Efflorescence

Efflorescence is that white chalky stuff

That appears on a masonry wall

Only a surface problem, enough

To make one’s poor skin crawl.

 

It is caused by water evaporation

Leaving salts of sulfate

It happens all across the nation

And is just too common a fate.

 

To stop this from happening is not always easy

The culprit’s alkali sulfate

It makes masonry look kinda cheesy,

The water should not percolate:

 

Through a brick wall, or mortar or stone,

Because water leaves this white scum

And can leave a mark on your home

Aesthetically unbearable to some.

 

So how do I stop it and why?

What do I do and what is the essence?

Just keep your masonry dry-

And you'll have no efflorescence.