Cleaning Brick and Other Masonry
There are several methods that may be employed to clean bricks and masonry. What sort of cleaning method you should use depends upon the type of masonry you have.
Muriatic Acid is used for cleaning surfaces such as concrete cinder blocks, but is dangerous to use and should probably be left to the professionals.
Mechanical cleaning methods such as sandblasting, abrasive wheels and special power tools for cleaning mortar lines in brick and concrete block may be preferable to muriatic acid for most brick types (but see below before making your choice) These special tools can be rented from rental centers or some hardware stores.
Textured Red Brick: (Includes all textured red through-the-body brick.) Brick of this type may be cleaned by the bucket and brush method, high water pressure method, or by sandblasting.
Red Brick with Heavy Sand Finish: (Includes all red through-the-body brick with various applied heavy sand finish faces) Brick in this category is best cleaned by the bucket and brush method, using plain water and scrub brush, or with lightly applied high pressure water system, with plain water being used. Sandblast cleaning is not recommended. If mortar stains are excessive, use of cleaning compounds may be required.
White, Buff, Gray & Chocolate Brick (Including all textured and sand finish brick with through-the-body colors other than natural red.) Brick in this category may be cleaned by the bucket and brush method, or by lightly applied high pressure water system. Sandblast cleaning is also recommended except in the cases where heavy sand finish is involved. In the two wet cleaning systems, no muriatic acid or compounds containing muriatic acid may be used. Only plain water and detergent, or specially formulated cleaning agent may be used.
Cinder Block (Concrete)
Clean it thoroughly with a heavy-duty cleaner like TSP (trisodium phosphate) and a stiff brush, or power wash it. Remove any loose chips if the wall has been previously painted. Clean any mildew with a solution of 1 part bleach to 3 parts water. Rinse as you go so the solution doesn't dry and leave stains.
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