Chemical Mixtures

C

C. Wayne Lewis

Member
I am a PW Rookie. I would like to start a forum where people could list their own PW Recipes (how much of what chemical for a given cleaning job). Hopefully I'm not out of line by requesting information that may be sort of confidential in this business. I have been reading the different forums and so far everyone seems to want to share their wealth of knowledge.

I think this type of forum would help the newcomer who dosen't have the money to buy 'Ready Made' cleaners at higher prices.

Thanks for ANY advice ya'll could give me.

Wayne Lewis
cwlewis1@earthlink.net
 
Most of us that mix our own chemicals do so to save money. This gives us a big advantage over our competitors. So sharing chemical mixtures of proprietary chemicals will be tough. There are some willing to share these, this is one area where I cannot.

However I can tell you many companies that sell raw products do have mixes that you can customize and play with. I suggest you find a chemical distributor in your area and get set up. if you like a product you have found you can get it analyzed and make it yourself.


Bigboy, Les and Scott know quite a bit about the types they use. These guys may see this post they may not.

I’m going to check into inviting some chemical manufacturer to the site. I think that would be most helpful.


I use about 315 gallons of chemical a week. Retail that would cost me 1260.00 dollars a week. I don’t pay 10% of that to mix my own.

You’re on the right track and if you need other questions please ask I will answer any questions you have but I have no recipe to share. I can help you find generic ones you can use and modify.
 

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Thanks Ron. I appreciate the fast response and I understand completely. Do you have any recomendations of good PW books?

By the way, having a chemical maker join this forum is a great idea. Hope it happens. Thanks again.

C. Wayne Lewis
cwlewis1@earthlink.net
 
C. Lewis,
Some chemical company's and distributors have kits available for you called drum packs. They consist of active ingrediants, surfactants, jelling agents, wetting agents, etc. They come packaged in boxes and you ad the container and water. This greatly reduces the amount of freight and is a solution that is proven and reliable. If you would like more info., or a # of one of these suppliers, give me a call. I believe this would be the safest and best place to start.
Glenn
 
hazmat charges and water weight do add up. i mix my own but pre made mixes can be alot easier and convienient than mixing it yourself...i guess the savings is out of pocket, which means you work to pay yourself to mix, instead of paying them. i like to mix for other reasons, mostly because i can control the concentrate based on the job and injection ratio's on my rig. some chems i do buy already made
but the main acid and alkaline chems i do myself from the raw chem.
 
we blend our own masonry cleaners and strippers,as well as neutralizers and brighteners.there are products we purchase from other manufacters and do so happily.
 
Heck I use Caustic for almost everything I get it fro Harcross Now in Vicksburg Mississippi 4-25lb bags for $125.00 ( I use a weak mixture for concrete ) about 1 cup per 5 gallons .. ( sometimes I add a little Dawn to it ) for Vent Hoods 1 Cup per gallon mixed with hot water in a pump up sprayer. for other stuff I just play with the mixture.. On aluminum you have to put it on and get it off quick because this stuff will eat the crap out of aluminum..
I have also tried heavy bleach , but this just doesn't clean it does shine however.. I remember a long time ago there used to be this stuff in a box called concrete cleaner it was powder form and it was the hottest stuff I have ever seen you could put some in your hand , run cold water over it and it would get so hot it would burn your hand. I have yet been able to find this stuff. It has to be caustic based ....
I have also used my mixture of 55 gallon drum of what I like to call left over stuff.. My neighbors call it a bomb.. I have been adding left over chemicals to it for about a year now ( sounds dangerous huh ) I used some one night on a dumpster pad when I ran out of caustic and it worked great but damn did it stink...
 
Ace said:
C. Lewis,
Some chemical company's and distributors have kits available for you called drum packs. They consist of active ingrediants, surfactants, jelling agents, wetting agents, etc. They come packaged in boxes and you ad the container and water. This greatly reduces the amount of freight and is a solution that is proven and reliable. If you would like more info., or a # of one of these suppliers, give me a call. I believe this would be the safest and best place to start.
Glenn
Click to expand...
Great Info Glenn!
If I were mixing anything other then what we use I would give you a call.
For soeone looking to save money, and be safe in the process, it makes good sense.
 
