How to Clean Bricks in a Philadelphia Home

Your rowhome’s brick has survived a lot. Decades of Philly winters, at least one questionable paint job from a previous owner, and that time your neighbor’s grill got a little too ambitious. The least you can do is clean it without destroying it.

Here’s the thing about how to clean bricks: the internet is full of advice that will absolutely wreck your masonry. Wire brushes. Straight muriatic acid. Pressure washers cranked to “asteroid defense.” Brick looks tough, but it’s basically a hard sponge with a reputation. Treat it wrong and you’ll trade a little grime for permanent damage, and grime washes off. Spalling doesn’t.

So before you go full demolition mode on a wall that predates your grandparents, read this.

What’s the Safest Way to Clean Bricks Without Damaging Them?

Short answer: start gentle and stay gentle. A soft-bristle brush, warm water, and mild dish soap will handle most dirt on brick, inside or out. The Brick Industry Association’s official guidance is to begin with the gentlest cleaning method that works, and only escalate if the stain laughs at you. No wire brushes, no undiluted acid, no 3,000 PSI power washing. That’s it. That’s the secret.

Everything below is detail, technique, and a few Philly-specific warnings. But if you remember one thing, remember this: the gentlest method that gets the job done wins. Every time.

How to Clean Brick Walls Inside Your Rowhome

Exposed brick is the crown jewel of half the listings in Fishtown and Northern Liberties. It’s also a world-class dust collector. All those pits and ridges that make it charming? Tiny shelves for grime.

Here’s your basic interior routine:

1. Vacuum first

Use the brush attachment and go over the whole wall. This alone fixes most “dirty brick” situations.

2. Mix a mild solution

Warm water plus a squirt of dish soap. Fancy? No. Effective? Extremely.

3. Scrub with a soft nylon brush

Small circles, light pressure. You’re washing a wall, not exfoliating a crocodile.

4. Wipe with a damp cloth, then let it dry

Interior brick doesn’t love being soaked, so damp beats drenched.

For grease near the kitchen (looking at you, Bella Vista trinity owners with the range right against the brick), a paste of dish soap and table salt scrubbed gently usually does it. Rinse well, because leftover salt on brick causes its own problems.

Sealed or painted brick is even easier: dust it, wipe it with a barely damp cloth, done.

Picking a Brick Cleaner That Won’t Eat Your Wall

Walk into any hardware store on Aramingo and you’ll find a wall of products promising miracles. Here’s how to shop like someone who’s done this before.

A good brick cleaner is either pH-neutral or a buffered acidic product made specifically for masonry. The Brick Industry Association is blunt on one point: do not use muriatic acid, even diluted, because specialty masonry products contain buffers that protect the brick while straight acid does not. Muriatic acid can burn stains out of brick, sure. It can also discolor it, corrode nearby metal, and dissolve mortar. It’s the nuclear option, and your 1920s Point Breeze rowhome did not sign up for that. Cleaner Times

Whatever product you buy, test it first on a hidden patch, low on the wall, behind a bush, wherever. Wait a day. If the brick still looks like brick, proceed.

Cleaning Exterior Brick in Philadelphia Weather

Philly’s freeze-thaw cycles are brutal on masonry. Water gets into brick pores, freezes, expands, and slowly pops the face off your wall like nature’s slowest jackhammer. This matters for cleaning because the number one way homeowners speed up that process is aggressive pressure washing.

If you’re wondering how to clean brick on your facade, here’s the safe sequence1. :

1. Inspect the mortar first

Crumbly, cracked, or missing mortar means no water-heavy cleaning until it’s repointed. This is common in Society Hill and Old City homes, where the brick is genuinely historic.

2. Pre-wet the wall with a garden hose

Dry brick sucks cleaning solution deep inside, where it causes staining. Wet brick keeps the cleaner on the surface where it belongs.

3. Apply your masonry cleaner per the label, bottom to top

Working upward prevents streaky run lines. Counterintuitive, but true.

4. Scrub with a soft or medium nylon brush

Never metal. Metal bristles leave marks and can deposit fragments that rust.

5. Rinse thoroughly, top to bottom

Don’t let cleaner dry on the wall. Ever.

Green algae on a shady north-facing wall in Manayunk? A mix of one part white vinegar to one part water handles light growth on modern, hard-fired brick. For older soft brick, stick with dedicated masonry products.

And pressure washers? The BIA notes that improper power washing can permanently damage a brick finish, and recommends leaving pressurized cleaning to experienced professionals. Industry veteran Ron Baer, vice president at masonry equipment company Unique Industries, puts it plainly: “This type of contract cleaning is considered to be a specialty service.” Translation: if the pros treat it as specialty work, your rented pressure washer and Saturday afternoon confidence are not the move.

Let Someone Else Handle the Rest of the House

Knowing how to clean bricks is great. Having the energy to clean everything else after scrubbing a wall is a different story.

You handle the brick bragging rights. Let someone else handle the bathrooms. Get your free quote and take back your weekend.