LESLIE: Now we’ve got Margie on the line who’s dealing with sort of an aging brick façade, I guess. What’s going on? Tell us about it.
MARGIE: Oh, we’ve got some I guess it’s mildew and mold buildup because it’s an older home and it just seems like it hasn’t been taken care of. Like I said, we just purchased this home for a vacation home and we’d like to get it cleaned up. And we’re afraid if we use Clorox, it might be too harsh on it and soften the brick more.
LESLIE: Now the brick itself is soft or just the coating on the brick that you feel is kind of mushy?
MARGIE: I guess it could be the coating. It’s sort of an antique white brick.
TOM: And we’re talking about brick on the outside of your house; not brick over a fireplace or something.
MARGIE: Yes, sir. Yes, sir.
TOM: OK. And so why do you say it’s dirty? Does it look green or does it look black?
MARGIE: Yes, it has a mold buildup and, like I said, there are a lot of trees around there so – you know.
TOM: OK. Margie you’re looking for a siding wash. There are a couple of products out there. Jomax has a product – J-o-m-a-x – and Clorox has a version of house wash. What you do is you mix them up – they’re usually in concentrates; you apply it to the brick, let it sit for 10 or 15 minutes and then you scrub it off with a brush. You can use it on a broom – like a long-handled brush or the end of a broom – and then you rinse it off. You’re not too aggressive with it. I’d try that in a small area and see if that cleans it up.
The other thing that you can do is cut back on your trees and let a little more light on that side.
LESLIE: (overlapping voices) Yeah, reduce the amount of shade.
TOM: If you reduce the amount of shade, the sunlight will do a good, natural job of keeping that area clean.
MARGIE: OK, well I thank you very much.
TOM: You’re welcome, Margie. Thanks so much for calling us at 888-MONEY-PIT.
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