lal

  • Posts: 1110
Cleaning soffit & faschias
« on: March 21, 2012, 08:48:03 am »
hi i'm new to window cleaning, can anyone advise me on the best and most time efficient way to clean soffit and faschias on average size house's,  tips would greatly be appreciated.

Window Washers

  • Posts: 9036
Re: cleaning soffit & faschias
« Reply #1 on: March 21, 2012, 08:51:00 am »
hi i'm new to window cleaning, can anyone advise me on the best and most time efficient way to clean soffit and faschias on average size house's,  tips would greatly be appreciated.
using water fed pole, wet it up and scrub, when finished wrap a cloth over the brush and wipe off the underside droplets,
If your not willing to learn, No one can help you, If you are determined to learn, No one can stop you ;)

Smurf

  • Posts: 8538
Re: Cleaning soffit & faschias
« Reply #2 on: March 21, 2012, 01:15:14 pm »
I've found just using tap or pure water generally on white plastic guttering etc is not good enough. You need in most cases to apply some kind of chem like TFR or Ubik2000 to get them to look a lot cleaner.

Ground floor guttering etc I tend to just spray ubik on them, scrub using a none scratch washing up pad, let dwell for a while then wipe over & buff with a clean dry cloth.



Steve peel

  • Posts: 54
Re: Cleaning soffit & faschias
« Reply #3 on: March 21, 2012, 02:11:31 pm »
if you have a wfp trolley, fill it full of pure water or even tap water and put in a solution of Swift & Sure safe algae remover , this when applied will loosen the algae and just glyde off without problem and most other dirt, if the soffits or facias have ingrained carbonised staining then this will be a lot harder to clean and when they in this state, they are probably very old, so a solvent based cleaner would have to be used by hand, which is more difficult what with health & safety rules.
Black mould is one of the worst fungi,s for spreading rapidly, this is normally found at whiskey bonded wharehouses , this why these building are normally in the sticks and not in a built up area, for instance, I was called by a company to advise on removal of black mould near Bathgate in Scotland, the company wanted to erect more buildings on site and they had an issue with the local council planners, of fear of black mould spreading to nearby residential areas. I arrived on site and used the wfp system on a 3mtr section of guttering, the pure water was working but very slow , so i used the trolly eyetem with the swift & sure mix and it slid off the guttering and facias very easy, this was a test case to see if the company could control black mould before being allowed to build new units on site. I went back 6 moths later and there was no sign of growth on the areas we had cleaned, hence permission was granted.
I f anyone out there cleans exterior of caravans especially in wooded areas this is an ideal product for the safe removal of green algae.
If you require futher info on this subject you can contaxct me on 07771523669

Smurf

  • Posts: 8538
Re: Cleaning soffit & faschias
« Reply #4 on: March 21, 2012, 02:44:06 pm »
Would not adding a chem to a wfp trolley knacker your pump after time?

Window Washers

  • Posts: 9036
Re: Cleaning soffit & faschias
« Reply #5 on: March 21, 2012, 04:54:35 pm »
Would not adding a chem  to a wfp trolley knacker your pump after time?
depends what it is, if something like ecover will be fine
If your not willing to learn, No one can help you, If you are determined to learn, No one can stop you ;)

Smurf

  • Posts: 8538
Re: Cleaning soffit & faschias
« Reply #6 on: March 21, 2012, 05:09:43 pm »
Most water fed pole pumps used are not made to be used with chems at all. Unless the pump is specifically designed for chems I will pass on that one. Anyways a chemical pump up or pressurised sprayer works just fine for me.


SB Cleaning

  • Posts: 4231
Re: Cleaning soffit & faschias
« Reply #7 on: March 21, 2012, 06:24:58 pm »
I use wfp connected to backpack filled with tap water and a dash of virosol.

