The Easy Way To Maintain Your San Diego Stucco
The first step you will want to take in cleaning your stucco is determining the cause of your stucco’s declining cleanliness. Mistreating stains can be ineffective at best and damaging at worst.
Some common causes of San Diego stucco staining are dirt, rust, animal waste stains, and mildew. Dirt, rust, and animal stains can be removed with a gentle cleaning process while mildew, mold, and other stubborn stains require a more aggressive method.
The Gentle Method Way To Maintain Your San Diego Stucco
You’ll need the following tools for the gentle cleaning method:
- A hose with a nozzle attachment
- A bucket
- A brush with soft bristles (plastic)
- Gentle environment-friendly soap
For simple dirt removal, spray down the stucco using the gentlest setting on the nozzle. If you don’t have a hose, use the bucket to splash the stucco. Scrub the surface down and splash repeatedly until the dirt is removed.It is important to be gentle while you are cleaning the stucco. Despite appearances, the San Diego stucco is fragile enough that too much pressure will damage it.
Don’t Get Rough With Your San Diego Stucco or You’ll Damage It
Using a high setting on the water nozzle will force water into the pores of the stucco. Most stucco surfaces do not have draining systems so water forced too deep will become trapped and may cause problems like mold, mildew, and rot. Also, washing too hard will erode the stucco, flaking away at the protective layers of your home.
If the stain is too stubborn to come out with just water, spray down the stucco and then, using the brush and bucket, scrub the area with a diluted detergent or soap. You can use dish soap or dissolved dish-washing detergent.Be sure to use a type that is not colored, otherwise it may change the tint of the San Diego stucco.
Also, rinse down the area sufficiently so that the soap will not harm the grass, plants, or other natural environment that is in the area. When you have finished scrubbing, gently rinse the San Diego stucco with the pressured water from your hose and nozzle.
The Aggressive Method Way To Maintain Your San Diego Stucco
If your efforts at gentle washing are ineffective, or if you know that you are cleaning mildew or mold, you will need to employ harsher chemicals in your cleaning. Here are the tools you’ll need for this method:
- All of the materials used in the gentle process
- 1 gallon of warm water
- 1 quart of bleach
- 1 cup of trisodium phosphate (TSP, found in the paint section of hardware stores)
- Protective goggles and gloves
To aggressively clean your San Diego stucco, begin by mixing the water, bleach, and TSP together in a bucket. Be sure to wear goggles and gloves while you are mixing and working with this cleaning agent. (It is always important to be safe when working with chemicals.)
Before cleaning down the stained area, you may wish to test the mixture on an inconspicuous portion of stucco, just to be sure that it will not damage your specific kind of San Diego stucco. This can be done by mixing a small amount of water, bleach, and TSP together the day before, applying it to the San Diego stucco, rinsing it, and allowing the area to sit for 24 hours.
Prepare The Area Before Cleaning Your Sand Diego Stucco
Once you are sure that your cleaning mixture won’t harm the San Diego stucco, proceed by preparing the area. You may wish to cover any plants that are in the area with plastic. If you are unable to cover them, wet them down before you begin cleaning, and then rise them thoroughly once you have finished your cleaning.
Use the hose and nozzle to wet down the wall. Apply the cleaning mixture with the brush and scrub the area using circular motions. Wear your gloves! Repeat the scrubbing process until the stain is gone. Rinse the area multiple times with the hose and water down the whole area (wall and ground) so that the cleaning mixture will be as diluted as possible.
Take a shower to ensure that the cleaning agent has been washed off your skin as well.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/1898720
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