Beth n Rod

Maybe sometime this year we should have a party and host it in a central place and have everyone bring one dish.... nah...never happen. But Those ribs...they are calling to me. Hey Paul, that red cabbage dish...you talking about schmokraut? With the caraway seeds in it? LOVE that stuff. Beth

The solid content for Wood Tux is over 80% as I understand it. :) Beth

Hey Ron, WHICH Sunbrite product.... Remove or Severe Strip? Or both? I don't have any of Greg's product. I do have Steve's. Don't have Sunbrite's. If we were to test the above products and if one called for an application to be applied via x-jet, well, I guess we would have to do the best we could since we don't apply that way. When Rod does his tests showing HD-80 agains various sealers and stains and coatings he takes a windex bottle and applies it to half a coated board, then does the same for neutralizing. This way he can control the application to a specific area and also get a board to show how the various layers were removed. I guess it's like a half and half shot. Of course, another pet pieve... applying a sodium hydroxide based product to an asphalt roof. SH is a heavy duty degreaser. That's one reason it helps to cut through sealers. It degrades petroleum based things. So....asphalt has petroleum product in it. I once chatted with a guy (who we all know, and who is popular on many BBS's) who took a shingle and watched it disolve in a container of SH. So, it would also be safe to say that IF you were to apply SH to asphalt you would be wise to then neutralize. However, it seems better to avoid it to us. Percarbs will do the trick and are far safer for the roof. Beth & Rod

Anyone want to help the Grathens? Laurie has donated her time and talent to Cleaner Times for the betterment of the industry. Now they need our help. Think about how you would feel, if you lost your home. Let's help! Beth

Rod here, A method I use when neutralizing a deck after using HD-80 is: once I have finished rinsing the deck and side of the house, I will make sure to wet all surfaces with a soap nozzle and then mix up the Citralic (which has a surfectant package built in) to the strength I need for that particular job and then apply it to the wet wood. This keeps the product mostly on the surface and keeps it from getting to deep into the wood fibers. Once the brightening is complete (noticeable by the color change in the wood) I then rinse all surfaces with a soap nozzle from the top down and keep rinsing till there are no more bubbles appearing on the surface as I am rinsing. I also include rinsing the underside of decks that are raised so that there will not be any unsightly residue left to become activated again during the next rain and drip onto unsuspecting homeowners ho may need to go out there for whatever reason. (just thinking ahead...liability as we all know). :D Hope this helps~:D Rod~ ps. Adding dish soap can alter the pH of straight Oxalic Acid taking it into the alkaline side and rendering it ineffective...depends on the soap. My thought is...buy it from a manufacturer who has done the R&D and has an effective formula.

Yep... It was us. :)

Cascade is great to add to a house washing mix when you want the windows to turn out right, especially if using hot water. Works like it does in the dishwasher. :) Windows dry fast and spotless. But that's on glass... For wood, I know there are surfactants that are surfactants and so forth along with the acids to create the brightening blend, but I can't say what in a powder form you should use to create that. :( ...sorry... :( I wouldn't add dish soap though, simply because it could actually add to your rinse time I would suspect. Normally I would tell folks to rinse about three times (rinse, rinse, rinse...in other words soak it well) in order to get all the acid out of the wood. I hope this helps. Beth :cool:

Have a lead in 20744. We don't service that area. Anyone interested should contact me for the lead info. It's for a house wash and patio wash. Beth:)

The pallet we have here that had Wood Tux applied to wet/damp wood looks great so far. Time will tell. Believe me, I have thought about it too. We can't get a break here. Last year we had tornados here too, but mainly little twisters. I hope we don't have that again this season. Last year one hit a house across the court from us on our street. Too close for comfort. Beth

Hey Tony, Which stripper did you apply via x-jet and what strength? Did you apply it for the roof of the gazebo? Or just the upper vertical areas? Job looks great! Beth

Cool! Good luck, and I want to see a picture! Oh yeah....coat that baby with Wood Tux! Beth:cool:

Go on and share....

The only time a woman is not seen as credible, is when she is asked a question she can't answer, but then, I can't tell you how many men I have competed with on jobs, and beaten simply because I had the answer and did a far better job of explaining it than the men did. Not only do we (and I) get told we are higher in price, but I (we) still get handed a check or credit card number regardless, due to the knowledge we share with the client. Being able to sell well is a sales skill issue, not a gender issue. Beth :)

Please rate your favorite threads so others will be able to see quickly what topics are hot. Thanks. Beth & Rod

Because we are empathetic, and listen well. At least that's what this woman believes. Beth

Yo! Mean Papa... No offense taken at all. ;) Hey, if you recall the BBS and thread, I would appreciate knowing where I need to surf to so I can chime in on the HD-80 fray regarding mold, mildew and algae... It will kill them and also help to retard regrowth. If it's not doing it for someone, I need to talk to them. Beth:cool:

