Brick Floor Care

Care of a brick floor is a little different from that of a wood or tile floor. Bricks are more porous than other types of flooring, and, if they aren't properly sealed, can absorb spills and prove difficult to clean. With proper care, however, your brick floor will last for many years.

Regular household white vinegar is an acidic substance that will clean your brick floor, sanitize it and remove any bad smells. Vinegar is an especially effective substance to clean pet accidents or brick kitchen floors that may have absorbed food smells. Mop your floor with a mixture of 1 cup of white vinegar mixed into 1 gallon of warm water. The same mixture can be sponged onto brick hearths and fireplaces.

To keep your brick floors looking clean and fresh and to avoid grit from the floors from damaging other floor surfaces in your home, you should seal them. Apply two coats of a film-forming polyurethane or acrylic sealant to the floor. Allow the first coat to dry before applying the second. Clean the floor prior to sealing, and sweep or vacuum up any grit. Pay extra attention to the mortar between the bricks during this process.

Keep your brick floors looking nice between mopping by sweeping or vacuuming. To sweep, use a regular household broom, drawing it over the surface of the floor. Sweep any particles into a dustpan and discard. Brick floors may also be vacuumed. Use the hard-floor setting or a brush attachment to clean up dry spills, pet hair and anything else that might have landed on the floor. If the floors aren't properly sealed, brick floors may produce grit that could damage other flooring, such as carpet, wood or tile if not swept up promptly.

Brick floors can be deep cleaned with a steam cleaner, using the hard-floor attachment. This cleaning forces steam into the pores of the bricks and pulls the moisture back out along with dirt and grime. Steam cleaning is a good way to remove stains caused by spilling liquid onto bricks. It also helps to alleviate stains and smells from pet urine that may have soaked into the floor. Steam cleaning is a good process to use prior to sealing or resealing your floor.