USING A PRESSURE WASHER TO CLEAN MY BRICK HOME
Power washing your brick home is a great way to freshen the appearance and bring out the beautiful colors of the brick. However, power washing with care is a must as you could damage the bricks and mortar. Hiring a professional may be your best bet if you are not experienced at power washing.
Pressure Washing Tips
- Patch cracks and holes in the brick or mortar before you wash the wall so water won’t seep behind it.
- Let the wall dry for a few days before washing.
- Close all of your doors and windows and cover nearby plants and furniture.
- Set the pressure washer to 1000 psi or less, and use a 40-degree fan tip nozzle.
- Test the pressure on a small hidden area of the home. Stop immediately If you see chunks of mortar coming loose! Your pressure is either too high or your nozzle is too close to the wall. You can do more damage than good if you knock the mortar loose from the bricks. You just need enough pressure to remove dirt.
- If you want to add detergent to the power washer, buy one designed for use in a power washer.
- Pre-wet the wall with water before adding detergent.
- To avoid streaking, wash the wall from the bottom up, not from the top down.
- Rinse the wall with detergent-free water to remove all detergent residue. This time, rinse from the top down
