It's getting chilly out there, making graffiti and paint removal a challenge. Here are few tips for cold weather removals.
Porous Surfaces
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.
A Few Hot Tips!
1) A hot water pressure washer/steam cleaner makes a HUGE difference when removing paint and graffiti . In cold weather they can be used to heat a section of wall up before applying product.
2) Always apply the products at room temperature or above. In cold weather, try filling a bucket with hot water and leaving the bottle in it before use.
3) For line stripe removal jobs a propane torch (normally used for weed burning) can be used to heat up a section and dry it out dry it out before applying Transgel.
Sensitive Surfaces
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.
If you really need to speed things up try pepping up SSGR with a splash of Bare Brick Remover to help dissolve spray paints faster.
Products Mentioned
Bare Brick Stone & Masonry Remover
For Bare brick, stone, concrete, block walls & masonry
From C$35.00
Transgel Paint & Graffiti Remover
For removing hardened sunbaked graffiti & acrylic paint
From C$37.00
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.
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