My husband and I have really busy lives and often don't have time to clean the house. Unfortunately, both our kids have quite bad allergies to dust and mould, which means we need to keep the house spotless, which can be quite hard. We have started having a professional cleaning service come in a few times a week to give the house a good scrub while we are at work. It means that we can come home to a clean house. It means everyone is healthier, happier and less stressed out. This blog is for other parents of kids with allergies and has tips on how you can keep your house allergen free.
A graffiti-filled wall around your office building might send the wrong message to your existing clientele and to prospective clients.
Getting rid of graffiti might not be difficult, but it might keep you out of the office for several hours. If you can't afford to lose work hours, consider hiring a commercial cleaning service company. If you can afford to take time off for this activity, here's what to know.
Chemical Removal
Common chemicals used for graffiti removal include acetone and mineral spirits (also referred to as "white spirits"). Both are often readily available from local supplies stores.
Acetone would be a good choice for graffiti that's done using permanent or indelible markers because it easily dissolves such markings. If used to eliminate graffiti on a painted wall, acetone is likely to slightly dissolve the original paintwork on the wall. For this reason, it should be applied sparingly if you intend to preserve the structural integrity of the original paintwork. Acetone is also known to produce toxic fumes. You should have a gas mask during the removal exercise to prevent you from inhaling such fumes.
Mineral spirits are often used on graffiti that has been spray-painted. If you choose to use a mineral spirit, remember that they're known to dissolve fresh paint more effectively. The longer you delay graffiti removal, the less likely you are to have a clean wall in the end.
Removal By Painting/Re-painting
Chemical removal may not be a viable option if an entire exterior wall (or a significantly large portion of it) is covered in graffiti. In such a situation, it might be more affordable and less cumbersome to paint over the graffiti than to use mineral spirits or acetone.
For the best results, you would need to eliminate grease, dirt and debris from the wall before you begin painting. You'll also probably get better results with an oil-based paint as compared to one that is latex-based. Perhaps this explains why an oil-based paint is likely to be more expensive.
For graffiti done using an indelible marker, a special type of paint referred to as a "stain blocker" should be applied before the oil/latex-based paint is applied. This is because indelible markings are known to absorb paint. Thus, they could remain vaguely visible even after the application of oil/latex paint.
It might also be a good idea to apply an anti-graffiti coating over the oil/latex paint. With one such coating, paint won't bond to the exterior wall the next time graffiti artists come around.
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