Cleaning a brick home

[hallerb]

A friend with a nice 1957 brick home wants to clean it. He was thinking of using a 3500 PSI pressure washer.

I said this might harm his bricks or mortar.

any good ideas?

[buffalobill]

[hallerb]

thanks, his homes brick and mortar are flawless, it would be sad to clean the surface and end up repointing and seeing bricks spawl.... however thats spelled

[Joseph Meehan]

There are a number of possible ways of cleaning brick Which is best depends on the condition of the brick mortar and the soil you want to clean off. Ground walnut shells used in a sand blaster (no sand) is one solution for example. I would suggest staying away from a high pressure water washer as there are several ways they can cause problems.

[m Ransley]

It depends on the condition and type of brick, Is the house clear of trees, then cleaning may do hardly anything. Darkness on N side might just be mold which bleach will kill. If tree covered it could be mold, a bleach soap solution would be first followed by easy powerwashing. for real problems check out Detricth [ spelling may be wrong] Chemicals in I think Minnesota or Wisconsin. Buildings like the Wrigly building in Chgo get cheaned every year with their chemicals. Ive cleaned many brick houses, just powerwashing is often of little worth on a sun exposed wall. You dont want to blast it apart just remove dirt, so you must know how to keep a distance.

[Art]

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