[mark mann]

Hi Guys could someone please help on this i cant find the thread ive seen on something similar to this.

cleaned some soffits today and have say huge fail doing them wfp.
the dirts floods out endlessly and so as told on original training wrapped a microbore cloth on brush head. it stuck so much to brickwork it was virtually impossible to drag along with good contact to clean and the same when i tried with a detailing cloth (it didnt stick to brickwork so much) - theres allso a slight dish shape to the soffit where the 100's of slitted vents are so dirt rises up up to the lip amd shoulder of the facia which is easy to clean of with cloth.

however the soffit with slits looks a mess coz i could spent hours trying and not achieving much - in particular where it was awkward angles and to reach. so 7 hours later i still have the conny and its roof to do and some windows at side.(2moro now) -
some soffit is above a large conny which is even more awkward.

is the only other option with ladder - to get up and clean off with cloth by hand.

[Ben Peters]

As good as wfp is there are some jobs where to get the best result is to get up the ladder and use the good old elbow grease method and believe me this is from experience.

There are some jobs where you will get away with wfping gutters, facias, soffitts etc and they come up excellent but others as i say up the ladder is the only way to get the desired result.

[mark mann]

thanks ben

just take a wet and dry cloth up with me - would you put anything on the cloth?

[Ben Peters]

Yeap wet cloth with bit of fairy liquid on it and a few dry cloths and get scrubbing and drying...this way you see up close the best result you could get and the custie will be well pleased.

[mark mann]

cheers ben

the bit over the conny roof i couldnt get to by ladder - and struggle with a cloth a wfp brush coz how wide and long the connt is the angles really acute - poss a stupid question but i take it - its just do the best i can regarding that bit?

thanks again ben

[mikecam]

I hope i'm understanding you right Mark.....
I've done plenty of these soffits with the slits on the underside. I WFP them to get them clean, then you will get run off and drips. You can see the dirt collected in the drips. What i do then is put a plain rag (old T shirt) over the brush,maybe twist/tie it on and run over it. Its never failed to remove the dirt drips. I'm not sure what you mean when you say it was sticking to brick work as i don;t rub the rag along the brickwork and i'm not sure how you do? Also, once you have the underside wet try to concentrate on scrubbing with the water off rather than an inccesant flushing of the vents. The more you flush the more dirt will come out, you don't want to clean out the vents so concentrate on the outside of them.

[mark mann]

cheers mike

the width of the soffit is just shorter than width of brush and so close to wall that the bit closes the wall is dirtiest and rag catches on wall i then dont get proper flush contact with sill.

your right re flushing i should have scrubbed with water off but with the brush still wet and then as you say rag on brush to finish off and maybe a tshirt or something like may run smoother and not keep catching. ill try that tomorrow as otherwise i gotta get a ladder sorted to finish it.

im new and still going through the learning curve and the help and tips on here from folk including yourself are just so invaluable and make doing the job that musch more re-assuring as i see the challenges people have on here and how they solve. i dont think customers realise how much thought and effort goes into cleaning.Im now understanding fully why guys on here are able to price correctly!! coz they know what the job entails before theyve started it.

[darren clarke]

if you are doing a lot of gutters, buy a lance and pressure washer  great bit of kit

[mark mann]

thats crossed my mind darren - re the lance and pressure washer
how much for a full kit to do that?
and how much does it weigh?
i only put 20quid of diesel in my van to keep weight down. peugot expert 500ltr tank.

[darren clarke]

i have the dispatch with a 400 in   i paid about 300 for washer, lance, hose and bend

the weight should be ok

[elite mike]

in answer to your post ,i have used a trad pole with a 14 inch applicator to go round 

the soffit vents and clean up the residue after the wfp scrub

cheap and very effective

[mark mann]

guys

is the trad pole a harris pole and in metres (as they are sold) how long does it need to be? to reach most houses soffits (ie 2 storey)

[andyM]

Harris do a 5 metre pole for about £15 in B&Q. That should cover you for reaching soffits on run of the mill houses. You will need to keep the black plastic tapered cone that comes with it for pushing your T bar applicator onto.
If you need to get over conservatories etc you might need something longer 20ft plus.

[Steve_c]

 I cant see why you cant wfp the soffits with vents in. I have done lots with vents in, i just re angel the brush and wash till all the muck and black crap has gone. I always use a double trim brush, to date i have never had any problems.

[mark mann]

steve c -

here what you say but these vents bled dirt indefinetley - if you say that you wfp them until dirt is gone how much time does it take to say a metre?
surely it would take an absolute age?

[NJWindowCleaning]

when I cleaned these sort of soffits i wash away from the vents and then turn water off with a wet brush head run it over the vents if any marks left get my microfibre cloth slightly damp and run that over.

[Steve_c]

steve c -

here what you say but these vents bled dirt indefinetley - if you say that you wfp them until dirt is gone how much time does it take to say a metre?
surely it would take an absolute age?

No not really, its just the type of brush i think your using. Roughly about 5 Min's per meter may be a little longer. This type of job i normally put together with say guttering and other work like this so time dose not become a issue.

[mark mann]

thanks also nj and steve c.

fair to say a 5 bed detached would take you around 4 hours?

and be around 150 quid plus?  i keep under charging on these jobs 3 times now and they always end up being harder than expected.

[RO-Sheen]

in answer to your post ,i have used a trad pole with a 14 inch applicator to go round 

the soffit vents and clean up the residue after the wfp scrub

cheap and very effective

Same here! It works a treat. It is also useful for reaching behind the downpipe to clean the soffits were you cant normally fit a wfp in. Every now and then you need to wring out the applicator as it gets quite wet. Last week I did a 52' stretch of fascias/soffits (but not the gutters as they were black in colour) and it took me no more 30 minutes from washing with the wfp and drying with the extension pole and applicator. Customer was delighted with the results as they were filthy to start with.

[Blue Frog Systems]

Just done some vented soffits myself yesterday.

Wfp with fans, did the run and then went over them with a car microfibre pad on the end of a brush they are the ones in poundland. Did the job