Make sure that you are cleaning your interior brickwork safely!
You may have read our blog on cleaning exterior brickwork. The methods listed there are great for cleaning walls and walkways outside, but if you’re planning on cleaning inside brickwork, you’ll need to follow a different set of instructions. DelPrete Masonry is here to help you keep all of your brickwork looking as clean and new as possible! You may have a fireplace in your home that you’re thinking of firing up to use for roasting marshmallows or making popcorn. Or perhaps you have a rustic brick wall in your kitchen that needs a good cleaning. When brickwork is in your home, it’s both important to keep it clean as well as use safe cleaning methods. Follow these methods to have pristine, safe interior brickwork!
- Soap and salt method: For this method, you’ll make a cleaning paste that you can apply to your bricks to clean them. Mix one ounce of soap with one ounce of salt, then add just enough water to make a paste. Use a cloth to rub the paste on your masonry, then allow to dry for at least ten minutes. Scrub off the past with a bristle brush to remove dirt and grime and reveal revitalized brickwork!
- Soap and ammonia method: This method uses ammonia, so make sure that you wear gloves and that children and pets are out of the room. Mix soap or detergent, pumice, a little ammonia, and hot water to make a thick paste. Paint this paste liberally onto the bricks. Allow the paste to dry, then rub it off with a wet scrub brush.
- Naphtha soap method: Fill a pot with three quarts of water and shave one bar of naphtha soap into it. Bring the water to a boil to melt the soap. Allow the mixture to cool, then add one cup of ammonia and one pound of pumice. Apply this thick mixture to your bricks and allow it to dry for one hour. After the mixture has dried, scrub it off with a bristle brush. Rinse off any remaining dirt with a generous amount of warm water, scrub the bricks again with a detergent, then rinse them off again with more warm water.
- Tri-sodium Phosphate Method: Dissolve a half cup of tri-sodium phosphate (TSP) in one gallon of hot water. Use a scrub brush to scrub the masonry with the TSP dilution. Rinse off the solution with plenty of warm water. If you still have difficult stains remaining, you can scrub the surface a second time or make the mixture with one whole cup of TSP to one gallon. Make sure to use extra caution when working with TSP; it is a strong chemical that can burn skin and ruin carpet and fabrics.
Keep Your Masonry Looking Good with Del Prete Masonry!
While there are many other materials that we use at Del Prete Masonry, we’re not about to abandon concrete anytime soon. It has proven its worth many times over and we know that we can bring you a solid masonry structure with it. To find out more about your masonry options including concrete masonry, please contact our office today at 410-683-0650 or email us at mike@delpretemasonry.com. We serve Baltimore City, County, Harford County, Carroll County, Anne Arundel County, and Howard County. Keep up with our blog for masonry related information, and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+.
Tags: brick, brickwork, maintenance