Q: A while back you had a column about what to do if inside or around your fireplace shows a lot of whiteness. My brickwork shows white; there is crud inside both upstairs and downstairs fireplaces.

DEAR TIM: There are white deposits on my chimney, on the face of a retaining wall and on my paver patio. I sometimes see these white crystals near cracks in my basement walls. I’ve tried washing them ...

This chimney is not watertight. Look at the white efflorescence stain. Water is entering the chimney higher up and then leaking out just above the white salt deposits. (Tribune Content Agency) Roof ...

Jeff Somers is a freelancer who has been writing about writing, books, personal finance, and home maintenance since 2012. When not writing, Jeff spends his free time fixing up his old house. He has ...

Efflorescence is a powdery deposit of salts which forms on the surface of bricks and mortar. It is usually white but efflorescence may be yellow, green or brown. Salts enter the wall from various ...