Humans have been building structures for thousands of years, and during that time we have discovered a variety of different materials to use. Some have proven sturdier, others are more cost-efficient and practical, but everyone has a differing opinion on what is best to use.
However, it is difficult to argue against the practicality and the beauty of masonry, especially brick. There is something about a wall that is made out of stone that gives off the impression that it will last a long time.
Brick will certainly last, but it still needs to be cleaned on occasion if you want it to live up to its full potential. Let’s go over the best ways to clean your brick walls, sidewalks, and walkways without causing any damage to the materials.
While brick is resilient, it can get dirty and corrode over time just like any other surface. Mold and mildew can infiltrate the cracks, and dirt and dust could cover the surface. All of these factors can really make your brick look drab and damage its integrity.
So, what do we do when mold and dirt appear on a surface? We give it a thorough cleaning, but we need to make sure we do it the right way.
First, decide on the cleaning solution you want to use. While we all know that bleach and other cleaning solutions are harmful to the environment, it has been proven that soap will have little impact on the world around you.
Next, decide what method you are going to use to clean it. You can always get on your hands and knees and scrub it down if you are feeling nostalgic or don’t have access to modern cleaning methods.
You could also use your regular hose to spray off the soap and water solution that you have created. While this will work, it can take a lot of time and you might not want to take hours pressing your thumb over the nozzle of your hose to make enough pressure to do anything.
The last thing you can do is to use a pressure washing method. Pressure washing is great because you can control the flow of the water that comes out of the hose, and you can use the aforementioned water from your own hose.
When you decide to rent a pressure washer, make sure you don’t have the nozzle to close to your brick. This could chip away at the mortar that is holding the brick together. If you do this too much, the brick will completely lose its integrity and fall apart completely, which is the last thing you want to happen.
You can also hire a pressure washing company to do the job for you. The advantage here is that they will know the best methods for cleaning your brick, will have the right equipment, will have safe cleaning solutions that will get the job done, and you won’t have to take the time to do it yourself.
Pressure washing brick can be a tedious task if you decide to take it on yourself. First, you will have to rent the right equipment, then you will have to come up with your own cleaning solution, then you have to make sure you are doing it in a way that doesn’t damage your brick.
If you decide you would rather go the route of hiring a company to do the job for you, then don’t hesitate to contact us for a free estimate.