Usually, the first thing the Amazon delivery person sees is the dirty, moldy sidewalk and porch when dropping off that package that was ordered the night before and is now miraculously in your possession, today. But Amazon delivery drivers are too busy to care about mold on brick steps or the dirt on your brick patio. In fact, you and your guests might not even notice how it looks because the processes that grows algae & black mold on bricks is a slow one that happens over time.
In fact, these processes are so gradual that homeowner’s associations rarely bat an eye either. In twelve years, we have only received two requests for cleaning these areas due to HOA violations.
It’s a somewhat easy fix that makes a hell of a difference that seemingly no one really cares about until the difference is seen and the light shines down on that new-looking old brick sidewalk. Getting rid of those tough brick stains makes a massive difference.
Professional Brick Cleaning vs. Do it Yourself Brick Cleaning
Some of the sidewalks that we have restored have been literally overtaken by the lawn. Cleaning them is like an excavation if you will. But most are just victims of the most powerful natural contaminants like leaf residue, acorn residue, moss and black mildew.
These things root down tight into the pores of the brick and mortar with a clear objective to be there for a long time. Blasting them with a 4000 psi pressure washer seems like a good idea but it’s not. We’ve seen many home owners even attempt to pressure wash ivy off brick.
So while you might be able to do it yourself, it’s safer to hire a professional brick cleaning service to avoid damage. The money you save trying to do this job yourself might be wasted if you have to have your mortar repaired after blowing it away with high pressure.
Power Washing a Brick Patio: What to Do and What Not to Do
Clay brick needs a treatment not a beating. The brick is usually sound but many times the mortar is compromised with age making blasting away at it a bad idea. High pressure water is not necessarily the best mortar cleaner.
The most stubborn older brick cleaning we have encountered was in upper Parkville, Towson and Lutherville. We’ve aso seen historic properties around the whole Baltimore metro area with this challenging situation often too.
The Best Way to Clean Brick
Power washing brick isn’t always the first way to go, in fact it’s usually the very last thing you should try when cleaning a patio made from brick or pavers.
It’s a process of giving the sidewalk or patio a bath not a blast, a “brick wash” if you will. This means not just water with the right pressure, it also means using the proper brushing and scrubbing techniques. With the right cleaning mixture, it will look like the new again.
Your Brick Patio Cleaning Experts
At All Touch Power Wash and Paint, we have a decade of experience cleaning paving bricks, pressure washing brick steps, and even cleaning natural stone walkways. Whether it’s the right chemicals, scrubbing, or using just the right amount of pressure, we’ll get your patio or sidewalk looking as good as it did the day it was built.