I have never had any issues with the backpack pump putting virosol through it either.

dazmond

  • Posts: 23592
Re: Cleaning soffit & faschias
« Reply #8 on: March 21, 2012, 06:45:33 pm »
from my experience pure water from your tank or tap water from custies outside tap is sufficient.simply soak with water.leave for a couple of mins then scrub and rinse.sometimes i put a cloth in an unger fixiclamp on a trad pole and wipe the drips up to finish the job.job done.

on an average 3 bed semi i charge £40-£50 for fascias/soffits that are fairly dirty.front and back.takes around an hour.good add on jobs in spring/summer.

the only time i use chemicals is if im cleaning a very dirty conny roof.i spray the roof with a 5l pressure sprayer from b&q   with tfr or virasol mixed with water.leave for a min or two then scrub and rinse.again job done.

hope this helps


regards


dazmond
price higher/work harder!

lal

  • Posts: 1110
Re: Cleaning soffit & faschias
« Reply #9 on: March 21, 2012, 07:15:12 pm »
Thank you very much for all your tips and advice for cleaning soffit & faschias, I havn't got a WFP system yet, but i think i'm going to have to invest in one soon.  regards LaL

Avo

  • Posts: 1634
Re: Cleaning soffit & faschias
« Reply #10 on: March 21, 2012, 07:16:03 pm »
Yes tap water or pure water on your wfp (with fans for wide spray) pre soaked with virsol and paragon micro fibre floor mop heads on a pole for the under sides of fascia mopping up the dirty drips if any there. £15 to £25 per side cleaned

Smurf

  • Posts: 8538
Re: Cleaning soffit & faschias
« Reply #11 on: March 22, 2012, 12:34:31 am »
You don't need a wfp system just a 5m Harris pole from B&Q with a modified car/truck wash brush will do.  Simply put two fan jets into the brush head with a Y connection, length of wfp hose and a hozelock connection on the end to connect to a standard garden hosepipe. All parts you will need you will find on eBay. However to reach over conservatories etc will need a longer pole.

Re: Cleaning soffit & faschias
« Reply #12 on: March 22, 2012, 04:56:21 am »
I have used TRF diluted through my back pak for years its had no negative effect on the pump and a trolley has the same design of pump.After all they are made for weed killer and plant sprayer with much harder chemicals than a bit of detergent.

Avo

  • Posts: 1634
Re: Cleaning soffit & faschias
« Reply #13 on: March 22, 2012, 06:59:01 am »
So how do you all go about releasing the compacted dirt/cobwebs that form in the pre-molded gutter brackets...not one of you has given advice on that,and yet to me that is a very important part of cleaning upvc fascias,soffits and gutters?....maybe you dont bother
So what is your advice to the original poster on how you do that?....
I can assure you after spraying your gutters with viro sol or TFR there won't be any dirt in your brackets..

dazmond

  • Posts: 23592
Re: Cleaning soffit & faschias
« Reply #14 on: March 22, 2012, 07:22:12 am »
dw if you soak the brackets in pure/tap water for a min and use a hard bristled brush(i have a vikan stiff sill brush for such jobs)it comes off a treat without the use of chemicals but to be honest a standard mono brush usually does the job no problem but for stubborn stuff i have the option to use a stiffer brush! ;D ;D
price higher/work harder!

steven ainger

  • Posts: 1953
Re: Cleaning soffit & faschias
« Reply #15 on: March 22, 2012, 07:29:18 am »
I used to use tfr on gutters, it does make it a tad easier to to remove the grime, but i dont bother these days.
I use hot water & just scrub a bit harder

Smurf

  • Posts: 8538
Re: Cleaning soffit & faschias
« Reply #16 on: March 22, 2012, 07:49:26 am »
So how do you all go about releasing the compacted dirt/cobwebs that form in the pre-molded gutter brackets...not one of you has given advice on that,and yet to me that is a very important part of cleaning upvc fascias,soffits and gutters?....maybe you dont botherSo what is your advice to the original poster on how you do that?....

hmmm...so if maybe you know yourself why did you not say instead of implying we don't bother. To be honest your post came across quite rude.




Smurf

  • Posts: 8538
Re: Cleaning soffit & faschias
« Reply #17 on: March 22, 2012, 08:24:42 am »
So why did you not say that in the first place.

What brushes do you use then also got a link to the company you get them from?

Smurf

  • Posts: 8538
Re: Cleaning soffit & faschias
« Reply #18 on: March 22, 2012, 08:54:32 am »
Thanks for sharing ???


seamus campbell

  • Posts: 211
Re: Cleaning soffit & faschias
« Reply #19 on: March 22, 2012, 10:27:59 pm »
Then if your not going to share what are u doing even bringing it up,by the way I have never had a problem getting great results without any special brushes,