Okey dokey.....I'll throw in my two cents worth here. It won't get you a cup of coffee, but hey, it's mindshare nonetheless. First off, ANY sodium hydroxide based stripper type product should never be used on asphalt shingles. It can cause damage. How? Why? Well, one of the things SH does is eat away at petroleum based products. Those of you who use HD-80 to clean concrete already know that. It's the heaviest duty degreaser out there. There are petroleum based products in asphat shingles. Mixing and applying something too strong or not rinsing well is just begging for trouble. I know a power washer who did an experiment. He took an asphalt shingle, and placed it in a container of sodium hydroxide. He was talking to some employees. He turned to pull the shingle out, and IT HAD COMPLETELY DISSOLVED. Gone. Poof. Melted. Now then.... HD-80 will work effectively on mold, mildew and algae. EFC-38 is better for it. So if you are stripping a deck that is say.... covered in Behr, but also really covered with mold mildew and/or algae, then the HD-80 will do the trick. Follow with a brightener behind it. For EFC-38, it depends on the deck, wood spiecies and exposure as to if you'll want to brighten. If mildew laden, brightening probably makes good sense. For cedar, brightening makes good sense. For PT lumber that is just gray, you may not need to, you'll know when you rinse. If the wood looks too dark, brighten. With regard to applying chemicals, EFC-38 is one thing to apply via x-jet. But you'll never hear us or Extreme Solutions say that it's safe to apply SH or any acid this way. It may be working for you, but accidents do happen. These are strong chemicals. Proper surface prep and care should be taken to protect the operator, the property, and anyone who happens across your path as you work unannounced. Spray can carry. The less airborn the chemicals are, the better your chances of avoiding any unforseen circumstances. Wind is invisible. It's your worst enemy when you work with chemicals and sealers. Your method of application is your only safeguard against it. Time is money, but carelessness cost you even more. I don't mean to sound harsh, but how many of you remember the post of Delco's old BBS a little over a year ago? A man DIED from exposure to sodium hydroxide. He was applying it in this same method and being rained on. He died! Testing what you need to use is a great thing. Use what you need. You don't always need a sledgehammer to crack a walnut. A hammer will work. Be safe all...... :) Beth:cool:

Posted by Deckguy..... ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- I know that many of you know Laurie Grathen with All American Power Clean either from the bulletin boards or meetings she has attended. I wanted to pass along that there home was completely destroyed in a Tornado on Sunday May 4th. I saw news footage that showed there vehicles including there service vehicles pretty muched completely wiped out. They were interviewing her and she was devastated as you might imagine. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Folks, I have not been in touch with Laurie to see if their insurance covers them or not. I'll try to get that information. Meanwhile, they need our help. Anyone interested in helping them to get back on their feet please post here. Any help that you can offer would be appreciated. Beth & Rod

Rain, rain, rain, rain, rain...... never dry enough to seal. Or maybe you can seal one job, but everyone wants it to be THEIR job even if it's not their turn. We need some solid sunny days! Like two weeks worth!:( Enough april weather. Bring on the hot, dry June weather. DRY is a good word today.... it wasn't supposed to RAIN until late thisafternoon or early this evening. It started RAINING at 8:30 this morning!!!!! :mad: Beth :(

If the stuff is three years or younger, use the HD-80 is my feeling. Also did a pro apply it or did a homeowner slop product on on top of dirt year after year??? See my point? Sometimes those are the worst ones. Beth

Hi John, The Extend-A-Wand pricing online is not the special pricing. But, they are 10% off right now and come with Free Shipping. Buying online doesn't go staight to the card anyway. I personally handle the transaction so I can adjust for specials, and shipping depending on where something is coming from and if it is being drop shipped. We do have multi pail discounts that are not online that qualify you for free shipping on cleaners and sealers, and they are shipped via truck. You need to call toll free for those. :) We can take American Express through PayPal on our seedirtrun.com site. but don't have them as part of the merchant account. So if you use PayPal, yes. You can pay via Amex. Does this help???? Beth

Amazing.... Joel something comes to mind. Stupid is as stupid does.... Why do people think it's easy? Because retailers sell machines that are far too powerful (in my opinion) for homeowners to use safely in many cases. Why do they need to sell machines over 1500 PSI to begin with? For the guy who is determined to wash his own property, it makes better sense to have only the low end machine available. We get calls frequently from people who have tried to do it themselves. Typically, at least one of the following (if not more) have happened. Hubby spent several weekends trying to: wash deck seal deck You usually see: stop start marks gouging splinters raised grain stain (unually Behr) slopped on so that there are.... drips runs puddles (BIG puddles) lap marks stain on the house (NO PREP!!!) THEN... you can see where they gave up and called you. They don't usually finish the whole deck. In some cases we have already given them an estimate and they very sheepishly call to get a new one to strip, sand and reseal. In other cases they had not called but when they do the husband says someone else did it but the wife will tell you HE did it. (it's obvious anyway) Beth

ROTFLMAO...... :D What question? Beth p.s. so, go bake a key lime pie ;)

We never use an x-jet for decks. Only for house washing. I was just curious if you could tighten or widen the pattern.

Is the attachement for the x-jet the kind where you can adjust the spray pattern like you can on the electric sealer units? I'm curious.... that would be a good thing. Beth