The Proper Way To Clean A Brick Floor

Brick floors can be simple and quick to care for. Some tools you can use include a dust mop, vacuum, microfiber mop, and a gentle cleaning solution. Since brick is designed to be used outdoors, and open to the elements, it can withstand a lot of abuse. This means that while it has nooks and crannies that can hold onto dirt, it also can be fairly simply cleaned. According to Real Thin Brick, day-to-day cleaning can be as straightforward as using a dry mop.

Brick floors aren't only low cost and durable, but they're also easy to clean. As they age, bricks will wear in, looking better and softer over time. Because bricks can age gracefully and be recycled and reused many times, showing their wear is part of the charm. Unlike with new tile, a scratch or a slight discoloration on a brick floor is a welcome addition to its overall patina. In addition, the brick surface, while rough, is actually a breeze to clean (via Happho).

There's a secret to getting your brick floor to shine, even after years of use. According to Get Set Clean, a cup of vinegar and warm water will make your brick shine without any polishing, sealant, or scrubbing involved. Just add a cup to your mop bucket and mop your floors as usual, and cleaning with vinegar will help bring back the shine to your brick's surface.

Use caution, though: If you're dealing with concrete bricks rather than traditional clay, the acid in vinegar can degrade the cement that holds the concrete together. On its own, regular household vinegar won't dissolve concrete bricks, but repeated exposure can weaken them. Unlike clay bricks that don't use cement to hold the structure together, the cement that binds concrete does react with the acid in vinegar, known as acetic acid. For this reason, it's smart to make sure you're working with traditional clay bricks before you try out this cleaning technique (via Gizmoplans).

Because part of the appeal of a brick floor is its aged, lived-in look, regular maintenance isn't as rigorous as some other tile types. In a review written one year after installing their brick flooring, Wildfire Interiors reports that for dust and dirt, you can just use a broom to keep up with the daily mess. With all the traffic an entryway brick floor might get, a once-per-week sweep seems very low-key. Since brick will catch dirt and keep it from being tracked into the rest of the house, a brick entryway can actually make it easier to keep the rest of your house clean.

A sealed brick floor will be the most painless to clean because it's waterproof. It won't absorb grease or liquid, so it's nearly impervious to staining. Rather than scrubbing out stains, spills can be wiped up with little effort (via The Brick Tile Co.).

Sealing your brick floors will make them nearly waterproof and make cleaning them trouble-free, but using the right sealant is important for the best results. Some floor sealers aren't designed to be applied one right after the other, so sealant can build up and create unsightly gunk in the crevices of your brick.

You can avoid this issue by using a solvent-based sealer to prevent wax buildup and staining. Sealing brick is a more involved process than other steps in the cleaning process. You'll need a scrub brush, rags, a mop, and some towels for this task. According to Keith Clay Floors, you should apply your sealer with a mop to a clean and completely dry floor and then allow it to dry. Once dry, a second coat is recommended. While sealing your brick floor is more demanding than most other cleaning tasks, you can rest assured that it lasts for a year. Doing an annual deep cleaning and resealing will keep your brick from staining and make it no trouble to keep clean the other 364 days of the year.

For the most part, brick floors are fairly stress-free, but if you get anything sticky on them, it could be a real pain to get out. Because the surface of the brick is uneven, getting gummy or sticky spills out of the nooks and crannies can pose a real challenge. There is a solution, though: For annual or biannual deep cleaning or before sealing your floor, you can use a stiff-bristled scrub brush to get rid of any sticky dirt.

The Workshop recommends using a gentle detergent, or even plain water, just like you would with a mop, and scrubbing the goo out with the brush. Brick floors are nearly indestructible; a good scrub won't hurt them. Make sure to rinse your brick with clean water after it's scrubbed. The residue left from the scrub brush will dry in indented areas, redepositing dirt in the crevices.

High temperatures can kill bacteria and viruses on floor surfaces. According to Maid Share, the heat and pressure of a steam cleaner will kill 99% of germs. The great thing about using steam is that you don't need to use any detergent in the process. This makes it a safer alternative for pets and kids since the only residue left behind is a small amount of water.

Owning a steam cleaner that's effective enough to kill germs might get pricey, though. If you only plan to do a deep clean every so often, you can rent a steam cleaner for the job. Using a rental steamer means it won't take up storage space. A Eurosteamer that can be rented from your local hardware store can be attached to a garden hose for easy hook-up. It's capable of safely cleaning multiple surfaces including brick (via The Home Depot).

If you're sealing your floors annually, even if you use a wax that is intended to remove the previous layer of wax, you might get some build-up in the hollows of the brick or along the grout lines. This will eventually become discolored and will make your floor look dirty even if it's freshly cleaned.

You can eliminate this problem by using a stripper and a scrub brush — or a scrubbing machine — to remove wax build-up on brick floors, says How Stuff Works. Once the build-up of sealer is taken care of, you can apply the sealer onto the clean, dry brick surface to protect the floors. Be sure to avoid using acids or any kind of harsh detergents on your brick as these can eat away at the grout. Doing this as a part of your annual resealing routine will make it easier to keep your floors looking cleaner all year.

There's a lot of advice about keeping acidic cleaners away from your bricks because they can damage your grout. There is an exception to his rule, though. In some cases, acid can help restore a brick's color after being stained or neglected. This is a cleaning method only to be used in extreme cases — and preferably with the advice of a professional — but it can bring life back into an old, discolored brick floor.

When moisture damages a brick floor, such as in older buildings, you can use a gel acid product for deep cleaning, says Suffolk Tile Doctor. Because it's in gel form, the acid is easier to control and can be managed and neutralized more effectively. Using a carborundum pad that's specifically designed for use with acid cleaning products, work the acid into the bricks and grout, then rinse with as little water as possible. You can then use a wet vac to dry the floor and remove the rest of the cleansing gel. Make sure to use protective equipment when handling acidic cleaning products to avoid injury.