alternative to bleach on houses

[derekcaldwell 14]

Is there a product that instantly removes mildew off of houses other than bleach/Jomax. Here lately I have been cleaning houses with bleach/Jomax and my XJet. Yesterday, I cleaned a house and the wind picked up and took my mix and "tossed" it in the air. You could smell it on the other side of the house. It also affected some of the flowers. I keep things watered down as much as possible but it is time/labor intense. I've tried other products such as All-Brite, SimpleGreen, HomeDepot - House cleaner, PowerHouse, etc.. But the only thing that seems to work (atleast for areas needing to be reached with the XJet) is blasting it with bleach. Everything else needs to sit and dwell and then still needs t obe hit with some pressure. Bleach kills the mildew on contact but gets in the air and affects plant life.

Is there anything as effective as bleach and are there techniques I should be using that I'm not doing? Such as watering down plants. Is it a two person job? One cleaning and the other constantly watering down plants? Also, is tarping a good idea even in the hot summer months?

Thanks,

Derek

[PLD 14]

Everything else needs to sit and dwell and then still needs to be hit with some pressure.

I'll leave the bleach/mix debate to others, but if you are having to pressure off after a soap and dwell, you need to check your mix. Were it not for the ill effects of not rinsing (glass, plants, chalking), 90% of houses need no rinsing, much less pressure, after a soap and dwell.

[plainpainter 217]

Try Sodium Percarbonate, i.e. oxi-clean with plenty of surfactant and good dwell - and let us know the results. I have cleaned homes with oxi-clean/TSP with a pump sprayer and a deck scrubber. So I know with time and experimentation - you should be able to come up with a good mix. It's just that putting together a recipe with bleach is fast and easy and cheap! And most people don't really have all the difficulties you are talking about, so why change? Go buy simple cherry and add it to the mix if you don't like the smell. And Jomax sucks - and probably contributing highly to the smell.

[PressurePros 248]

Definitely water the plants and ditch the X-Jet. Sounds like your mix is too strong.

[yazbird8 17]

Ditch the X-Jet ??................

Stephen Andrews

Power Washing

Home & Property

care & maintenance

[yazbird8 17]

Ditch the X-Jet ??.......Why ??........

Stephen Andrews

Power Washing

Home & Property

Care & Maintenance

[Mike Williamson 198]

Ditch the X-Jet ??.......Why ??........

Stephen Andrews

Power Washing

Home & Property

Care & Maintenance

Because there are easier and better ways, like downstreaming!

[MMI Enterprises 289]

Mike,

Have read plenty of times you saying that about downstreaming but since I haven't tried it on major roof algia or with long distance tips yet I wonder what others have to say about being able to get strong enough mix up there.

Mine is broken right now so still need hold of the mysterious $12/ 3:1 to try it out.. (think I read them prices and draw rates here but anyways..)

Any ideas? Kassander sent me a website catalog but I fail to see it in there..

BTW, In talking with some venturi engineers I do have most the needed info and formula's that could show the possability of perhaps doing xjet level ratios at the downstreamer possition. Just haven't ran the numbers yet to see let alone mecahnical fabrication/machining ability.

[Barry M 73]

Ditch the X-Jet ??.......Why ??........

Stephen Andrews

Power Washing

Home & Property

Care & Maintenance

Keep it in the tool box because it has it's place but it's overkill on HWes.

Derek, Vinyl Siding Institute recommends cleaning vinyl with a mix of bleach, end of story.

[yazbird8 17]

Mike,

Your reply does not answer "why" downstreaming is easier and better than X-Jetting.....I always thought either way was a good way.. Debatable ?, Yes....But certainly not cut and dry....More like a preference...I like the X-Jet... Simply "point and shoot". Except for moving the 5 gallon jug, and that is certainly no big deal to me, I like the X-Jet a lot....."I just need a longer line from the jug. My 6' line is 14' to short..............A simple trip to Lowes................

Stephen Andrews

Power Washing

Home & Property

Care & Maintenance

[Mike Williamson 198]

Mike,

Have read plenty of times you saying that about downstreaming but since I haven't tried it on major roof algia or with long distance tips yet I wonder what others have to say about being able to get strong enough mix up there.

Mine is broken right now so still need hold of the mysterious $12/ 3:1 to try it out.. (think I read them prices and draw rates here but anyways..)

Any ideas? Kassander sent me a website catalog but I fail to see it in there..

BTW, In talking with some venturi engineers I do have most the needed info and formula's that could show the possability of perhaps doing xjet level ratios at the downstreamer possition. Just haven't ran the numbers yet to see let alone mecahnical fabrication/machining ability.

I don't think you're going to get 3:1 downstreaming, but you don't NEED 3:1 for housewashing.

For roofwashing, downstreaming won't work. You'll want to use a shurflo, roller pump, or some other type of pump that can deliver stronger chems to the roof.

The $12 downstreamer is now $15.00 or so in Pauls catalog, or $16.00 or so in espec's catalog...part # 5003C I believe. I think I sent that to you before.

