How to Clean Bricks with Vinegar: Why It’s Unsafe & What to Use Instead

Do not clean bricks with vinegar—especially historic, tuckpointed, or unglazed clay bricks. Vinegar (5% acetic acid) is too acidic (pH ≈ 2.4) for silicate- and calcium-based masonry. It dissolves lime-rich mortar, accelerates spalling in freeze-thaw climates, and worsens efflorescence by…











