I have a problem with a brick wall that would seem normal on the exterior, but this is inside! Soft red brick on the inside of an exterior wall of a building constructed circa 1910, now in use as a restaurant. On the upper reaches , nearest the ceiling, brick faces are spalling, and pieces fall into the diner’s food. The mortar joints are blooming with a puffy white powder that crumbles when disturbed, and, of course, falls into the diner’s food. I’ve seen this type of activity on exterior walls, but what can a guy do in a finished interior space that’s open 7 days a week?
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I'd recommend that you find the source of the moisture that's causing this problem unless you want to continue to have this experience. The white powdery stuff is likely what is known as efflorescence and is the salts contained within the brick clay being leached to the surface by the moisture.
The moisture could be coming from any number of sources such as a roof leak,leaking windows in the story above, or leaking plumbing. It may even be caused by moisture that's being generated in the restaurant itself. Whatever the source……it needs to be found and eliminated.
For the moment, I'd probably take a ladder, wire or stiff nylon brush and a shop-vac and proceed to scrub and vac the offending stuff off the wall. While this won't cure the problem, it should temporarily put an end to offended patrons.