I’ve had mixed results using a small amount of Sodium Hydroxide or Potassium Hydroxide in my downstream tank for really filthy houses that are on main roads. They both kind of scare me at concentrations high enough to really do much.
Does anyone have a road-film/ fallout/ grime killing secret recipe that’s not likely to strip the paint or wreck aluminum window frames? PM me if you don’t want to share publicly.
Thinking of trying Zep Purple or something along those lines. Just not sure if downstreaming it would be effective at all.
Also, would love to hear from our resident chemist, @CaCO3Girl
By the time you dilute the purple stuff it’s ineffective due to strength. Yes, the sodium hydroxide gives it a kick to start working but it’s the EB that does the work of degreaser.
If I were you I’d call ZEP and ask them what commercial product they have that is like the purple stuff but meant to be downstreamed. If you are really against that then I suggest you buy a commercial house wash like M-1 or simple green and drop some EB in there to spike it…but be careful, EB can slightly strip paint too…best just to call ZEP and see what they have to say.
Mike Hall posted this in another thread. Hoping this might work for what I want to do. Very reasonably priced.
Shipping costs more than the chem, though…
At any rate, I gotta figure out something soon. Have some apartment buildings to clean on July 3rd with paint in decent shape, but they’ve been absolutely hammered by road-grime.
I’ve tried both of those with mixed results on fallout. The F9 brought back some really yellowed vinyl siding to bright white condition on one house. The One Restore did similarly on a different house. And there were a couple instances where neither one did anything
Both chemicals are kind of pricy to use. I would love to have my own chem lab and formulate stuff as I need it. But I nearly flunked chemistry in highschool, so it’s probably a good thing I don’t have my own lab, lol.
I hear you on that one. Heck, I can’t even fill up a mower without almost blinding myself so I can’t image what would happen if I attempted mixing different chemicals!
I know you will but be sure to post the outcome on using that 409. That stuff sounds interesting. I think I might order some too.
Oh man. Forgot about the 409. I was referring to the Citrus Gutter Cleaner & House Wash.
I haven’t got enough time for this. There are way too many products for me to try out. Feel like I would need to order samples of all of them and take a day (or week) experimenting. I feel bad for the fleetwash guys, this must be what it’s like getting started with two stepping.
@Henry_Grover_Jr, do you have any input on this topic? I realize that this pretty much describes your process, lol:
I have seen too many of these chems do damage to glass. Especially those based on HF which I believe the Barc 9 is now. Look up the SDS. Have done some interesting reading on alkaline water. So a high pH pure water for cleaning. I think you have done some work with that Alex. Is this true?
2 stepping is tricky when you first start out. So many chemical choices, and sales ppl that sell water downed elixirs, took me about 6 mths to finally get the courage to go HF as my first step,because alot can go wrong. But IMO ,it’s like soft washing a house without bleach. But ya’ll got your worries as well in your sandbox, just gotta read,research, and treat it with respect
Back in our beginning stages we would DS purple power with pretty decent results. Didn’t harm anything painted, like campers,horse trailer’s etc with
Oxidized aluminum siding. Be careful with the product called Awesome. DS would be fine. But not at 1:1 or anything close
Sorry, I haven’t checked this email in about a week. Yes EB is butyl. The d-limonene based products are great at grime and at removing adhesives, but they can strip paint too.
I tried ebc alone to wash a house near a highway aka freeway… and I still had to do some scrubbing
A friend told me that Orange degreaser works well, but too strong of a mix will also remove paint and possibly etch glass if left on too long, that’s a no go for me
