Can You Pressure Wash a Brick House?

Why brick fools people

Brick reads as indestructible — it is a rock, after all. But fired clay brick is full of microscopic pores, and the mortar between bricks is softer than the brick itself. Aim a 3,000-PSI tip at a mortar joint and you are not cleaning it, you are excavating it. Repointing mortar costs many times what a wash does. Older KC brick — and the metro is full of pre-war brick in Brookside, Waldo, and the Northeast — is softer still, and irreplaceable once the hard-fired face is blasted off.

What actually gets brick dirty in Kansas City

Four culprits: green algae on shaded north faces, black mildew under eaves and gutters, general atmospheric grime that dulls the color, and efflorescence — the white, chalky mineral bloom that appears when moisture moves through masonry and leaves salts on the surface. Each needs different treatment, which is exactly why the one-pressure-fits-all approach fails on brick.

How professionals clean brick safely

The method is the same chemistry-first approach we use on siding: a soft wash. The wall is pre-wet, a masonry-safe detergent goes on at low pressure, dwells long enough to kill growth and release grime, and rinses at about 700 PSI, a real rinse rather than a garden-hose trickle, which is what flushes every trace of chemical off the brick. Organic staining dies at the root instead of being smeared around, and mortar joints stay where the mason left them. Efflorescence is the exception — it needs specialized treatment, and heavy recurring bloom is a moisture symptom worth investigating, not just rinsing.

The brick jobs that need extra caution

• Painted brick and German smear: pressure lifts paint and mortar wash finishes — chemistry-only, tested in an inconspicuous spot first
• Pre-1950 brick: softer firing, treat like an antique
• Sandblasted or previously damaged brick: the protective face is already gone; it absorbs water like a sponge and sheds sand under any pressure
• Chimneys: add height, flashing, and crown cracks to all of the above

What it costs

Brick homes price the same as any house wash with us: $0.20/ft² of home square footage, $300 minimum, and the same 2-year written guarantee. Price your home in about a minute with the instant calculator.

Not brick? Stucco and Hardie board play by different rules and are easier to damage — here is what changes on those surfaces.