Using too much pressure when performing brick and stone cleaning can also force water up behind the facades where it will cause mildew behind the facades or in some casesremove all the mortar that bonds it together!
Washing brick and stones from the top down or letting chemicals dry on the brick and stone, which may leave streaks on the facades.
Using a ladder when brick and stone cleaning upper areas can result in serious injuries and death from slipping off the ladder.
These are the types of mishaps that many people have when performing brick and stone cleaning. If you decide to use a power washer, here are some general guidelines to use.
Make sure the machine your using puts out a minimum of 4 gallons of water per minute and less than 1000 PSI.
Most contractors will buy a machine from a hardware store that puts out 1,000 PSI but only uses 2 gallons per minute of water. While this machine may work, it will triple the amount of time to do the job properly.
Be careful if your making your own brick and stone cleaning chemicals. For example, mixing bleach, acids and other products can create a poisonous gas.
We suggest using brick and stone cleaning chemicals that were designed to properly clean the surface. Some contractors buy a brick and stone wash that's available in most hardware stores and are unable to achieve the results they were expecting. Most of the brick and stone cleaning agents contractors use are designed to clean more effectivly and give better results.
The best way to perform brick and stone cleaning is by using an X-Jet with the proper cleaning chemicals, this tool can cut your cleaning time by 50% or more! if you don't have one you may use a power washer that has a chemical injector built into the machine. This method will take longer but it will still be more effective than using high pressure.
Using a chemical injector for brick and stone cleaning will allow you to pull the soap from the container, mixing it in the machine with water and spray it onto the brick and stone using low pressure starting from the bottom up. Make sure when using a power washer that you don't shoot water or chemicals up under the facades, this can cause significant mold problems behind your facades.
Allow the chemical to dwell on the facades, then using low pressure, rinse the product from the facades. Make sure when your rinsing the product off the facades that you start at one end of the facades all the way to the end. Do not stop or vary your distance from the facades, or it will cause the surface to be cleaned un-evenly.
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Brick and Stone Cleaning information from Sun Brite Supply
We offer a complete line of brick and stone cleaning products that are formulated to clean
facades with the best results possible. Our brick and stone cleaning products will save you time and money on every brick and stone cleaning and provide you the ease of use that you have been dreaming of. Why settle for highly caustic brick and stone cleaning agents when you can use products that are designed exclusively for brick and stone cleaning? Check out our brick and stone cleaning products listed below or read the information below on brick and stone cleaning.
Brick and stone cleaning may seem difficult but it's actually quite easy if you have the proper equipment. If you don't have the proper tools and experience it could take far more than you intended.
Some of the most common mistakes to avoid made by homeowners and contractors are:
Trying to remove dirt from brick or concrete facades with high pressure when cleaning. Removing dirt with high pressure can cause damage and discoloration or cause the facades to look like a completely different color.
