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Gutter Cleaning... How do ye do it?

Rh4000

Member
Messages
41
Location
Ireland
Howdy all, 

Just a question, I've been doing a lot of looking and researching on here, I get a lot of gutter cleaning aswell as the windows. I read a lot about that screw fix degreaser and ubix etc. 

Doing gutters, facia soffits etc I use my water fed pole with a guttering brush, wet along a line of the gutters to let the purified water soak in the I clean them just using hard elbow grease and when their all cleaned and washed down I clean the windows with the water fed poles and windows brush. 

My question is I think I'm doing them the hard way, aside from soft washing them I see a lot of ye use degreaser and rinse them with a normal house tap etc. 

Any info or help would be greatly appreciated, thanks all. 

 
Spray with screwfix degreaser,leave it for 5 mins.i then use a backpack that I use only for tap water with a pole to clean the gutters,fascias and soffits.Very rarely use pure unless it’s very stubborn.I then wipe down with a cloth over the brush head.

 
The degreaser will help to shift the dirt and bring it up perhaps slightly whiter, but it still requires elbow grease and scrubbing.

I always use pure as I've a big tank so don't need to spare it.

@Dabber's suggestion for a cloth over the brush head to finish is handy for doing the underside/soffits especially when there are vents that bleed dirt out no matter how long you rinse them for.

 
The degreaser will help to shift the dirt and bring it up perhaps slightly whiter, but it still requires elbow grease and scrubbing.

I always use pure as I've a big tank so don't need to spare it.

@Dabber's suggestion for a cloth over the brush head to finish is handy for doing the underside/soffits especially when there are vents that bleed dirt out no matter how long you rinse them for.
What size thank have you got, I've got a 650ltr tank. How do you spray it, do you have a long sprayer pole you spray it on then you soak it and scrub and wash it off with the water fed pole? Slightly whiter sounds good, the whiter the better for the customers. 

 
For high ones a good few sprays into the brush head then quickly brush over over a section of the gutters/fascias (I do about 2 Meters). It'll foam up but don't have water on too much or it'll wash it away. Repeat to the end of the gutters.

By the time you've reached the end the first part will be ready. So go over the first bit with a general scrub then move on section by section. I then go over it a third time with a more detailed clean. Then rinse.

That's how I do it anyhow.. 

If I had a backpack I'd do it like above- quick clean with degreaser then go over with water.

?

 
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For high ones a good few sprays into the brush head then quickly brush over over a section of the gutters/fascias (I do about 2 Meters). It'll foam up but don't have water on too much or it'll wash it away. Repeat to the end of the gutters.

By the time you've reached the end the first part will be ready. So go over the first bit with a general scrub then move on section by section. I then go over it a third time with a more detailed clean. Then rinse.

That's how I do it anyhow.. ?
Kul, sounds good, think I'll do it that way, spray it onto the brush, I'll just get a hand held sprayer to spray it onto the brush and when I get the degreaser ill give it a go, what ration do you use? Dosent damage the brush or damage or stain gutters if left on too long or if it dries a bit? Cheers for the tips, appreciate it. 

 
Detergent and hot water definitely helps if they are bad/green. Don’t need pure but I use it anyway as I’m not a fan of hooking up to customers water unless I really need. Elbow grease is enough usually though If you do spray some detergent on your brush, be careful not to leave any residue on the glass once your gutters are finished.


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Howdy all, 
 
Just a question, I've been doing a lot of looking and researching on here, I get a lot of gutter cleaning aswell as the windows. I read a lot about that screw fix degreaser and ubix etc. 
 
Doing gutters, facia soffits etc I use my water fed pole with a guttering brush, wet along a line of the gutters to let the purified water soak in the I clean them just using hard elbow grease and when their all cleaned and washed down I clean the windows with the water fed poles and windows brush. 
 
My question is I think I'm doing them the hard way, aside from soft washing them I see a lot of ye use degreaser and rinse them with a normal house tap etc. 
 
Any info or help would be greatly appreciated, thanks all. 
I use degreaser and no nonsense upvc cleaner, I find the pvc cleaner works better and has a much nicer smell/ isn't greasy only downside it costs more. Spray on the brush and scrub, it uses a lot less effort to scrub up.

