Brick Cleaning Methods

Clean bricks with oxygen bleach.

Brick is a common building material used for anything from a home exterior to an interior fireplace surround. Brick can even be found as a flooring option in many homes and businesses, and no matter where the brick is found, it requires cleaning on occasion. Several methods can be used to clean the bricks around your home or business.

Cleaning Interior Brick

A mild cleaner that combines dish soap and oxygen bleach works well for cleaning interior brick surfaces. Mix about 1 gallon of water with 1 squirt of dish soap and 1/2 cup of oxygen bleach. Dip a nylon scrub brush into the solution, and scrub it over the interior brick. Wipe down the bricks with a wet rag after cleaning, and allow them to air dry.

Cleaning Exterior Brick

A power washer with a low PSI setting works well for quickly cleaning exterior brick. Use a basic power washer solution, or combine about 1 cup of oxygen bleach per gallon of water used in the power washer’s fluid reservoir. Set the PSI to about 1500, and spray across the exterior brick. Rinse with clear water after cleaning, and allow the brick to air dry.

Cleaning Brick Floors

Vacuum the floors regularly to remove dust and debris, which is often all that is required to keep the flooring clean, but damp mopping can assist in removing stickier buildup. For a thorough floor cleaning, combine about 1 gallon of water with 1 cup of baking soda and an optional squirt of dish soap if you have food residue or sticky buildup on the bricks. Mop over the floor, and allow it to air dry. To remove stains, sprinkle baking soda directly over the stain, let it sit for about five minutes and scrub with a wet nylon brush. Mop the area afterwards to collect cleaning residue.

Resource: MISL – Masonry Institute of St. Louis – www.masonrystl.org