In the almost 9 months that I have enjoyed the camaraderie and education from this site, yesterday I once again employed the one piece of knowledge that has saved me an enormous amount of time on surface cleaning. So, I thought I’d start this topic so that as a community we can reshare our favorite lessons and pay tribute to those who teach:
My first post on this topic pays tribute to @Racer Rick:
SO, when I surface clean I often pre-wet with a pre-treatment of 1-2% SH, and usually where there are drainage issues where my pretreatment might harm plants/grass I prewet my surface and go commando (no SH). After my surface cleaning, I allow the surface to drain then my final action is to apply a post-treatment of 3-4% SH and leave behind for the rain to wash away.
THANKS, @Racer! SO, what’s YOUR best lesson learned?
I mostly just pre wet with water on residential as I have not noticed a lot of difference with using the SH mix pretreatment…but the post treat does make a difference and I do that most of the time…
Semi wet. I usually pack everything up first, mostly for the fact that I currently post treat with a 2 gallon pump up sprayer (haven’t gotten my dedicated pump, yet). By the time I pack everything up & being in Florida, the concrete is usually a bit drier, but still semi damp.
Yesterday I went out on a call to clean up rust stains on siding and roof. Sorry I didn’t have the foresight to take pictures, but this shout out goes to Rowdie @squidskc for his instruction and tutelage. The application of oxalic acid with some scrubbing completely removed all signs of rust on that siding and 90% from the roof shingles. The customer lives in a condo complex where this problem pervades. I gave him a copy of my license and declarations page of my insurance to forward to the HOA.
I will likely get business from this job often, all because of the lessons learned from one of the best teachers at this site. THANKS, ROWDIE!
Still being harassed by the wind into the third week of April, so my next debt of gratitude goes out to @Dantheman and @Patriotspwashing and @Infinity. After adapting my XJet with a quick connect I now use a 3’ and an 8’ wand to get way up there. What a game changer! THANKS, guys!
I concur with @JimLuke and @Racer that wetting before the surface clean and post-treating after is most effective. The other day I received a call from the city of Virginia Beach because a neighbor of a customer called about my washing SH into the storm drains, a serious violation of city ordinance. In this case, I hadn’t used any pretreatment, and I NEVER rinse my post-treatment. SO, although I had rinsed lots of dirt and water into the storm drain when they went to research and test the water, there was no elevation in the water’s ph.
The lesson learned here is that nature will break down the SH quickly on a driveway, with little or no danger to the environment. Using a pretreatment I always noticed the need fro a post - there are just organisms that will resist my Hammerhead but cannot withstand the post-treatment, colonies of little green circles, the rings under flower pots, etc.
Ultimately, after a good scare from the city environmental guy, I received a call from the state guy who told me that nature breaks down SH quickly and that my practice is safe for the environment.
In my area most dont use pre OR post and their customers are happy. I always use a pre and its very rare to need a post. Only a few times I have sprayed a post trying for the perfect finished product. when there was moss type growth under dense trees
Used leftovers from roof wash from my softwash system directly applied to house and driveway pre-rinse, smell was quite strong, neighbor came running out to tell me how to do my job (no need for chemicals, just use pressure!) to which I replied, “with all due respect, I would never try to tell you how to do your job” so she called the fire dept on me when I was at her next door neighbor’s house several weeks earlier and recieved no justice (they came out and said that I was completely within compliance), and then the city environmental folks when I was 2 doors down and they initialized the call that started this subject.
Smell WAS strong, and solution was too hot for house washing, just right for post treat. With the pretreatment from weeks before, had that screaming witch called the city environmental folks, and had they come out THAT day to test the ph of the water in the storm drain like they did several weeks later I might have been in deep doodoo. Because those weeks later and at the 2nd neighbor’s house I post-treated and left the solution on the concrete to break down before entering the storm drain, I was OK. The environmental folks did their test and research, and I never heard another word out of them.
My number one lesson learned is that you should always have a roll of toilet paper and change of clothes when you’re out in the country. I was riding the razor’s edge of having disaster pants on one of my first jobs ever on about a mile of vinyl fence. I made it with only moments to spare to the nearest gas station after the job.
So close to feeling like I poo’ed my underroos it’s burned in my memory like it actually happened. A roll of TP in a zip lock bag is behind the seats of every vehicle we have.
Be honest in all dealings, treat others how you’d like to be treated, take care of your equipment and your equipment will take care of you, do good works…for you reap what you sow.
