Anyone who owns a home with brick siding understands the importance of keeping the brickwork clean. It's more than just a simple matter of aesthetics, it's a matter of maintaining the structural integrity of the home.

If the exterior brickwork is not cleaned and maintained, then cracks and other faults can appear which will result in damage to your home.

The best approach to solving this is to have the exterior brick cleaned. Here are the three steps involved in that process.

Wash the Exterior Brick With A Cleaning Solution

The first step in the process is to clean the entire area with a cleaning solution. Depending on how dirty the bricks are, and how old they are, different solutions will be used. In some cases, a very light soap mixture might be sufficient. In other cases, the bricks might require a more abrasive cleaning solution to be used to strip away years of dirt and debris. The cleaning solution will be used alongside a scrubbing device such as a textured bristle brush.

Repoint the Brickwork As Necessary

After the bricks have been thoroughly cleaned, the next step is to check and see if they need to be repointed. This step needs to be done before any sealer is applied to the bricks. Repointing is the process whereby the grout is checked to see if any spots need new grouting. This is an integral part of keeping the brickwork strong and also preventing water from entering the home.

Apply a Waterproof Sealer To The Brickwork

After the bricks have been cleaned and the re-pointing has been completed, it's time to apply a sealer. This sealer is designed to prevent water from damaging the brick and also prevents water from seeping into the home.

The sealer should be applied after the brick has been allowed to completely dry from the initial cleaning and should also be applied on a day when there is no forecast for rain.

Sealers can either be applied by hand using a cloth or a brush, or they can be applied using a spray technique. What's important to remember is that once the sealer is applied, you should not go back and try and clean the brick for a few days. You want the sealer to cure on the exterior brick. After the sealer has been set, then you can resume a scheduled cleaning of your brickwork to ensure a long-lasting shine. 

For more information, contact a local company like Brickwash.