When the spring rainfall begins to slow down and the sunshine comes out to stay, it’s time to enjoy the beginning of the warm season and all of the vibrancy that comes with it! Plant some gorgeous new flowers, lay down a little fresh bark, mulch, or pine straw where needed, and pressure-wash your driveway for premium curb appeal. Of course, it’s also time to give your charming home exterior completed with North Georgia Brick products a quick cleaning and restore a shine to your property that makes everything feel new. For an effective procedure that works like a charm, here are a few of the best ways to clean and maintain your brick for spring:
1. Download our North Georgia Brick “Brick Cleaning” pdf for reference and review, as well as using the Table 1 “Quick Guide for Cleaning Brickwork” to determine the Brick Category of your exterior. This will recommend the suitable Cleaning Method– Hand Cleaning, Bucket & Brush, or Pressurized Water/Abrasive Blasting–and specific Remarks for your brick category.
2. Protect adjacent windows, doors, trim, nearby plants, garden beds, and all non-brick materials that can potentially be damaged by cleaning with a tarp or plastic.
3. Treat specific stains that need to be removed from your brick exterior first, such as algae, mud, spray paint, or egg stains, with specific removal steps in the Removing Specific Stains section of our pdf.
4. Choose the appropriate brick cleaning solution to clean your exterior without using chemicals that are harsher than necessary: a 50/50 vinegar and water mix should do the trick for a residential brick exterior.
5. Test your determined cleaning method and materials on a sample area and allow that section of the wall to dry, thus ensuring the best results for the overall exterior.
*Pro Tip: You can determine the brick absorption rate with water to then determine the most effective cleaning pace for your exterior. If you spray your brick with a hose and it turns dark immediately, clean the brick in small areas at a time. If your brick doesn’t change to a darker color, you can clean up to 100 square feet of your brick at a time.
6. Clean your brick exterior from the top down, using a garden hose to saturate the area you aim to clean, as well as the area below it, with plenty of water.
7. Apply your properly identified brick cleaner to the area that you have saturated with water and then perform your properly identified cleaning procedure.
8. Completely rinse each section of your brick exterior with plenty of water as you clean it, making sure all cleaning residue is washed off. Rinse from the top down just as you cleaned to prevent streaks.
Of all the many benefits that striking North Georgia Brick products provide, you will always cherish how tremendously easy your brick is to care for and maintain. After you complete your spring brick cleaning, visit our Cumming or Cartersville showroom to design a new brick element such as a walkway, mailbox, or archway to enhance your property even more!