Opinions on Bleach...

Is it OK to use bleach on wood?

  • Yes

    Votes: 62 29.1%
  • Sometimes

    Votes: 73 34.3%
  • Absolutely not

    Votes: 58 27.2%
  • Don't Know

    Votes: 20 9.4%

  • Total voters
    213

CaroliProWash

New Member
We prefer a sodium percarbonate product as opposed to sodium hypochlorite, however, sodium hypochlorite, in certain circumstances is acceptable for use on wood.

Celeste
 

Asbestos

New Member
I was going to put a long harangue in about how beach can damage certain things etc. etc.
But the thing is without knowing the components of each type of vinyl siding who knows? The things missing here are
1. A controll group- IE do part of a wall with bleach and part without, then go back for 10 years and see the results
2. specific standards of comparison things that are more spcific then "looks good" "Customers call back in 3 years"
That said

"Hypochlorite is a strong oxidizer, and the products of the oxidation reactions are corrosive, and can burn skin and cause eye damage, particularly when used in concentrated forms. Hypochlorite must not be mixed with organic materials (e.g. dirt), as the resulting trihalomethanes (also called haloforms) are carcinogenic. The extent of the hazard thus created is a subject of disagreement."http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sodium_hypochlorite

Also when producing bleach the only thing that can be used to filter it is asbestos. nothing else they have found will hold up to strong Cl solutions.
But I still will use it diluted to kill mold and such.
Also if you read the label on MANY commercial cleaning products for decks houses etc you will see "Sodium hypochlorite" AKA bleach many are bleach and lye, AKA caustic soda, sodium hydroxide.
the only other chemicals I have scene are
sodium metasilicate (a detergent)
TriSodiumPhosphate (also a detergent)
sodium carbonate
sodium percarbonate (oxi-clean, )
and citric acid
also some have
butyl based stuff like
ETHYLENE GLYCOL MONOBUTYL ETHER-
AKA (take a deep breath)
2-Butoxy ethanol; Butyl cellosolve; Dowanol EB; Butyl oxitol;
Ethylene glycol n-butyl ether; n-Butyl Cellosolve; Ethylene Glycol Mono-n-butyl; Ethylene glycol butyl ether; n-butoxyethanol;

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chrisecs

New Member
Bleach

I have been doing research and expermintating on the
"bleach" question for many months. After eight years of being a heavy bleach user, I am now about 90% bleach free.

I have switched very successfully to oxygen bleach cleaners. They are great cleaners and very enfironmentally friendly, more than any cleaner I know of. It breaks down into natural ingredients very quikly, and it is non corrosive.

It will not " bleach" out color like hypochlorite will, but is does clean very well and kills mold better than bleach. It has taken some time to learn how to be efficient with it, but it is paying off.

We all should do our part to become "greener" and there is no better way than to use oxygen bleach.
 

Rob R.

New Member
I have been doing research and expermintating on the
"bleach" question for many months. After eight years of being a heavy bleach user, I am now about 90% bleach free.

I have switched very successfully to oxygen bleach cleaners. They are great cleaners and very enfironmentally friendly, more than any cleaner I know of. It breaks down into natural ingredients very quikly, and it is non corrosive.

It will not " bleach" out color like hypochlorite will, but is does clean very well and kills mold better than bleach. It has taken some time to learn how to be efficient with it, but it is paying off.

We all should do our part to become "greener" and there is no better way than to use oxygen bleach.


Where are you purchasing oxygen bleach? I am always for a safer cleaner
 

Torque454

New Member
How about using a LIGHT mixture of bleach on wood after wetting it down to kill mold mildew algae etc and then applying oxygen bleach mixture over it to do the actual cleaning? Would that work well? Or can bleach and oxygen bleach not be used together? Or do they need to be rinsed in between applications or.... ? Just trying to get my stuff figured out before i go into business this spring. And when I say bleach to kill mold etc do i use household laundry bleach or go to the pool store and get the powder kind?

When using powder chemicals like pool bleach or oxyclean, can you just mix the powder with enough water to make a "Concentrate" so to speak, and use the chemical injector on the power washer to apply it? Another option would be to mix it up appropriatly and carry a sprayer on a cart (with a battery powered pump) and use it to spray the mix on. Most tank sprayers seem to have 1 to 2 gpm pumps and can spray a mist or a stream. The stream should shoot pretty far, allowing chemicals to be applied way up high, in case of a house or something like that.
 

chrisecs

New Member
Oxygen Bleach

Do not mix chlorine bleach with oxygen bleach. You would be defeating the purpose of using either one of them. Try using oxygen bleach alone. You cannot downstream inject it, because you can mix enough powder in a gallon of water to get on the surface at the required dilution. You have to mix it ready to use and spray with a sprayer that does not dilute, either a garden sprayer, elecric pump, or chemical sprayer.

