black streaks on gutters! what do you use to clean them with?

[all star pressure washing 20]

I wonder what everyone has been using to clean there gutters, just the black streaks on them not the insides.

Ive been using la awesome for years and it works great on a car wash brush and a little scrub its gone. only bad thing about it is when its colder than 60 it wont work unless the gutter or the brush has hot water on it.

If you dont know what la awesome is they sell it at most 1.00 stores and dollargeneral, family dollar and i think walmart sells it to, its 1.00 for spray bottle or 3.00 for half gallon!

works wonders with carpet cleaners and just as a general cleaner, been adding it to all my house washes for years.

back to the question

what is everyone using for cleaning those streaks on gutters?

[Rick2 42]

I think most everyone around here uses F-13 from Bob. I've been at this for 20 years and have not seen anything better. In fact I just got 5 gallons today. About 85 bucks with shipping.

[apsurfacesolutions 17]

F-13 works great

[all star pressure washing 20]

do you cut the f-13 or use it strait? sounds expensive as hell , what else is it used for other than gutters?

if you guys have never used awsome you need to try it

[Jason Reider 25]

You can cut the F-13 to a 20-1 ratio. I usually use it around 10-1 and have no problems getting the black streaks off. I had to use it at full concentration one time. The gutters were over 30 years old with heavy oxidation and were never cleaned. I haven't used it for anything else though.

[all star pressure washing 20]

i read up on the f-13 what is the normal mix for it 20-1 or 50-1 for cleaning gutters. if you cut it as much as 50-1 i see wheres it not expensive for gutters.

My cheap self has been using a 1.00 bottle of awsome for 4-5 houses but if the f-13 is about the same 1-2.00 its worth a try.

[all star pressure washing 20]

lol sorry jason we were posting at the same time.

20-1 wouldnt be to bad for cost. i see f-13 20.00 a gallon plus the 10+ shipping and think 30.00 a gallon is not cheap compared to 6.00 for the awsome lol. but at 20-1 its resonably cheap

So used to using what i can get locally instead of ordering cleaners!

Edited July 28, 2012 by all star pressure washing

[Guy B 70]

Chris, no disrespect but the pro's on this board have tried or have extensive knowledge in just about every "Consumer" grade cleaning chem out there.

F-13 is a "Professional Product" that provides professional results, and has a proven track record for gutter cleaning and other uses. Yes it is concentrated and delusion of this product makes it very cost effective.

[Rick2 42]

Keep on mind that F13 will burn the plants and bushes which are always located directly under the gutters. After mixing the f13 in your pump sprayer and coat the gutters, the chemicals (mostly potassium I think) will drip and burn the plants below.

[Adrian 155]

sounds expensive as hell

It's overhead expenses. It comes with the turf.

Expensed quarterly or however you pay Uncle Sam.

It takes the right products to run a successful business based on high volume.

A gutter job here and there is ok I guess with dollar store products. However its no way to make money if you are not charging

the passthrough cost' of a real industry product like mentioned onto your customer.

Which in turn causes your customer to do the word of mouth thing in a positive way.

[all star pressure washing 20]

ill def. give the f-13 a try since ive been wanting to try the simple cherry from PT anyway!

I dont charge to clean the face of the gutter with an average size house clean unless its 2nd story or a ton of gutters.

Its my added freeby to sell the job usually and people like to hear the word free.

[Guy B 70]

Hey Chris, anytime you want to get together and talk shop let me know, Lumberton is a good half way point.

Edited July 28, 2012 by Guy B

[Grahams 14]

I recently bought some Heavy duty degreaser at harbor freight, it works good, but doesn't make it 100% clean, it gets it white and removes all dirt but like 85% clean, like the black stains are still there. so what you guys are saying is F13 takes everything off and makes the gutters looks 100% clean?

Which color do you guys prefer to clean, white gutters or dark colored gutters?

