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questions about Vision tfr CC

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Amazin

Amazin

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TFR stand for traffic film remover.....it's such a weird name. I guess it wasn't originally created for window cleaning. I know there are many versions out there but to narrow it down, I was thinking David Kemp's Vision tfr CC 

will it damage car paint, house paint, door paint? etc

I also got few jobs where they have plants everywhere. I guess it will kill the plants?

 
TFR was originally made to remove the protective coating that was put on new cars it was like a waxy substance it was used in the motor trade when I started as an apprentice in the 80s . TFR comes in a number of varieties including caustic , this is very aggressive stuff and needs treating with great care , I have used normal TFR years ago but on one job it turned into a varnish like substance on a white UPVC conservatory on both windows and glass , nothing would remove it , from that point on I stopped using it and started using Virosol I feel this is a much safer option .

 
I have a mate that pressure washes lorries and bin waggons for a living and he uses TFR. The waggons have to have chassis washed before mots etc he says TFR makes the job so much easier not sure I would want it near upvc or car paintwork work that matter. As Pjj says there are different ones available but consequences of using the wrong stuff wouldn't be good!!!

I have seen a few people talk about VISION TFR-CC but it's not worth it in my books.

Use Viro-sol or Ubix 2000 - I think Ubix is better in summer as I don't think it stains upvc if it dries where as I think Viro-sol can! 

 
ched999uk said:
I have a mate that pressure washes lorries and bin waggons for a living and he uses TFR. The waggons have to have chassis washed before mots etc he says TFR makes the job so much easier not sure I would want it near upvc or car paintwork work that matter. As Pjj says there are different ones available but consequences of using the wrong stuff wouldn't be good!!!

I have seen a few people talk about VISION TFR-CC but it's not worth it in my books.

Use Viro-sol or Ubix 2000 - I think Ubix is better in summer as I don't think it stains upvc if it dries where as I think Viro-sol can! 
Click to expand...
We use Virosol diluted 10-1 and let it dry on UPVC and glass and never had any issues with it been using it fir 15+ years , but used neat it will cause staining 

 
ched999uk said:
I have a mate that pressure washes lorries and bin waggons for a living and he uses TFR. The waggons have to have chassis washed before mots etc he says TFR makes the job so much easier not sure I would want it near upvc or car paintwork work that matter. As Pjj says there are different ones available but consequences of using the wrong stuff wouldn't be good!!!

I have seen a few people talk about VISION TFR-CC but it's not worth it in my books.

Use Viro-sol or Ubix 2000 - I think Ubix is better in summer as I don't think it stains upvc if it dries where as I think Viro-sol can! 
Click to expand...
TFR is used regularly by the car nuts to clean their cars. It is like any chemical in that if you don't use it correctly it will bite you.

I've  used it for nearly 10 years and never had an issue.

 
ched999uk said:
Thanks for the correction.
Click to expand...
Ime not saying that it couldn’t cause staining just saying from my experience provided it’s diluted right I haven’t had any issues , we use roughly 60x 20 ltr drums per year ,so get through a lot of plastic cleans without any problems, it’s good stuff and not so aggressive as TFR either on the plastics or your skin , TFR has  it’s place but I don’t feel that’s fir plastic cleans to much potential for serious damage , I ruined a whole conservatory, and I knew how to use the stuff and had used it for  a couple of years before without any problems , but I have never used it since . 

 
I use TFR cc without issue, I just dilute the recommended amount in a rectangular bucket with water and dip the brush and apply to plastics and scrub, a customers car should be moved well out of the way anyway, when using any chemicals would I wash a composite door down with it or spray it anywhere like door handles that have a shiny chrome finish no I wouldn't but if there was some over spray or splashing I would rinse it off thoroughly asap to avoid any potential issues,

I bought two bottles and @THL4KEL took one off my hands he may have more insight than me as my add on jobs are few and far between compared to amount he does. 

 
I used TFR for years and found it very useful, I got it from a local motor factors quite cheap, probably not the strongest version going. This year I have been using Virosol and find it to be better than TFR, we use it in a garden sprayer at no more than 10% mix to blast any large areas, for more localised use we use little hand spray bottles at 20%. 

 
Like @Pjj I used to use tfr. But on one job (thankfully a one off with a old battered plastic conny) it was a boiling hot day, the roof was very very dirty. I put a strong mix on, agitated, then another coat, but with the heat it dried quickly. I can’t be 100% sure if was the tfr that left this weird residue, as as I said the roof was very dirty anyway, but there was this weird stuff left on the surface once the dirty had gone. It wasn’t too noticeable thankfully, as I was looking up close from a ladder. But on a newish glass roof I’m not sure what would of happened. 

I use ubix 2000, 10-1 mix. Excellent stuff. I have left this on surfaces before, never had any problems. And I actually think it works better on the type of dirty we actually clean (algae mainly) 

 A few weeks ago I filled up my back pack with ubix & hot water! A customer had a hot tap in their garage that I had to go through for access. I filled up 18ish litres of hot water, and 2ls of ubix. Worked like a dream!! Dirty Melted off the gutters With a little bit of agitation.

Do you think hot water makes much difference Paul ?? ???
 

