Cleaning Exhaust Soot Off Brick Walls
 

Pretty much as the title says, unpainted brickwork stained from cars backing up to it, or the initial blast of soot when they start back up after being parked.

Will something like Kenco degreaser shift this in conjunction with pressure washing? Doesn’t need to look like new, just well-maintained 20+ years old. This is my job for Sunday, cleaning the workshop forecourt!

Ideally fishing for recommendations that are budget friendly due to surface area (so, not high end detailing products), can be applied in a timely manner and are readily bought. Also, products can’t be too far either way on the pH scale due to risk of efflorescence or corroding ties.

Re: Cleaning Exhaust Soot Off Brick Walls
 

Channel your inner Banksy and make it a feature!

Re: Cleaning Exhaust Soot Off Brick Walls
 

I love the idea, unfortunately customers are mostly not likely to “get” it, and Strata could have other ideas, too.

Re: Cleaning Exhaust Soot Off Brick Walls
 

How big of an area do you need to clean?

Re: Cleaning Exhaust Soot Off Brick Walls
 

Say one metre high by about eight lineal metres. It’s slightly irregular, taking in hob walls and some columns. Typical besmirching:

https://i.postimg.cc/fbM7cYhr/IMG-1974.jpg

Re: Cleaning Exhaust Soot Off Brick Walls
 

What wrong using brick acid, avaialble from any hardware, it will also probably spruce up your concrete driveway.

Re: Cleaning Exhaust Soot Off Brick Walls
 

Steam clean the Bricks.

Re: Cleaning Exhaust Soot Off Brick Walls
 

I'd say that you would need repeated treatments, alternating between Degreaser, a Sugar Soap, and Bleach, followed each time by pressure washing.

Problem is that bricks are relatively porous, and most of the soot will be insoluble.

Re: Cleaning Exhaust Soot Off Brick Walls
 

When I used to listen to talkback radio, I remember Shannon Lush would suggest using plaster of paris to remove oil stains from concrete or porous surfaces.

Mix Plaster of Paris into a stiff paste, she said you should be able to stand a knife up in it. To every cupful of this mixture, add a teaspoonful of liquid dishwashing detergent. Spread this paste onto the oil patch and let dry completely, the chip away the remove.

Re: Cleaning Exhaust Soot Off Brick Walls
 

Washing powder mixed into a paste strips it right off the floor in my garage and the brick driveway after I let the car sit and idle for too long (dumper pipe)

Re: Cleaning Exhaust Soot Off Brick Walls
 

I ended up having to wing it a little, time pressure was upon me (shop reopens to the public tomorrow). Kenco degreaser at 1:2 does a pretty lame job on heavy oil and soot, even with multiple soakings from a pump sprayer.

Think the bricks are exposure grade, they’re pretty tough and I laid into them without any surface shedding. Graffiti was cleaned up with paint stripper and the pressure washer, forecourt concrete lost 60% of its greasy tracking stains and the walls are about 80% better overall. Roller door was filthy (I hadn’t noticed!) and that came up well. Five hours of two blokes, two pressure washers.

Will try a test patch with laundry detergent poultice, not sure if I can substitute Basecoat 45 for Plaster of Paris to try the other recipe.