Hi folks, the title explains it all. On a three story dryvit building, what is the absolute best way to soft wash in preparation for painting?
In the old days, I would’ve used straight power and been on ladders. I’ve wised up and entered soft washing! I’m thinking of just using SH 12.5% with elemonator as the surfactant. I want to stay on the ground as much as possible!
Do you have a 12 volt setup? If it’s not real dirty you could probably down stream. If there’s aglae and mildew you’ll need a stronger mix. Probably around 2%-4%. Hit with 12 volt, let dwell, low pressure rinse just like soft washing a house.
Be sure to wet down windows beforehand and rinse well.
Any pictures?
You’re going to want to go very light on your surfactant. Otherwise, you’ll be rinsing forever. As @marinegrunt said, if it’s dirty with organic stuff then you’ll likely need to use direct application between 2-4%. If it’s just standard dirt, cobwebs, etc. then you should be fine to downstream. Keep windows wet and RINSE RINSE RINSE.
There’s not hardly any growth or organic matter at all. I would prefer to DS it because I don’t own a 12v pump deal.
Would Arm and Hammer with oxiclean be better than elemonator?
Elemonator is a surfactant, not really a soap, so that’s not a good comparison. Use bleach and elemonator and Xjet it if there is much mildew. Save the dish and laundry detergent for dishes and laundry.
I wouldn’t put Arm & Hammer on anything that’s not vinyl. Elemenator would be best. Go very light with the surfactant.
