Welcome to the UK Window Cleaning Forums

Starting or own a window cleaning business? We're a network of window cleaners sharing advice, tips & experience. Rounds for sale & more. Join us today!

Best surfactant, and how much to use?

Clisty1989

Well-known member
Messages
2,721
Location
Swansea
I've been using baby shampoo on the small jobs I've had, but now I've got some bigger jobs coming up I thought I'd tap into the vast experience on here. What's the best surfactant on a tight budget, and how much to use? Cheers in advance.

 
Cheers mate, where do u get your hypo from? usually buy 5l from my local cleaning supplies shop for the small jobs, cheapest I've found online is £16.40 for 25l
That is good if it is 14-15%

I get it from different places depending on how big a quantity and offers on at the time

 
I get my hypochlorite from Cornwall farmers at £11.00 for 25 litres. It's 10% evans hypo which makes the math easy. I then add 500ml of bonnymans surfactant/scent mask to the 25l drum and by the time I've arrived on job, which is within 20 minutes it's nicely mixed so I just add 330ml to every litre of water if that makes sense.
Having said that. I've just done a rubber crumb play surface for a local preschool and only used a 2% mix which came out amazing after I'd walked the 100yrds to the pasty shop my daughter works in.

Sent using the http://Window Cleaning Forums mobile app

 
To be fair the maths isn't exactly hard with 14-15% and I can get it for 12.50 for 25l if I buy 10 

 
I tend to aim for a 4:1 mix, have found it strong enough in the past, also did my homework and proper goretex is chemical resistant and isn't destroyed by hypo, and easy to wash off after, saves me buying the disposable coveralls.

 
I buy 205 ltr drum tfr from a supplier who makes their own.They can make it as strong or as weak as you want.I get it mixed up to dilute at 50/1 and even at this strength its strong enough to shift anything.Cost me 50 pence a litre.Tried loads of different suppliers before I got this one.

 
Hypo is ok but hard on clothing the bleach destroys everything that has colour in it.Tfr not as bad will turn clothes slightly lighter in colour but not as bad as hypo.Some jobs no option only hypo so disposable overalls and mask.I always mix it up well in advance so its ready for use when arrive on job.

 
I've been using baby shampoo on the small jobs I've had, but now I've got some bigger jobs coming up I thought I'd tap into the vast experience on here. What's the best surfactant on a tight budget, and how much to use? Cheers in advance.
you do know clisty that most if not all baby shampoo's have a surfactant in them that is a quarterly amonium?

 
you do know clisty that most if not all baby shampoo's have a surfactant in them that is a quarterly amonium?
No I didn't, found some 10% hypo now pre mixed with surfactant from a local supplier, £20 for 25l, literally 250 from mine. Used it last week on my first big job, worked a treat mixed 4:1, stuck really well too.

 
Hypo great for power washing removes dirt, algae etc leaves a nice clean finish.Its not that critical on mix 5 ltrs to 25 makes a good strong mix for really dirty areas.

 
Clisty 1989 

No I didn't, found some 10% hypo now pre mixed with surfactant from a local supplier, £20 for 25l, literally 250 from mine. Used it last week on my first big job, worked a treat mixed 4:1, stuck really well too.

can you tell me where you found this pre mix?

 
Clisty 1989 

No I didn't, found some 10% hypo now pre mixed with surfactant from a local supplier, £20 for 25l, literally 250 from mine. Used it last week on my first big job, worked a treat mixed 4:1, stuck really well too.

can you tell me where you found this pre mix?
Local supplier, it's called hypochlor 10. Company called caterclean, think they do online orders, get loads of bits there so got a discount not sure full price tho

 
I didn’t know you could buy Hypo premixed.

Ive ordered ‘Cleverwash’ this week. Should be here friday.

Just a question, for cleverwash users: Do you add all the surfactant in, in one go at the beginning? Or add from job to job?

As it’ll probably take me a year or so to use all my Hypo....

 
Add it on the day of the job, hypo kills it quite quickly.

I mix mine just before I’m leaving to go do the job, that way it gets a good mixing on route.

Dennis

 
Add it on the day of the job, hypo kills it quite quickly.

I mix mine just before I’m leaving to go do the job, that way it gets a good mixing on route.

Dennis
if you use the correct surfactant,hypo won't kill it whatsoever,its a surfactant the only thing that will/would reduce its effectiveness in this case  is very soft water as its ph dependant which if you add to the barrel would be fine,its just then your water that could be an issue.

I add mine straight to the barrel and use it as and when,never a problem

 
Back
Top