precarbs and oxalic care

Power Clean

New Member
friends,

how careful are you when applying precarb cleaners and oxalic acid to decks? what steps do you take in not getting them on the house or plants. i know oxalic will take the skin right off of ya so will it also pull or discolor the paint off the siding?

i have been brushing out one or two boards before i spray or roll the deck and have a water hose handy for immediate rinsing.

am i being to careful here? i would be much faster if i weren't so darn careful.

thanks, roy
 

Jon Fife

New Member
hi roy,

ya, way too careful in my opinion. while oxalic brighteners and sodium hydroxide strippers can be harmful, i have never had a problem with any of them. in theory, an oxalic bath will neutralize a stripper (alkaline) making it harmless to plants. i am careful with strippers to try and keep them off plants, but i by no means cover them. wet the plants before, wet the plants after and you will be fine. i have even heard people say that getting the brightener on their plants will rejuvenate the foliage. as far as getting it on the house---i have never had a problem. if you get stripexL on a painted surface it will effect it, but that is the only stripper i have ever had do that. i know a lot of guys are real particular about their strippers and trying to not get it on paint, but like i said, stripexL is the only product i have seen that will try removing the paint. i am actually more concerned about getting stripper on concrete, because it will leave spots.

in short, roy, i never cover anything and have never had a problem (assuming you keep things wet with water). i never use bleach, however, so i am unsure how careful you should be with that. another tip----in order to keep from covering plants when you spray your stain or finish, have someone stand on the opposite side of the rails from you with a tarp held up to knock down the overspray. if you don't have a person to help, you can get 4x15 tarps and clamp them onto the rails, but you will have to hand-paint the tops of the rails. that is my method for preventing overspray, and i have never had a complaint. never. good luck to you roy, i hope this helps and i also hope you have a great weekend!!

take care,

jon fife
nashville,TN
(615)837-3663
 

Mike Hughes

New Member
I always cover the plants when stripping with sodium hydroxide. I do not cover them when using oxalic acid to brighten.

One thing to really be careful of is brass kickplates on storm doors. Learned a hard lesson on that one last year.

Mike
 

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