[all star pressure washing 20]

the awsome will take the black streaks off 100% usually but sometimes theres oxadation and its comes off about 90%, in sure the f13 will take it all off or everyone wouldnt brag about it so much lol

[Guy B 70]

Connor, unless you want to buy someone new gutters I'd leave degreaser alone. Most degreaser is sodium hydroxide based, this can and will strip paint right off a gutter.

[shefferz 14]

+1 f18

Its "expensive" but goes a long way... one bucket can make you thousands of dollars in a gutter brightening service add on.

Dilute it and always test an area first

[Rick2 42]

Post a message when you are done trying it for the first time. We won't say "I told ya so" but we did tell you. :)

[all star pressure washing 20]

Im sure the stuff works great or it wouldnt be all over this board, the awsome wont kill plants though which is good but alot more expensive than the f18. ill post a review of it later next week.

[PowerWashingStL 14]

I use f-13 on all my gutter jobs. When I first started using it I had to play around with the water/chemical mix. If you mix it too strong it will take the paint right off. I had that happen once in a small area of facia i tested. With a 15-1 mix I have found that a few minutes dwell time and a rag to wipe or brush to scrub, they come 100% clean. The key is not letting it dry on the gutters. Keep it wet and do small sections at a time. That how I get it done. Everyone finds their own methods that work for them.

Edited September 4, 2012 by PowerWashingStL

[James 625]

I like butyl based products for gutters. Simple green works in a pinch or 409 industrial strength cleaner.

[starbrite 14]

A little secret, go to the dollar store and but some "Awesome" you'll love it. Put the extra money in your pocket

[carltoncleans 16]

"I use f-13 on all my gutter jobs. When I first started using it I had to play around with the water/chemical mix. If you mix it too strong it will take the paint right off. I had that happen once in a small area of facia i tested. With a 15-1 mix I have found that a few minutes dwell time and a rag to wipe or brush to scrub, they come 100% clean. The key is not letting it dry on the gutters. Keep it wet and do small sections at a time. That how I get it done. Everyone finds their own methods that work for them."

This is how I do it and its not included in the standard wash. Its an up sell.

[jnoden 15]

I dont think there is anything that works for all gutters. I would like to know if anyone has used anything that works 100% of the time removing 100% of the black streaks. We have even in situations where the chemical barely removed any of the streaks and other times filthy dark black streaks are removed 100%. We do a test spot and if it doesn't work or make a significant difference in the customers eyes then we do not waste our time brushing them. We will still soap them up and wash them. We charge extra if the chemical works and the customer wants them scrubbed. I think it is crazy that people don't charge extra to scrub gutters. It can sometimes double the amount of time it takes to wash the house.

[cameronqueen 14]

I think it is crazy that people don't charge extra to scrub gutters. It can sometimes double the amount of time it takes to wash the house.

Absolutely! Yet again managing customer expectations and having 'the talk' with them about suspect looking gutters before you even start is pretty vital IME... easy to end up out of pocket otherwise, just to try and make a customer happy :eek:

Sent from my Galaxy S3 Android

[Beth n Rod 1,279]

Butyl based degreasers work well on cleaning most gutter stains from asphalt.

Some however, do not come off due to the paint being damaged and one or two things are the issue.

1. aluminum oxidation. Looks like asphalt issue but appears at the drip edge on the bottom of the gutter.

2. asphalt material has become 'locked' into the paint and doesn't come off without taking paint as well.

Rod!~

[copgib 15]

I have been using Bob's F-13 for the past 7-years with excellent results. I do have a word of advise for anyone wanting to use it for the first time. Be sure to water down all areas below your work area and be sure you have the right mixture. Pay attention while your working also. When I first started a few moons ago, I was alittle careless and didn't mix it right and what happened it was strong and some dripped on the vynal siding and it made the siding fade in color which I didn't realize until sometime later. If you use and mix it correctly, it is the best stuff out there for cleaning black stripes off gutters. Hugh

Edited January 9, 2013 by copgib