Your soft washing questions answered - 02

November 11, 2020

Every week we receive a large number of questions about soft washing. And, as new contractors are coming into the business all the time, questions are often repeated.

So we thought it would be useful to put together the most frequently asked questions in this series of Trade Tips posts, for your easy reference.

Your soft washing questions:

1. WHAT SHOULD I TELL A CUSTOMER WHO WANTS A LOW PRICE?
   
   My customer wants the price reduced. How do I handle this given I will not be able to do the full job that I usually do?
   
   A: You may want to make clear to your customer that he cannot expect the same quality of results when he is forcing you, through his insistence on a low price, to do a less thorough job than if he was willing to pay your full rate for a treatment.
   
   Making this clear to them in advance of doing the work will mean that if they are not totally happy with the results you can remind them of the limitations they placed on your service.
   
   Quick tips:
   
   1) For the most difficult customers you may want to give them a written contract that outlines specifically what is, and is not, possible at the price they are prepared to pay. (some people can have remarkably short memories about the agreements they make ... )
   
   2) Informing your customer in advance is far more effective than telling the customer after the event, which could be construed as your trying to avoid responsibility and making up excuses.
   
   
   
2. WHAT'S THE MOST EFFECTIVE ACTIVATION TIME FOR BENZ LIGHTNING CLEANZE?
   
   A: The time to allow for the activation of Lightning Cleanze depends on a number of variables, such as:
   
   
   • The ambient temperature (the colder it is the longer the product will take to work and vice-versa).
     
     
   • The dilution ratio of the applied product.
   
   
   • Whether the surface is porous or non-porous (non-porous surfaces such as industrial cladding can need as little as 10-15 minutes activation time before being rinsed).
   
   
   • The nature of the infestation and how long it has been left since last being cleaned (e.g. light green algae can disappear in 30 minutes.
     
     But black lichen that has been allowed to grow into the surface for several years may best be treated with Benz Tornado Cleanze and left to activate for the full 60 minutes followed, for the most contaminated surfaces, by a light jet wash).
   
   
   
3. SHOULD I ADD A SURFACTANT TO BENZ SOFTWASH BIOCIDAL PRODUCTS?
   
   A: No. Do not mix our products with surfactants, which is both unnecessary and could be problematic.
   
   Our softwash products are complete in themselves, are ready to use, and require no additional chemicals. Just add water to dilute as required and according to our guidelines.
   
   Bio Cleanze is intrinsically a surfactant in its own right and requires no additional surfactant to be added.
   
   Lightning Cleanze and Tornado Cleanze have been carefully formulated with high performance surfactants. Adding more would a) not increase the effectiveness of the product b) could diminish the shelf life c) could lower the performance and d) would certainly invalidate all UK and Irish government legal product approvals.
   
   There are over 2000 surfactants on the market and it is critical for performance and stability that only the correct ones are used to create a stable and effective product.
   
   To give you an example, it took us and two industrial chemists over a year and countless trials to find the highly effective surfactant for Tornado Cleanze.
   
   
   
4. WHICH ROOF SLATES CAN TURN WHITE?
   
   I came across a video of Ben cleaning a man-made artificial slate roof. He talks about the possibility of the protective coating of the slate being worn away and it being white underneath, which is seen once the moss is removed.
   
   Are there any other tiles that may not come out looking as good as others due to the materials used to make the tile?
   
   A: None that we know of. In our experience the problem does not occur on tiles made from natural materials.
   
   An exception could be if some form of sealant has been applied. In which case you would be wise to check with the manufacturer for compatibility.
   
   And also treat a small, out of the way, test area before treating the entire roof. Show the result to your customer and get their approval and agreement to treat the rest of the roof.
   
   Quick tip: Soft washing with our products, at the recommended dilutions, will not create new damage to roof tiles and slates.
   
   Soft washing a roof with artificial tiles will just reveal the prior existing damage that was covered up by dirt and organic growths. The tile itself will still be weather-proof.
   
   Therefore it can be a good idea to photograph the roof before and after treating. Then you can show the photos to your customer should there be any dispute as to the cause of slates becoming white.
   
   

We hope this information is helpful and sincerely wish you great success in your soft washing business,

Ben, Leo, Fiona, Stevie & Anthony

Click here to explore the full range of Benz softwash cleaning products

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