It's getting chilly out there, making graffiti and paint removal a challenge. Here are few tips for cold weather removals.
The main thing to remember is when temperatures fall into the single digits (°C), spray paints, inks, and crayons take much longer to dissolve. When working with Bare Brick Stone & Masonry Graffiti Remover or Sensitive Surface Graffiti Remover, dwell times sometimes need to be 2-3 times longer to yield the same results.
It's often helpful to leave your remover on much longer than that before rinsing.
It also helps to keep our products indoors and even inside the car before applying them, so they are at room temperature when you're ready to use them.
During the winter months we will sometimes apply Bare Brick Stone & Masonry Graffiti Remover several times and then leave Transgel on over the top for hours or even overnight before pressure washing. This will keep the graffiti wet much longer and make it easier to rinse completely the first time. Transgel eats through all the thicker bits of graffiti crinkling it up, while Bare Brick penetrates and dissolves it from behind.
Of course, pressure washing in freezing conditions is a tricky exercise and we recommend reserving larger projects for the Spring if that is an option.
For signs, trucks, trailers, and other Sensitive Surfaces, you may need to leave Sensitive Surface Graffiti Remover on for several minutes before coming back to agitate and wipe away. Sometimes lightly abrading the surface with a soft scourer between coats will help the remover penetrate and begin dissolving it faster.
Hot Tips! A hot water pressure washer/steam cleaner makes a HUGE difference in graffiti and paint removal. Sometimes you might want to spray a wall down first in order to heat up a section of graffiti before removing it. Our friends at NYC Power Wash suggested filling up a bucket with hot water, and leaving the bottle of product in it so that it warms up before use.
Products Mentioned
Gorilla Property Services in Calgary, Canada use Sensitive Surface Graffiti Remover in freezing conditions.
NYC Power Wash uses Bare Brick Stone & Masonry Graffiti Remover in the middle of winter.
3
Golden Rules
1) If graffiti is not coming
off easily, you're doing it
wrong! You may require a change
of tact or
use of another
product.
2)
If you can't remove a little bit
of graffiti, then you're not
going to remove a lot. TEST
FIRST before applying product to
an entire job. This way you can
determine if you’re on the right
track before embarking on full
scale removals.
3)
If you're working hard, you're
doing it wrong! Forget the
scrubbing, blasting and any
other abrasive measures. Put
simply, either your products are
working or they’re not. Any
problems can be taken care of
with the right
technique.