How to Clean Exterior Brick

An expert reveals the best methods for making your brickwork beautiful again just in time for summer

Georgia Madden May 12, 2018

Comment15

Click "Embed" to display an article on your own website or blog.

With summer right around the corner, our focus is once again on outdoor areas. Stained and dirty exterior brickwork and pavers are not only an eyesore, but they can be a real slip hazard too. We asked Elizabeth McIntyre, CEO of Think Brick Australia, how to remove the most common blemishes and return brickwork to its glorious best.

Think Brick Australia

How do I remove dirt and grime? Bricks that are covered in dirt and grime are easy to take care of. Simply rinse them with a mixture of water and liquid detergent, and use a fiber or soft bronze bristle brush to scrub them clean.

Inbetween Architecture

What about moss and mold? Make a cleaning solution by mixing equal parts water and bleach, and spray this on the affected parts of the brick. Then use a natural or nylon bristle scrubbing brush to scrape away mold or moss.

When working with bleach, it’s important to take the necessary safety precautions to prevent harming yourself or the environment. Always wear rubber gloves and eye protection while you’re scrubbing to ensure that the bleach mixture does not touch your skin, face or eyes.

Think Brick Australia

Can I use a high-pressure cleaner? You can use a high-pressure cleaner, but you’ll need to keep the water pressure to a moderate level, not stand too close to the brickwork, and choose the correct spraying angle so you don’t damage the brick face and mortar.

Set the water pressure between 1,000 and 1,200 pounds per square inch, keep the jet of water around 20 inches from the wall (and never closer than 12 inches for localized patches), and keep the spray angle at 15 degrees (this will allow you to concentrate the pressure on the bricks rather than the joints).

Neptune Swimming Pools

Any tips for success? Fully saturate the entire face of the brickwork and the area below it with water before and after applying the cleaning solution. Saturating the wall before you begin will keep the solution on the face of the masonry where the stains are situated. And it is just as important to fully saturate the area afterward, as any cleaning solution left behind can cause stains.

When cleaning, aim to treat about 25 to 64 square feet at a time, depending on the weather, the location of the masonry and how quickly your bricks absorb water.

Proper Photography

How do I remove smoke and soot marks from a brick barbecue? First, clear any debris such as ash or wood chunks from your barbecue area. Then remove as much of the soot as possible from the area with a vacuum or brush.

Next, prepare your cleaning solution. Smoke and soot marks are best removed with sugar soap, which is a highly alkaline mixture. Mix 18 ounces of sugar soap into 2 quarts of hot water and then clean the area with a scrubbing brush. After you’ve done this, scrub the surface of the brick with a mix of detergent and scouring powder. (If you can’t find sugar soap, you can use trisodium phosphate according to package instructions.)

It’s very important to stay protected when removing smoke and soot marks from exterior brickwork. You should always use proper eye protection to keep any loose soot or spray from getting in your eyes.

Think Brick Australia

My bricks have rust-like brown stains. How do I get rid of these? This is an iron oxide stain. It’s most obvious on cream bricks but can show up on darker bricks too. Iron oxide stains frequently result from the incorrect use of hydrochloric acid on clay masonry.

Home Impact

You can remove iron oxide stains with phosphoric acid (check with your local hardware store). Spray a mix of 1 part phosphoric acid to 6 parts water on the affected area. Leave it to dry until the marks disappear. Repeat to ensure that all deeply embedded stains are removed.

And remember, always take proper precautions when handling acids.