How to Clean a Brick Home or Brick Surface

Brick homes are very beautiful but when they get dirty they can be difficult to clean. There are a few common methods of cleaning a brick home depending on the color of the home and on the amount of debris that is on the brick some brick cleaning methods will provide better results than others. Here's a look at the most common ways to clean a brick home or to clean bricks.

The most common type of brick home cleaning method is to use a bucket of soapy water and a brush. This method works wonders for textured red brick as well as for gray, blue or white brick finishes. Using a large five gallon bucket and a hand scrub brush these types of brick homes can be cleaned and restored to their original beauty in a couple of hours. Some cleaners will remove the color from the brick so it is important to test the cleaner on an inconspicuous surface before using it on the entire brick home. For true red brick homes, muratic acid may be used to clean the surface but must immediately be neutralized in order to prevent the brick or mortar from deteriorating so this method is only recommended when the surface is very dirty.

Hot water also works wonders when cleaning a brick home with a scrub brush. With plain hot water, a brick home can be cleaned without the worry of changing the color of the bricks or harming the brick surface. Use a dense bristle brush and scrub the surface of the brick thoroughly with hot water. Then use the hose to spray any dirt and grime that was loosened with the brush from the brick home surface.

Sandblasting is another common method that is used to clean brick homes. Sandblasting is not recommended unless you are trained in sandblasting as a means to clean brick homes. Certain types of brick homes should not be sandblasted as this may cause harm to the brick finish. Red brick homes that have heavy sand finishes should not be sandblasted. Sandblasting is recommended for gray, blue and white brick homes only on the areas where there is a heavy sand finish that will not easily be deteriorated by the sandblasting technique.

Finally, pressure washing is a very commonly used technique that works well on most types of brick homes. A pressure washer will use high pressure water to remove dirt and grime build up from brick homes. It is important to only use a light setting of pressure on blue, white or gray brick homes to prevent color or mortar from being obstructed by the high pressure water. True red brick homes may be pressure washed without worry because the red color goes all the way through the brick.

When in doubt, the absolute best method of cleaning brick homes is to use hot water and a brush. This assures that no chemical will remove the coloring of the brick or cause any damage to the brick home. Never use a wire bristle brush when cleaning brick homes because the wire will actually deteriorate the sand finish of the brick and break down the surface. A dense bristle brush is most effective at removing the dirt and debris that may build up on a brick house over time.