Table of Contents:
Cleaning Interior Brickwork
Interior bricks may be dusted with vacuum cleaner dusting attachments. Freshen periodically with commercial brick cleaner. If the bricks in question were sealed before they were installed, it will be much easier to keep them clean. Vacuum regularly, and occasionally damp mop with plain water to remove soil. When more heavily soiled, the bricks may have to be cleaned using a mild detergent solution. Rinse them well, and wipe dry for greater sheen.
Damp-mopping after vacuuming will prevent dirt from building up. Try putting 1 cup of vinegar in the mop water to make the floor shine without being polished.
Cleaning Interior Brick Floors
Interior brick floors may be cleaned with a solution of a moderately strong alkali such as washing soda or borax. Use about 1 tablespoon in a gallon of warm water, stronger if needed. Rinse well to remove all solution.
If the bricks have been sealed, you may find white or gray dust tracked over both that surface and into carpeted floor areas when you have finished. The whitish dust is from the grout used in laying the floor. This generally means that the bricklayer used muriatic acid to clean up the floor surfaces when he completed the job. You will need to keep flushing with clean water until the muriatic acid no longer leaches lime from the grout; causing the whitish dust. Most bricklayers today use a commercial product that is easier to wash off, but also more expensive.
Sealing a brick floor or fireplace will make it easier to clean. However, experts recommend against it because it will seal any moisture that is already in the brick inside the brick, and interior moisture may not be able to escape. Allowing bricks to breathe is important.
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Sealing brick
Hi,
We have brick floors in our sunroom that are 17 years old. They we never sealed and they are really dirty. The grout lines have ground in grease and oil from food dropping. We have a large family and eat in there. Anyway, we are getting ready to redecorate the room and I want to know how to really clean the brick. My Mom in law was told to seal the brick with boiled linseed oil. What is your opinion of that? Thanks!!
polyuethane
use 5 coats of cheap polyurethane after cleaning with steamer and wet vac.