[Mike Williamson 198]

Mike,

Your reply does not answer "why" downstreaming is easier and better than X-Jetting.....I always thought either way was a good way.. Debatable ?, Yes....But certainly not cut and dry....More like a preference...I like the X-Jet... Simply "point and shoot". Except for moving the 5 gallon jug, and that is certainly no big deal to me, I like the X-Jet a lot....."I just need a longer line from the jug. My 6' line is 14' to short..............A simple trip to Lowes................

Stephen Andrews

Power Washing

Home & Property

Care & Maintenance

Ok, for housewashing, both downstreaming and Xjetting deliver the same results...a clean house, with the same dwell time for the chems, and the same rinse time. However, with downstreaming, there's nothing I need to do to get chems on the house except change my tip. No buckets to carry, no chems to mix in buckets, no $100+ tool that I need to keep up with, no extra hoses. I just pull my hose, grab my tips, fire up the machine, and I'm soaping immediately. I can get my chems as high as anyone can with an Xjet. And if for some reason I REALLY needed stronger chems than my downstreamer can deliver, I can set up a powered supply setup to feed the downstreamer for about the same money as I'd pay for the Xjet, and then I'm STILL not carrying buckets and all that.

Which way sounds easier to you? If they both deliver the same results, wouldn't the easier way be the better way?

[FCPWLLC 233]

X-jetting is also a higher pressure than is needed. The less pressure, the better. Safer cleaning method. Too much misting with x-jet also.

[yazbird8 17]

Mike,

Your way wore me out just reading it....lol........If the house I am doing is going to need 10 gallons of wash then I mix up 10 gallons to start......I end up moving my 5 gallon bucket about 10 times with the short 6' hose....The jug gets lighter as I work anyways.......Plus when I run out the first time I get to take a BIG 3 minute break..........Hey, I'm worth it....lol.........A nice easy approach.......Forget the minutia of which is better.........The difference simply is not a drastic one......It's mostly a preference..................You still need to mix your chems...........Might I add in closing that the X-Jet has it's uses for me when washing a deck after applying my stripper.....Nice volume and low pressure......

Stephen Andrews

Power Washing

Home & Property

Care & Maintenance

[yazbird8 17]

Mike K,

The pressure issue is a nill point also, if we are professionals.......My analogy would be that I can tap a thumb tack into styrafoam with a sludge hammer with a little finesse.............Maybe others can't, but I doubt it....lol

Stephen Andrews

Power Washing

Home & Property

Care & Maintenance

[Mike Williamson 198]

Mike,

Your way wore me out just reading it....lol........If the house I am doing is going to need 10 gallons of wash then I mix up 10 gallons to start......I end up moving my 5 gallon bucket about 10 times with the short 6' hose....The jug gets lighter as I work anyways.......Plus when I run out the first time I get to take a BIG 3 minute break..........Hey, I'm worth it....lol.........A nice easy approach.......Forget the minutia of which is better.........The difference simply is not a drastic one......It's mostly a preference..................You still need to mix your chems...........Might I add in closing that the X-Jet has it's uses for me when washing a deck after applying my stripper.....Nice volume and low pressure......

Stephen Andrews

Power Washing

Home & Property

Care & Maintenance

No doubt the Xjet has its uses, but I'm talking about housewashing. And no, I don't need to mix my chems...well, once a week or so, when the 65 gallon chem tank gets low...Hey, I've done both, and I have found downstreaming for housewashing to be way easier. I prefer to take all my 3 minute breaks at the end of the day!

[yazbird8 17]

If I had the need to have a 65 gallon tank then I would agree with you, but we are talking about one house " In isolation"...Not a way of doing business. If you had three house washes this week and two deck clean/seals, would you still have a truck full of sloshing chems ?......I would not. It would be a waste...And the bleach would start to croak........Now if I was going to be doing 10-100 house washes a week then I would go with you.........Again it comes down to preferences..........It is NOT cut and dry........

Stephen Andrews

Power Washing

Home & Property

Care & Maintenance

[Mike Williamson 198]

If I had the need to have a 65 gallon tank then I would agree with you, but we are talking about one house " In isolation"...Not a way of doing business. If you had three house washes this week and two deck clean/seals, would you still have a truck full of sloshing chems ?......I would not. It would be a waste...And the bleach would start to croak........Now if I was going to be doing 10-100 house washes a week then I would go with you.........Again it comes down to preferences..........It is NOT cut and dry........

I can usually get 2-3 weeks out of the chlorine in my tank before it is too stale to get good results. I keep it as full as I need to for the amount of washing I'm doing at that particular time of year. If I was only doing a housewash here and there, I'd probably use a smaller chem tank, maybe 15-20 gallons...Whatever size suits your need, downstreaming is still easier.

Of course it comes down to preference...Xjetters simply prefer to wash houses the hard way. There's no way around it, downstreaming is still easier, and gets the same result, a clean house.