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Kul, sounds good, think I'll do it that way, spray it onto the brush, I'll just get a hand held sprayer to spray it onto the brush and when I get the degreaser ill give it a go, what ration do you use? Dosent damage the brush or damage or stain gutters if left on too long or if it dries a bit? Cheers for the tips, appreciate it. 
I use a 50/50 ratio in the spray bottle which is a strong mix. No doesn't damage anything I've heard but I've never personally allowed it to dry on.

 
I have used Ubik 2000 in the past as it can be used neat without issue I still use it on first cleans. 
Can you use it on Windows too or is it just PVC frames anything to look out for with that other than not letting it dry. Going to get that and the no nonsense degreaser next week. See how good they are

Many of ye use the Unger rub out or PVC cleaner eitgee, ate they similar to the ubik and no nonsense degreaser or something different altogether? 

Thanks for the info lads 

 
50/50 jesus that is a strong mix most I see use 10/1? Is it safe to us eon windows or just PVC?
It's safe to use at 100% mix so don't need to worry about that. It's more a question of wasting it and using more than necessary. The reason I use a strong mix on the brush head is that when you've given a quick go over with the water turned it gets quite diluted so you need to start with a stronger mix when you do it that way.

Spraying it on directly I'd use a weaker mix.

 
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Can you use it on Windows too or is it just PVC frames anything to look out for with that other than not letting it dry. Going to get that and the no nonsense degreaser next week. See how good they are
There have been times it has dried on without issue unlike virosol and yes I use it on the glass as well undiluted  for example when people have had barbecues and grease has splattered on the glass 

 
There have been times it has dried on without issue unlike virosol and yes I use it on the glass as well undiluted  for example when people have had barbecues and grease has splattered on the glass 




I hsve been using using Virosol for about 10 years on 90% of the jobs we do it does dry out this summer we have done loads of plastic cleans and it has been so hot you couldn’t stop it drying we have din conservatory roofs that are self cleaning glass to with out any issues of it causing staining but we use a 10-1 mix if you use it neat then maybe it might stain : when using a product neat it will take a lot more rinsing to get rid of the product unless you have a particularly stubborn substance to remove I do t see why you wouldn’t dilute it you don’t wash the dishes with undiluted fairy liquid it wouldn’t do a good job it’s the same with virosol and ubik they are destined be diluted not used neat , if you read the instructions it will tell you the best dilution rate for various dirt 

 
I hsve been using using Virosol for about 10 years on 90% of the jobs we do it does dry out this summer we have done loads of plastic cleans and it has been so hot you couldn’t stop it drying we have din conservatory roofs that are self cleaning glass to with out any issues of it causing staining but we use a 10-1 mix if you use it neat then maybe it might stain : when using a product neat it will take a lot more rinsing to get rid of the product unless you have a particularly stubborn substance to remove I do t see why you wouldn’t dilute it you don’t wash the dishes with undiluted fairy liquid it wouldn’t do a good job it’s the same with virosol and ubik they are destined be diluted not used neat , if you read the instructions it will tell you the best dilution rate for various dirt 
I stopped doing add-ons completely this year so only do windows, so on first cleans a quick 2-3  sprays on a brush head for upper windows across 2-3 windows per application works fine for me as with the amount of water needed on some first cleans it becomes adequately diluted and the clients have been well impressed with the end results. ?

Just to add a did a modern Methodist church this morning with white plastic frames, which hadn't been cleaned in over 10 years and they came up well but definitely needed a good dose of neat Ubik  

 
Spray virosol mix 10-1 on light rub with wfp and pure water rinse job done 
Ok, I'll add that to the shopping list and see, I think that comes down to personal preference, soma lads say ubik, some lads no nonsense degreaser and others virsol... As said I always just used the pure waters and the wfp but I can't get some stains off, black spots on gutters, stubborn soaked in stains and lime want some stiff that will do the job properly. I don't want the cheapest chemical or best bang for buck I want one that works and I'm happy with the end result and then the customer will be happy and recommend me. 

 
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