The Short Answer
On our estimates, professional brick cleaning costs £10 to £50 per m², depending on the method and how dirty the wall is: about £300 to £1,500 for one side of a two-storey house and £900 to £4,500 for the whole of a typical semi, plus access.
The method matters more than the price. The Brick Development Association says pressure washing older brickwork is never recommended without a detailed survey of its condition, because it can do severe and permanent damage. Ask for a test patch before anything else.
Brick cleaning prices
| Job | Typical cost |
|---|---|
| Brick or stone cleaning, per m² | £10 to £50 |
| One side of a two-storey house (about 30m²) | £300 to £1,500 |
| Whole semi (about 90m²) | £900 to £4,500 |
| Scaffold tower, a week | £250 to £450 |
| Scaffold, one side | £500 to £1,000 |
The best way to clean brickwork depends on the problem
| Problem | What the Brick Development Association advises |
|---|---|
| White powdery salts (efflorescence) | Dry-brush with a nylon or bristle brush, never a wire one, and remove the residue. Don't soak the wall: that drives salts back in. |
| Mortar or cement smears | Lift lumps with a wooden tool, wet the wall, brush on a proprietary brick cleaner, then rinse thoroughly, not at high pressure. |
| Green algae and growth | Remove loose growth, kill the rest with an algaecide, then remove the dead growth carefully. |
| Staining that won't shift | Some can't be fully removed; a specialist can tint the brick to even it out. |
Whatever the method, it advises testing in an inconspicuous area first. A good cleaner will offer that without being asked. On a listed building, I'd ask the council before any cleaning.
White marks on brick
White deposits are salts from the brick, the mortar or the ground, drawn to the surface as wet brickwork dries; they're most common from spring onwards. On new brickwork they usually go with dry brushing and time. On older brickwork, the Brick Development Association says efflorescence that keeps coming back often means water is getting in, from faulty gutters for example, so fix that rather than cleaning again: see guttering and repointing.
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Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to clean brick?
On our estimates, £10 to £50 per m², so about £300 to £1,500 for one side of a two-storey house, plus scaffold or a tower if needed.
What is the best way to clean brickwork?
It depends on the dirt. The Brick Development Association advises dry-brushing salts, a proprietary brick cleaner and a low-pressure rinse for mortar smears, and an algaecide for green growth, always tested on a hidden area first.
Is pressure washing bricks bad?
On older brickwork it can be: the Brick Development Association says it's never recommended without a detailed survey, because it can damage brick permanently.
Should bricks be cleaned before repointing?
I'd clean first, so cleaning water and chemicals aren't washed over fresh mortar. Agree the order with both trades, or use one firm for both.
How do you get white marks off bricks?
They're salts (efflorescence). Brush them off dry with a nylon brush, not a wire one. If they keep coming back on an older wall, find where the water is getting in.
How we priced thisView sources (1)
Rules come from the legislation and official guidance, read at source. Prices are our estimates: we check them against trade price data, retailer shelf prices and specialists' price lists, then build them up from their parts so the totals add up. Below are the sources behind the page; the trade price guides we only compare against aren’t listed. Where sources disagreed, we've said so. More on our method.
- IndustryCleaning of Clay Brickwork: general guide (2023), Brick Development Association. Checked 15 Oct 2026.
