Help! What's this white stuff on my bricks?!

You've spent hours carefully laying and pointing your bricks. Then a few weeks later you notice a white crystally substance has appeared. What on earth is that?! And more importantly, how do you get rid of it?

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You'll be pleased to know this white stuff has a name, its called Efflorescence. Its totally harmless and is an accumulation of minerals on the surface of the bricks. Efflorescence happens when the bricks get damp and then dry again. When the bricks get damp, the water dissolves the minerals, and when the bricks dry, the minerals are drawn out and appear as white crystals on the surface.

The best way I've found to get rid of them is to dip an old nail brush into some water and scrub them off. They should easily fall off. Then make sure the bricks are dried quickly, as otherwise the process of dissolving will happen all over again, leading to more Efflorescence in the future.


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