My brick house was built in 1921. The bricks are a mixture of brown, various shades of red, beige and black. I had some deteriorating mortar replaced, and the handyman smeared the mortar on the brick.

Lindsey Ellefson is Lifehacker’s Features Editor. She currently covers study and productivity hacks, as well as household and digital decluttering, and oversees the freelancers on the sex and ...