An Easy Step By Step Method To Clean Exterior Bricks

Cleaning exterior bricks isn’t that difficult – that is, when we’re talking about regular dirt and grime you want to remove. You only need to rinse with clean water and scrub a little with a stiff bristled brush. You can add half a cup of ammonia to a bucket of water in case of stubborn stains, and clean the brick with that.

If the brick is moist for a long time, it won’t be surprising if mosses and moulds start growing there. Removing them, however, isn’t that hard.=

You will need a plastic spatula, a garden hose with the pressure nozzle, a high pressure hose, some chlorine bleach, a spray bottle, a soft bristle nylon brush, some eye protection and a pair of rubber gloves.

1. Use the garden hose with the pressure nozzle to remove as much of the moss as you can, at least once a year.

2. Scrape off mould and moss with the plastic spatula periodically.

3. Add one cup of bleach to a gallon of water.

4. Try out the cleaning solution on a small area and let it sit for a week, just to make sure that the brick won’t change colour.

5. If there aren’t any colour changes, soak the bricks in water.

6. Use either the spray bottle or the hose spray attachment to spray the bleach solution on the bricks before they’ve dried.

7. Leave it like this for a week, and then soak the bricks in water again.

8. Scrub the moss away with the scrub brush.

9. Rinse thoroughly.

10. If that doesn’t remove all the moss, try using a power washer to blast the rest away.

11. It’s easier to remove the moss while it’s growing, but it is removable in cold weather too. Don’t apply too much pressure with the hose or you may damage the brick, keep it below 3000 psi.

12. Don’t forget to always rinse with clean water thoroughly.

Don’t start scrubbing without the rubber gloves and the eye protection on – you shouldn’t let the bleach touch any skin.

To clean cement off brick, you can use a chisel – it’s the easiest way. If the brick hasn’t been used in any construction yet, you can try knocking the cement off by using another, damaged, brick. If the cement has embedded within the brick, you will have to resurface the brick to remove it.