[Clever Forum Name]

Long story short.

We re cleaned a patio after it had been cleaned before by some one else.


BEFORE


AFTER

Now to me for a turbo nozzle and a good pressure washer i think the results are acceptable.

The patio looks stained and has heavy black spot in places. Any options for me now?

[Clever Forum Name]

AFTER


BEFORE

[Jettaway]

Is the 2nd post the afters?

Can you give a bit more information

[Clever Forum Name]

each post contains a before and after.

The ones without the nozzle marks are our photos.

Customer says it looks "stained" and black spot left behind.

[Jettaway]

Right,  get you now mate.

They do look better but if im honest there not perfect. The first post after doesn't look brilliant,  the second after does though.

Did you just use a turbo to clean?

[Kevin Miller]

First post did not look that good but the 2nd post shoes a big improvement from the before and after. Did you just turbo nozzle the patio or did you use any chemicals with it?

[Roger Oakley]

Hypo 3:1 mix would sort all that Sandstone out. Dwell time around 20-mins.

[Clever Forum Name]

Yeah turbo nozzle and really took my time on every slab.

The staining would not shift at all. I removed some black spot but not all.

I have never really used hypo.

I was thinking of doing a 1:5 mix. Watering can. Then hose off.

But like I say. Not used it before. I know you can do a lot of damage.

[Roger Oakley]

You can only do damage if you are not careful with it,
Pre-wet the paving, also water the flowerbeds (cover foliage with polythene to really protect) apply a 3:1 mix of hypo, allow to dwell for around 20 mins then pressure wash off, watch where your run off is going try to keep it away from the flowerbeds & grass if there is any. Check to see what results you have, if you still have some lichen marks/spots re-apply the mix and repeat.

[Kevin Miller]

Yeah turbo nozzle and really took my time on every slab.

The staining would not shift at all. I removed some black spot but not all.

I have never really used hypo.

I was thinking of doing a 1:5 mix. Watering can. Then hose off.

But like I say. Not used it before. I know you can do a lot of damage.

The reason I asked about the chemical use is because I was in a similar situation as you 3 or 4 months ago. I cleaned a patio, the customer WAS happy with it however I was not. I had some hypo in the van but was nervous of using it as I had never used it before. I bit the bullet and tried it and it brought the patio up a treat. I used it a mix of 3:1 with a dwell time of about 20 mins being careful not to let the hypo dry. I used it in a watering can like you mentioned, nothing fancy plain old fashioned watering can. It about common sense when using it. Wear gloves and waterproofs also be careful not to use it around ponds and if using it around lawns make sure you thoroughly wet the lane before putting the hypo down. You don't need to turbo nozzle the hypo of just rinse it with your vario nozzle. I don't use it on every job however I always have some in the van just in case. I think it's safe to use and most hard surfaces.

[Clever Forum Name]

Thanks for the replies, i will give the customer some options and see what she says.

I may give the hypo a go on a test area tho.

[Roger Oakley]

Don't be frightened of it, just be careful. Re your PPE you will need gloves (Nitrile) you may want to wear a mask as it can effect breathing if you are not used to it, goggles, decent wellingtons if that's what you wear and waterproofs. Remember water first when mixing then the chem. Pre-wetting is the key to getting this to work. Don't let the mix dry out on the surface, and once you have the surface clean, clean all the chem mix off flush and flush again. Re-water plants etc, tidy up and you'll have a happy customer.

[Kevin Miller]

Roger if I can ask while we are on the subject of hypo, is it safe to use on decking. I ask because I'veused it on 3 decking jobs with great results (all good friends). However I'd be nervous using it on a customer, is it safe with decking or can it bleach it.   

[Roger Oakley]

Yes it is safe you'll only do damage if you leave it on to long or use it too strong. It will clean but not remove stains IE Ronseal etc. You need a stripper for this.

[Kevin Miller]

Yes it is safe you'll only do damage if you leave it on to long or use it too strong. It will clean but not remove stains IE Ronseal etc. You need a stripper for this.

Thanks Roger what's classed as too strong? I used it 1:3 is that fine?

[Roger Oakley]

Yes it is safe you'll only do damage if you leave it on to long or use it too strong. It will clean but not remove stains IE Ronseal etc. You need a stripper for this.

Thanks Roger what's classed as too strong? I used it 1:3 is that fine?

3:1 ( 3 parts water 1 part hypo) is fine with liquid soap for most decking. A lot can depend on the wood and what you are cleaning off it, softwoods fur up quicker as you step the strength up so the need for sanding the boards becomes a must if you are offering a top service.
Keith just a heads-up, water is always the first part of the ratio when mixing so hopefully 1:3 mix is a typing error. 

[Randall]

It looks great. I don't understand why the customer has a problem. However, if they have a problem, do whatever it takes to make them happy.

[Roger Oakley]

It looks great. I don't understand why the customer has a problem. However, if they have a problem, do whatever it takes to make them happy.

You should have gone to Specsavers mate

[Kevin Miller]

Did you ever use the hypo on this job pure h20 services