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What chemicals to clean brick??

Damoni88

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What chemicals do you guys reccomend to use on brick. The acid turns it white. Just got alot of soap scum build up.
Thanks
 

MEP001

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The acid is turning the buildup on the brick white. You may have to give it another round or two.
 

Damoni88

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Oh so keep going with the acid and hi pressurse. Gonna post a picture tomorrow when im back at wash so you can see.
 

MEP001

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FWIW I prefer to brush the cleaner on instead of spraying it. Spraying seems to let about a third of it just fall on the floor. I can mix it stronger and still use less cleaner to do the same area. Scrubbing doesn't seem to help, I just use an old foam brush to apply it.
 

Randy

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What kind of acid are you using? Are you using the high pressure from the bay? When I clean my brick I use a Turbo nozzle, don't use ithe Turbo nozzle on the bay walls, it'll rip the heck out of the paneling. As a last resort you could try using some muriatic acid, it's dangerous stuff.
 

Damoni88

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Using a 3800 pressure washer. Had to us muriatic acid on walls they were so bad yes its some horrible stuff. Just not sure if im gonna be able to get brick white like it is on front middle. The green brick or black is supposed to be red lmao
 

MEP001

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That split-faced block is concrete and harder to get clean, but it should get there with enough cleaning. The red brick is less porous and cleans easier.

I use Klean Wall, more expensive than muriatic acid but it works. I just use bay pressure, higher pressure or scrubbing makes no noticeable difference.
 

OurTown

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If all else fails then it is time to sand blast it clean.
 

MEP001

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Yes, it's not turning the brick white, it's turning the stuff on the brick white.
 

br549ms

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If all else fails then it is time to sand blast it clean.
I would not sand blast, even if you manage not to destroy something while actually doing the blasting. you will probably be getting sand out of your equipment for years to come. Soda blasting a milder abrasive will probably work, but I still would not recommend it due to the abrasives getting into my pumps, swivels, bearings, hinges ......
 

MEP001

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I would not sand blast, even if you manage not to destroy something while actually doing the blasting. you will probably be getting sand out of your equipment for years to come. Soda blasting a milder abrasive will probably work, but I still would not recommend it due to the abrasives getting into my pumps, swivels, bearings, hinges ......
I've seen two red brick car washes that were sandblasted, one to remove buildup (I had cleaned it once myself about ten years before and it came clean easily using muratic acid with no damage to the brick), the other that had been painted. Both look terrible now, the brick is badly pitted and porous, the mortar is eaten up, and anything that gets on the brick stains it. And yes, one didn't bother to seal up the room and everything got full of sand and brick dust.
 
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