vines growing on homes ... ???

[itswillist 14]

Hello again, I'm about to wash a home for the second time in the last few days that has some (hard to word it) it's this crud that's left on homes after you pull vines off the homes. Like the lil. attachment footers that hold the vines to the house... The last house I did with this junk on it was brick so the hot water and pressure wasn't going to hurt anything ... Man I put all kinds of pressure and heat, and chems on that junk and it would only come off in certain parts. This next house has this stuff of a masonite siding (can't put the same force on it) is there a chem. or trick to getting this junk off ???

ps. I wish I had a picture :{

[Camelot 68]

Hey John...check out this pic and tell me if this is what you were experiencing. I had the same stuff on hardboard siding with TERRIBLE paint that would strip with the slightest pressure. I had no idea how to get it off and wound up leaving it (very embarassing)...

[john@AEC 37]

Hi

I have seen many houses covered in ivy, but have not found a way to get the dead bits off. Physically scraping them off doesn't work very well as they get into the paint, which is OK if the building is going to be painted.

I've not had a problem (so far) with home owners expecting miracles - after all, they are the ones who let the plant grow feral.

[Grime Dawg 14]

Hello again, I'm about to wash a home for the second time in the last few days that has some (hard to word it) it's this crud that's left on homes after you pull vines off the homes. Like the lil. attachment footers that hold the vines to the house... The last house I did with this junk on it was brick so the hot water and pressure wasn't going to hurt anything ... Man I put all kinds of pressure and heat, and chems on that junk and it would only come off in certain parts. This next house has this stuff of a masonite siding (can't put the same force on it) is there a chem. or trick to getting this junk off ???

ps. I wish I had a picture :{

Just did a home like this myself. The only way to get those vine attachments off is to scrape and repaint. Just let the home owner know right up front that they are not coming off with general cleaning. No need for embarrassment, no one else is getting them off either.

[Beth n Rod 1,279]

Bleach will help. If it is new, the result will be little tracks left where the enzymes secreted by the plant has adhered to the surface. If it is old and dried out, the tracks will come off as well. You will need to let it (bleach) dwell a little longer on the affected areas. Hot water and a little localized short duration pressure exerting strokes should help facilitate the removal.

For future reference, do not use water hotter than 115* on vinyl to keep it from warping and buckling. But on the hardiplank type siding you are talking about, the hot water does not affect the surface, only the paint.

Finish the job by applying an acid (low concentration 50:1) to help reduce the bleaching action on the paint.

Rod!~

[Beth n Rod 1,279]

One other quick note, when you come upon this type of situation...it is best to let the customer know that there will be some evidence of your process left behind and that painting will be necessary to correct it. There is no other way I have found yet to get these vine tracks off of painted surfaces without any adverse effects to the paint other than what has already been inflicted by the vines themselves.

Rod!~

[itswillist 14]

Thanks for the confirmation. Just wanted to make sure there wasn't some trick or chem I didn't know about.. I did tell the home owner up front that I could get all the dirt and mildew off her driveway and home, but those vines (That picture was exactly the same thing) were going to stay unless she was planning on painting that area, and even then I wouldn't use pressure to get it off considering it was a masonite ... So yeah, this is all good to know for future referance as well.... Thanks again, J.W