EFC-38 and Citralic in one step?

[staudend 14]

Is it possible to clean and brighten in one step by mixing the two products into a brew? One step would cut down on time.

Also, I washed a deck last summer for a woman that was trying to sell her house and didn't want sealed, just washed. Now she can't sell it and wants it sealed. Should I clean it again or just put some citralic on it and rinse? It is a little grey again. Thanks, Nick

[RyanH 14]

I think the acid is used to neutralize the EFC-38 (base) used for cleaning. If you mix the two together (or use acid too soon) you will neutralize the solution before it has had a chance to do its job. Unless I am mistaken about the purpose of each.

[Brian Keating 14]

Ryan is correct. You want to neutralize the chemicals after they have done their job. You are defeating the purpose if you mix the two. On the pH scale the EFC-38 is probable around a 12 on the base (caustic) side and the citralic is a 1 or 2 on the acidic side. Neutral pH is 8.

You need to do a light cleaning of the deck. You need to make sure the surface is clean before you stain/seal it. The acid will not clean the dirt off.

[Everett Abrams 501]

For information on the ph scale use this site:

http://www.epa.gov/airmarkets/acidrain/ph.html

7 is actually neutral.

[Beth n Rod 1,279]

Understand that when you bring a caustic and an acid together, they cancel each other out. In this case they form a salt. The salt is not active. Therfore, you are left with the other ingredients that cannot do the same duty that they were meant to do.

Hope this helps.,.,.,.

[staudend 14]

So I cleaned the deck lightly and put citralic on it, 1/2 cup to a gallon of water. It didn't brighten as much as I hoped it would, but it still looked good. Now for a coat of SW Deckscape cedar toner. Here's another question: Do I need to neutralize after EFC-38 if it is Pressure treated lumber and still looks pretty new? How would that effect how long the stain lasts?

That's why they call me a newbie folks!!