[yazbird8 17]

The X-Jet is a great tool and I would never advise someone to ditch it....No more then I would tell a downstreamer to ditch their weapon of choice.....Seems to me there are much better things to be telling others to ditch when it comes to this trade.......

Stephen Andrews

Power Washing

Home & Property

Care & Maintenance

[Mike Williamson 198]

The X-Jet is a great tool and I would never advise someone to ditch it....No more then I would tell a downstreamer to ditch their weapon of choice.....Seems to me there are much better things to be telling others to ditch when it comes to this trade.......

Stephen Andrews

Power Washing

Home & Property

Care & Maintenance

I didn't tell you to ditch it, I simply explained why PressurePros suggested Derek ditch it. What I do suggest to ALL who use the Xjet for housewashing is that they at least give downstreaming an honest try...it really is the superior method for housewashing. I and many others have tried both, and downstreaming has come out on top every time.

[PressurePros 248]

Ditch the X-Jet.. why? Because the original poster said he had problems with overspray damaging plant life. That occured because he used the X-Jet. It creates a mist that gets carried by breeze. In addition he makes his mixes too strong which is very easy to do using an X-Jet. Thus.... ditch the X-Jet. I don't say throw it away, its a good tool, its just not neccessary for washing vinyl.

[MMI Enterprises 289]

Yea with all that said...a 20% (5:1) marketed downstreamer matched perfect to a machine could dish out 2.4% from the starting 12% bleach if that were all that was going to be in the supply tank.

Mike, what % bleach do you end up putting on house after adding things to your mix?...1.5% the recommended right? Don't think that enough for many houses with algea let alone roofs....Round here folks won't be ringing my tele til it a half inch on the wall..

----------

And but hey! come on folks!!... Let's stop beating around the bush..... The Xjet and the M16 Thruster type products obviously gain their fantastic draw rates by way of their mounting position on end of wand rather than in the classic downstreamer position. They get a huge increase in differential pressure between the inlet supply and the outlet supply...One might think their venturi is totally different but I say prove it... Go ahead and tell me what brand and model venturi it is in the Xjet or M16...LOL...

Mike, I was mistaken,I don't have Kassanders cat. I have Soapforhope/ Envirospec. That you right? oK but I see no 5003c offering but rather a 5004c (2-5gpm)...

Ever try the Double Gulp in the Xjet position?

[moorepowerwash 14]

Hello everyone, I would like to know more about the low pressure down streaming, and yes I do have an x-jet,but if you guys have a better way then I'm all ears.Tell me what tips you use and especially the one that can reach as high as the x-jet with low pressure and no misting.Would that happen to be the soap tip, and if so were can you get them. thanks,chris

[Barry M 73]

Stephen

I don't think Ken meant the xjet is useless or that it's NOT to be used on houses, I think his reply was just a generic way of saying that the xjet was probably the reason for the plant damage and was giving an alternative that may help the starter of this thread with his problem. I get mad at these boards sometimes because its so easy to misinterpret what someone is tyring to get across because the words have no feeling. IMO Ken meant nothing bad about the xjet.

I know how you feel about your xjet method on houses. If you do a search on this subject you can find some threads where I had some posts that mirror your posts in this thread. I only xjetted houses and defended that method pretty heavily. I didn't understand the DS thing and didn't understand how it could be any faster or better than xjetting. I was mostly mad because all my previous research lead me to be an xjetter and as soon as I got that method down, all this DSing talk got to be a hot subject. The one key that intriqued me was that most all the veterans had DSed back in the day, then tried the xjet on houses, and eventually went back to DSing. So I asked myself why, is there something there I can't see or understand? I pride myself on being open minded so I quit arguing with them, called Bob and he hooked me up for next to nothing, I asked a few questions and gave DSing a try. Now I love it and having done both I can honestly say DSing is much faster and more efficient than xjetting on houses. I too didn't think moving a bucket around and an extra chem hose was a big deal.....until I didn't have to do it anymore. One of my biggest doubts was the DSing method slinging chems further than my xjet, I thought noway. Well with the right nozzle it does, hands down. I am so glad I was open minded to the DSing idea for doing houses, it has cut my time by at least a 1/3 and has made my life easier. IMO this subject is NOT debatable, and to argue it back and forth with someone who hasn't tried both methods is really a waste of time. I think we can at least agree that without having tried DSing, you really don't have a leg to stand on in the debate of which is better or more effecient. The purpose of my post isn't about DSing is better than xjetting, I just wanted to let you know, I understand how you feel because I was once there, that's all.

[plainpainter 217]

I'll to ya a good reason to downstream instead of x-jet'ing. For one reason or another you never plunked down $125 + shipping to buy one - and instead you picked up a dual lance wand or just a wide open 00 tip for pennies - and got instantaneous results with little effort. Hey I was washing houses with a pump up sprayer and deck scrubbers. but now I am cruising - so why should I plunk $135 for something that would have me lugging around 5 gallons of chems like the good ol' days?

[moorepowerwash 14]

HELLOGUYS, I'm open minded to,would like some help to use the down stream method.