I think you will be happy with it, even though it works a little differently than chlorine bleach. It is so mucher safer, even if a little more time consuming. Call me if you have any questions. I would be happy to help. 337-281-0754
 

terryfish1968

New Member
WOW GREAT INFO ON BLEACH & WOOD .. I did a few decks last year .. Never used any chemicals . I was wondering what is the best product's out there to use ... I figure if I am gonna clean a deck I should do it right ... I love these forums, so much info Please feel free to sent me any info on Professional Product & methods terryfish@integritypowerwash.biz 815-608-8312
 

terryfish1968

New Member
Bleach is only for the newbies and the wife to wash clothes with:)

It's funny>> But I got a call one day last year from this Lady. She said she called "Mo-Jo's Pressure washing" to do her deck, When they started slapping Bleach on it she stopped them and asked if they had anything else to clean with >>>> "OH said the dude this is the only thing that works". She replied>> Your bid was for 700.00 to clean it and your using .o59 cent a gallon Bleach. She said she told them to pack up and take their bleach home and give it to their wife. I thought it was funny!!

Not only does Bleach do damage But it stinks,kills plants,and is not very professional to use, as a mobile washer. You need to be 3 steps ahead of your competition. Any body can buy a pump - up sprayer 10 gals of bleach and a Wal-mart pressure washer. If you want to be on top stay away from the chem. that your wife use's to wash your whity tightys.

That is a funny story ... I am a newbie ... What do use for House washing , I plan to do more this year ... And I am looking for the best House wash terryfish@integritypowerwash.biz
 

Clean County

New Member
Dan S. Brings back some fond memories here with all the banter we did back then. That is a funny post. First off if your ever going to use bleach for anything don't make it a habit of letting your customer see it or even you mixing it in to anything. They'll look at it just like the way the lady did in Dan S. post.

Jump to today I have learned alot about Restoring wood and even though we did a good job then its not really the acceptable method to clean Wood. Some pro's will say its fine and there excellent at what they do. Some pro's can show you that it is an acceptable method on wood. We use to think the same.

Basically for wood we stick with Sodium Hydroxides at different strengths and then to restore the PH we use Oxalic acid also at different strengths which is amazing because when the wood gets neutralized with the acid it brightens before your eyes. A safer Neutralizer/Brightner is a CITRALIC brightner but for us we rather use the oxalic. You need to where a Mask when applying this chemicals because long term use will damage your lungs.

House wash thats not wood we use a Sodium Hypochlorite mixture which basically is a bleach mixture but once again we use liquid chlorine which is more then twice the strength of bleach but its mixed at a certain dosage. Use the search button here to see what other guys use and also check what Mark from easy Clean who's a sponsor of this board to see what professional products he sells that may make this all that much easier for you.

Pressure Washers, Infrared Heaters, Parts - Easy Clean Systems

Good luck.
 

Clean County

New Member
Hey John Thanks for the repile ... I was wondering any good books on deck restoring that you would refer me to ...

Do you want to take a class on that for a couple of days so you can know the complete ins and outs(This will probably cost at least $500 but MHO a class like this is golden. I went to one years ago and I got documentation once I completed this class which was great for Marketing purposes) or is just a book your looking for. I can PM you some guys that hold classes that are excellent teachers or I can Also send you where to get a good manual on wood restoration. I rather do it on the PM here because it could be overstepping my bounderies....another words I'm still working on learning what I can promote and not promote here and I don't want to step on the hard work that Mark and Carlos and his mods are doing here to keep this board as professional as can be. Let me know if you want me to shoot you a PM or an email.
 

terryfish1968

New Member
Do you want to take a class on that for a couple of days so you can know the complete ins and outs(This will probably cost at least $500 but MHO a class like this is golden. I went to one years ago and I got documentation once I completed this class which was great for Marketing purposes) or is just a book your looking for. I can PM you some guys that hold classes that are excellent teachers or I can Also send you where to get a good manual on wood restoration. I rather do it on the PM here because it could be overstepping my bounderies....another words I'm still working on learning what I can promote and not promote here and I don't want to step on the hard work that Mark and Carlos and his mods are doing here to keep this board as professional as can be. Let me know if you want me to shoot you a PM or an email.

Hey John ... I have a guy here in town thats going to teach me decks ... But I am very intrested in all the diffrent Chemicals & methods .... There seems to be about a bazillion opinions out there & I want to learn as many as possible , So that I can make a informed decsion ...
 

Clean County

New Member
Hey John ... I have a guy here in town thats going to teach me decks ... But I am very intrested in all the diffrent Chemicals & methods .... There seems to be about a bazillion opinions out there & I want to learn as many as possible , So that I can make a informed decsion ...

I sent you a private message that you may find interesting. Good luck and let us know how your doing.
 

archie_MN

Moderator
This has got to be my favorite thread on the forum.[spin]

The truth as I see it is... Sometimes (my vote) you come across growth that will most effectively be killed by bleach. In those cases, use it. Rinse it thoroughly, and mask the odor whenever possible.
 

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