I have seen a lot of different cedar topics covered. I have usually just not messed with cedar in risk of damaging it but in this case I have a family friend asking me to clean her fence before she puts it on the market. I’m going to be doing a house wash as well but from what Ive read I should not use SH but instead should use Sodium , sodium percarbonate then rinse, then oxalic acid. If that is correct my question is what ratios would you recommend? I use a 12V soft wash system and can downstream with An XJet if that makes any difference.
If this has already been covered please feel feee to delete
8 oz. per gallon Sodium Percarbonate. Neutralized/ brightened 8oz. per gallon Oxalic Acid
Both need dissolved in warm to hot water.
You cannot DS or X-jet Sodium Percarbonate, it will never be strong enough. I sometimes DS Oxalic for brightening, but not usually.
Rinse with approximately 600 PSI with a fan nozzle. Determine yourself what the material will handle. Higher flow is very beneficial. The more GPM you have the less pressure you need to use.
Side note: There is nothing wrong with using Oxi-Clean off the shelf from the store. It works better than raw Sodium Percarbonate due to it being formulated with soap builders. I actually buy the "commercial" Oxi-Clean from Amazon, it comes in a 30 lb. box. I think it's the same thing as regular though.
*If you use raw Sodium Percarbonate, you can also boost it with Sodium Hydroxide. Use with extreme caution. It can be bought in powdered form from ACE Hardware. It's called "Roebic Drain Cleaner" But any brand will work. It also makes dissolving Sodium Percarbonate easier with just cold water.
Good Luck,
Jeff
HiFlowZack said
Feb 22, 2024
Thank you very much! I really appreciate the thorough answer!
Jeff Wible said
Feb 23, 2024
And just to add: Dwell time can vary, but usually 5 minutes is enough, and it's important to keep it wet, and on those verticals may not be a bad idea to add a dash of laundry soap or something to help keep it wet and to also add a little cling. Try and do it early in the day, or at least with cloud cover or even in light rain, just makes it go a a lot better.
I prefer to wash almost anything in the rain. Especially houses. Can't have too much rain on decks though, otherwise your cleaners become to diluted and also won't penetrate the mold as well. On houses, it can pour and I'm happy.
Hello Everyone!
I have seen a lot of different cedar topics covered. I have usually just not messed with cedar in risk of damaging it but in this case I have a family friend asking me to clean her fence before she puts it on the market. I’m going to be doing a house wash as well but from what Ive read I should not use SH but instead should use Sodium , sodium percarbonate then rinse, then oxalic acid. If that is correct my question is what ratios would you recommend? I use a 12V soft wash system and can downstream with An XJet if that makes any difference.
If this has already been covered please feel feee to delete
Thank you!
Zack
Hi-Flow Pressure Wash
Both need dissolved in warm to hot water.
You cannot DS or X-jet Sodium Percarbonate, it will never be strong enough. I sometimes DS Oxalic for brightening, but not usually.
Rinse with approximately 600 PSI with a fan nozzle. Determine yourself what the material will handle. Higher flow is very beneficial. The more GPM you have the less pressure you need to use.
Side note: There is nothing wrong with using Oxi-Clean off the shelf from the store. It works better than raw Sodium Percarbonate due to it being formulated with soap builders. I actually buy the "commercial" Oxi-Clean from Amazon, it comes in a 30 lb. box. I think it's the same thing as regular though.
*If you use raw Sodium Percarbonate, you can also boost it with Sodium Hydroxide. Use with extreme caution. It can be bought in powdered form from ACE Hardware. It's called "Roebic Drain Cleaner" But any brand will work. It also makes dissolving Sodium Percarbonate easier with just cold water.
Good Luck,
Jeff
Thank you very much! I really appreciate the thorough answer!
I prefer to wash almost anything in the rain. Especially houses. Can't have too much rain on decks though, otherwise your cleaners become to diluted and also won't penetrate the mold as well. On houses, it can pour and I'm happy.
Jeff