 
RWCleaning said:
Like @Pjj I used to use tfr. But on one job (thankfully a one off with a old battered plastic conny) it was a boiling hot day, the roof was very very dirty. I put a strong mix on, agitated, then another coat, but with the heat it dried quickly. I can’t be 100% sure if was the tfr that left this weird residue, as as I said the roof was very dirty anyway, but there was this weird stuff left on the surface once the dirty had gone. It wasn’t too noticeable thankfully, as I was looking up close from a ladder. But on a newish glass roof I’m not sure what would of happened. 

I use ubix 2000, 10-1 mix. Excellent stuff. I have left this on surfaces before, never had any problems. And I actually think it works better on the type of dirty we actually clean (algae mainly) 

 A few weeks ago I filled up my back pack with ubix & hot water! A customer had a hot tap in their garage that I had to go through for access. I filled up 18ish litres of hot water, and 2ls of ubix. Worked like a dream!! Dirty Melted off the gutters With a little bit of agitation.

Do you think hot water makes much difference Paul ?? ???
 
Click to expand...
When I had that disaster with TFR and it was diluted correctly it looked like yellow varnish had been poured over the plastic and glass nothing would shift it not Evan a scraper ?????  , hot water makes all the difference Evan without chemicals ?

 
the only chemicals i use for any cleaning job are sticky stuff remover (solvent),virosol,viakal, and CIF cream cleaner.......ive heard horror stories with Ubik and caustic TFR so i steer clear.....

sticky stuff remover......for sellotape/stickers on frames and glass

virosol.....plastic cleans,conny roofs,very dirty first cleans and dried on egg 

viakal......hard water marks on glass

CIF......old greying UPVC and stubborn stains

 
dazmond said:
the only chemicals i use for any cleaning job are sticky stuff remover (solvent),virosol,viakal, and CIF cream cleaner.......ive heard horror stories with Ubik and caustic TFR so i steer clear.....

sticky stuff remover......for sellotape/stickers on frames and glass

virosol.....plastic cleans,conny roofs,very dirty first cleans and dried on egg 

viakal......hard water marks on glass

CIF......old greying UPVC and stubborn stains
Click to expand...
Isopropyl is good for sticky stuff and there's a nice smell comes from it. Less than a score from ebay. ? 

 
ched999uk said:
I have a mate that pressure washes lorries and bin waggons for a living and he uses TFR. The waggons have to have chassis washed before mots etc he says TFR makes the job so much easier not sure I would want it near upvc or car paintwork work that matter. As Pjj says there are different ones available but consequences of using the wrong stuff wouldn't be good!!!

I have seen a few people talk about VISION TFR-CC but it's not worth it in my books.

Use Viro-sol or Ubix 2000 - I think Ubix is better in summer as I don't think it stains upvc if it dries where as I think Viro-sol can! 
Click to expand...
I use Ubik 2000 too. Have never let it dry so do not know about the staining, but it is fairly safe and does a good job. Some TFRs will stain if allowed to dry so must be mindful on size of area you are working on to prevent this.

 
mike007 said:
I use Ubik 2000 too. Have never let it dry so do not know about the staining, but it is fairly safe and does a good job. Some TFRs will stain if allowed to dry so must be mindful on size of area you are working on to prevent this.
Click to expand...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TFM-8WEhplA&ab_channel=SqueakyCleanDave

Checkout that video, UBIK seem to be safe. 

Thanks for the feedback guys, i got myself Virosol instead because it's much safer option. 

Pjj said:
When I had that disaster with TFR and it was diluted correctly it looked like yellow varnish had been poured over the plastic and glass nothing would shift it not Evan a scraper ?????  , hot water makes all the difference Evan without chemicals ?
Click to expand...
is it bad to use hot water on cold glass especially in winter? Some glass will crack I've heard. 

TFR was originally made to remove the protective coating that was put on new cars it was like a waxy substance it was used in the motor trade when I started as an apprentice in the 80s . TFR comes in a number of varieties including caustic , this is very aggressive stuff and needs treating with great care
Click to expand...
ahhh, thanks for explaining. The name just doesn't sound right for us window cleaners but now that explains. That's also why I'm asking on here because it might cause problems for us if it was not created for us. I was thinking try some none caustic tfr, that seems safe

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Amazin said:
Thanks for the feedback guys, i got myself Virosol instead because it's much safer option. 
Click to expand...
Make sure you don't get it on a customers car and if you do you will have to rinse it off, no different than any detergent of any kind otherwise you will damage car paintwork. 

 
Amazin said:
oh no, I thought it's safe because it's plant based. 
Click to expand...
It might be but I wouldn't leave it on a customers car to find out and if you happen to be applying it to guttering via a backpack and would be cautious of over spray this is part of normal precautions when using any cleaning agent or chemical 

 
Dave B said:
Just as good as virosol etc but doesn't staun even if used neat on bad stained upvc which I've done even in summer.

https://www.screwfix.com/p/no-nonsense-heavy-duty-degreaser-5ltr/88668
Click to expand...
I have that but tbh I'm not impressed. In my experience Cif limescale bathroom spray is better!

It might be but I wouldn't leave it on a customers car to find out and if you happen to be applying it to guttering via a backpack and would be cautious of over spray this is part of normal precautions when using any cleaning agent or chemical 
Click to expand...
true, it's easy to get carried away sometimes

 

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