Clean It Up
UK Window Cleaning Forum => Window Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: Kevin Miller on January 22, 2015, 02:19:20 pm
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ok I need your advice on how you clean soffits & facias. I've not cleaned these before only very simple gutter cleans which where very easy.
Here is my eqipment, gardiners clx 22 pole with sill brush, virosol, ladders, simple hand held sprayer and basic window cleaning kit ie scrim, cloths, unger squeegge. I have other cleaning agents in the van such as cillit bang lime scale, jml doctor power and simple stuff such as ecover. It's a big house I'll try to upload a picture. Here are my thoughts on cleaning it. Let me know your thoughts on which is best or what you do or use.
Option 1 (quickest & easiest)
- Using water fed pole pre wet all soffits and facias to be cleaned.
- have my bucket mixed with virosol & water 10/1 mix.
- dip my WFP in to the bucket with the solution then start scrubbing the soffits and facias working the solution in (water turned off) obviously all this is from the ground using the pole.
- leave for 5 minutes for the mixture to work its stuff.
- after 5 minutes turn water on and start rinsing the solution away while scrubbing.
Obviously you will be working in sections around the house.
Option 2
- get up on the ladders and spray where possible all the soffits and facias to be cleaned with the solution ie virosol water.
- leave it for 5 minutes then again using ladders get up there and work the solution in to the soffits and facias with a brush (obviously will have to use WFP for areas I can't reach by hand. Leave this to work in for 5 minutes.
- then using WFP turn water on and rinse.
Also once finished where I can I will be looking to dry wipe off using a cloth for a nice finish.
Hope all this makes sense. How do you guys clean soffits and facias? What mix & ratio?
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A clean with the pole system is all it'll need. Unless the customer is expecting immaculate results. I always forewarn customers prior to starting these jobs that I'll do the best job possible but they may not come up brilliant white in certain areas.
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A clean with the pole system is all it'll need. Unless the customer is expecting immaculate results. I always forewarn customers prior to starting these jobs that I'll do the best job possible but they may not come up brilliant white in certain areas.
Cheers pal do you use pure water or tap as I'll be using tap.
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Sounds OK to me Kevin, with what you've got should be fine. If you have more soiled areas that look quite minging, just spray neat Virosol on the brush and apply to that area.
If most of the job looks like minor stains and dirt, clean as you go, then back over the lot with a final rinse. Good luck.
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if its just tap water, you probably don't even need virison just clean scrub and rinse at the same time with the water always on, clean the brackets first with the brush turned to the side
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hi kevin
i normally clean fascias & soffits by hand off of a ladder, pole is ok but can be difficult cleaning properly up behind the gutter and you can be forever cleaning dirty runs down the fascia especially round the brackets, also the soffits if you get loads of water up in the holes that to is a pain.
looking up from the ground after having cleaned f&s with pole can look good but get up close you may surprised just how much has been missed, depends how ocd you are i suppose, i just find it a lot easier buy hand using soap applicator spray bottle with diluted virosol and a scrim to dry of at the same time.
the actual cladding itself get really good results with pole, i always use virosol, i normally spray it on but thats a good idea of yours to have a bucket with mixed solution, and just dip your brush in.
make sure you use ladder mitts or some other protection or you`ll mark the cladding
tony
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hi kevin
i normally clean fascias & soffits by hand off of a ladder, pole is ok but can be difficult cleaning properly up behind the gutter and you can be forever cleaning dirty runs down the fascia especially round the brackets, also the soffits if you get loads of water up in the holes that to is a pain.
looking up from the ground after having cleaned f&s with pole can look good but get up close you may surprised just how much has been missed, depends how ocd you are i suppose, i just find it a lot easier buy hand using soap applicator spray bottle with diluted virosol and a scrim to dry of at the same time.
the actual cladding itself get really good results with pole, i always use virosol, i normally spray it on but thats a good idea of yours to have a bucket with mixed solution, and just dip your brush in.
make sure you use ladder mitts or some other protection or you`ll mark the cladding
tony
Thanks tony, I am leaning to do it by hand where I can. So from what I can gather you have virosol in a bottle, spray the soffits and facia then clean of straight away with scrim. What dilution of virosol to water do you mix?
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You'll be fine dipping it in the bucket had to do a conny roof that way as my sprayer finally gave up.
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hi kevin
i normally clean fascias & soffits by hand off of a ladder, pole is ok but can be difficult cleaning properly up behind the gutter and you can be forever cleaning dirty runs down the fascia especially round the brackets, also the soffits if you get loads of water up in the holes that to is a pain.
looking up from the ground after having cleaned f&s with pole can look good but get up close you may surprised just how much has been missed, depends how ocd you are i suppose, i just find it a lot easier buy hand using soap applicator spray bottle with diluted virosol and a scrim to dry of at the same time.
the actual cladding itself get really good results with pole, i always use virosol, i normally spray it on but thats a good idea of yours to have a bucket with mixed solution, and just dip your brush in.
make sure you use ladder mitts or some other protection or you`ll mark the cladding
tony
Thanks tony, I am leaning to do it by hand where I can. So from what I can gather you have virosol in a bottle, spray the soffits and facia then clean of straight away with scrim. What dilution of virosol to water do you mix?
hi kevin....i only do F & S by hand, with spray bottle and then clean straight away with scrim, the rest im happy to do with pole. im using an 8/1 ratio
tony
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hi kevin
i normally clean fascias & soffits by hand off of a ladder, pole is ok but can be difficult cleaning properly up behind the gutter and you can be forever cleaning dirty runs down the fascia especially round the brackets, also the soffits if you get loads of water up in the holes that to is a pain.
looking up from the ground after having cleaned f&s with pole can look good but get up close you may surprised just how much has been missed, depends how ocd you are i suppose, i just find it a lot easier buy hand using soap applicator spray bottle with diluted virosol and a scrim to dry of at the same time.
the actual cladding itself get really good results with pole, i always use virosol, i normally spray it on but thats a good idea of yours to have a bucket with mixed solution, and just dip your brush in.
make sure you use ladder mitts or some other protection or you`ll mark the cladding
tony
Thanks tony, I am leaning to do it by hand where I can. So from what I can gather you have virosol in a bottle, spray the soffits and facia then clean of straight away with scrim. What dilution of virosol to water do you mix?
hi kevin....i only do F & S by hand, with spray bottle and then clean straight away with scrim, the rest im happy to do with pole. im using an 8/1 ratio
tony
Thanks Tony
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The best way to do them is with tap water and virosol in a backpack...
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The best way to do them is with tap water and virosol in a backpack...
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How do you clean them pal, i.e. what dilution. do you let the virosol dwell for a bit? Do you scrub the virosol in?
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The best way to do them is with tap water and virosol in a backpack...
[/quote
How do you clean them pal, i.e. what dilution. do you let the virosol dwell for a bit? Do you scrub the virosol in?
I have a 18 litre back pack and just put about half a litre of virosol and fill the rest with tap water....give it all a pre soak and then scrub...rinse off with tap water...job done ;)