce of salt to a paste.
2. Use a wet cloth to apply the cleaning solution to the stained bricks.
3. Wait for 15 minutes.
4. Once it’s dry, brush it off with a nylon brush.
5. If a soot stain remains, vinegar works like magic to remove soot and grime. Apply with a wet rag and brush off
The difference is instant and long lasting. Now you can grab a handful of brick and get nothing on your hands except little red marks. Paradise!
Heavy Duty Brick Cleaning
This cleaning solution is stronger, so be sure to wear rubber gloves and eye protection. Avoid getting TSP on skin, walls, carpet, or fabrics.
TSP is a strong cleaning solution as is used by profession smoke and fire damage cleaning companies.
More TSP can be used up to 1 cup per gallon.
1. Mix 1/2 cup of Tri-sodium Phosphate (TSP) in 1 gallon of hot water. You can purchase TSP at the grocery store or home improvement stores
2. Scrub brick with a scrub brush dripped in the cleaning solution.
3. Rinse completely with warm water.
4. Repeat if necessary if soot or greasy stain remains.
Cleaning Exterior Brick
Exterior brick and face brick are made to be low maintenance and to appear clean even though they aren’t clean at all.
Doing a proper scrub once a year is enough to keep your brick as clean as it looks.
Tools Needed:
- Gloves
- Hose Pipe with nozzle spray attachment
- Broom
- Heavy duty vacuum cleaner
Cleaning Process:
1. Dress in clothes that you aren’t particularly attached to, this can be dirty.
2. Put your hose on full and wash off all the dust and debris that’s collected over the months.
3. Work from left to right and make sure to remove all the cobwebs and muck using the different spray settings. Don’t stand to close to the wall, or you’ll get a generous helping of dirt in your face.
4. Sweep away the mess with a broom or use a heavy duty vacuum cleaner to pick up the extra bits and pieces.
5. Mix some detergent in hot water and scrub the bricks with a firm broom - then rinse with a hose and let it dry.
Cleaning brick can be an all day event, but on a nice sunny day all the reason I need to catch up on my tan, while doing something constructive.