I am new to commercial flatwork. Mostly roofs and exteriors..we all know how to wash them. I now am working for a pm that has a few shopping plaza's and a few restaurantes we are doing. I asked one of my buddies that is local and flat out kiks azz on flatwork to help me. He came out and passed along a chem mix for flatwork that is absolutly uber. He made me promise I wouldnt tell what it is because it was passed to him from a semi-local commercial "king". Basically everything you can find in walmart or home depot. We made 200 gallons of it. 100 for each side of the plaza applied with a 17gpm 700 psi chem pump. OMFG is all i gotta say. I think it costs about 10 bux for 100 gallons of it. Pulled grease and grime right up.

I guess my reason for telling you this is dont give up and look at what you can get in high concentrations at walmart! Not purple crap or any other kind of degreaser..this degreaser is made. Making your own juice is a must.

I make my own roof wash and house wash
no it is not just a shc/tsp/borax mix. Addsing borax is like hunting birds with a 30:6. You just dont need it imo . My third chem is not added to the mix..has zero cleaning capabilities but is applied seperatley. Everyone has their own way and I have played and played with everything I can get my hands on .. In fact, I have a few shingles Im testing that I threw on my roof! I actually was trying to destroy a shingle (test shingle) with 10.5% shc by applying it straight to the shingle and not rinsing it off. I applied it to the shingle a few times a over a couple of weeks in an effort to "dry" it out. It still lays in its dried up puddle of evaporated love in the "peerless lab" unscathed. ROFL I was going to prove a point with this but I imagine most that know wtf is going on know this and Im already an azzhole..no need to take anymore grenades for folks. I have taken advantage of some of my annual hoa gigs. The pm let me sneek a shingle on a dirty infested shingle and tile roofs. I treated the shingle/tiles and they still are up on the roofs..clean as can be. I think I have posted pics of the tiles I have painted/sealed I used for the tile ones. This pm loves my inthusiasim and doesnt even take bids now, knowing he surely has the "peerless" one.

Roofs have not been my focus last couple months. I mean we still do a few a week but, I am consumed with these big parking garages and ofice buildings.
Anyone here do a lot of office buildings with a lot of windows? Borax could be my answer?
 
Peerless said:
I am new to commercial flatwork. Mostly roofs and exteriors..we all know how to wash them. I now am working for a pm that has a few shopping plaza's and a few restaurantes we are doing. I asked one of my buddies that is local and flat out kiks azz on flatwork to help me. He came out and passed along a chem mix for flatwork that is absolutly uber. He made me promise I wouldnt tell what it is because it was passed to him from a semi-local commercial "king". Basically everything you can find in walmart or home depot. We made 200 gallons of it. 100 for each side of the plaza applied with a 17gpm 700 psi chem pump. OMFG is all i gotta say. I think it costs about 10 bux for 100 gallons of it. Pulled grease and grime right up.

I guess my reason for telling you this is dont give up and look at what you can get in high concentrations at walmart! Not purple crap or any other kind of degreaser..this degreaser is made. Making your own juice is a must.

I make my own roof wash and house wash
no it is not just a shc/tsp/borax mix. Addsing borax is like hunting birds with a 30:6. You just dont need it imo . My third chem is not added to the mix..has zero cleaning capabilities but is applied seperatley. Everyone has their own way and I have played and played with everything I can get my hands on .. In fact, I have a few shingles Im testing that I threw on my roof! I actually was trying to destroy a shingle (test shingle) with 10.5% shc by applying it straight to the shingle and not rinsing it off. I applied it to the shingle a few times a over a couple of weeks in an effort to "dry" it out. It still lays in its dried up puddle of evaporated love in the "peerless lab" unscathed. ROFL I was going to prove a point with this but I imagine most that know wtf is going on know this and Im already an azzhole..no need to take anymore grenades for folks. I have taken advantage of some of my annual hoa gigs. The pm let me sneek a shingle on a dirty infested shingle and tile roofs. I treated the shingle/tiles and they still are up on the roofs..clean as can be. I think I have posted pics of the tiles I have painted/sealed I used for the tile ones. This pm loves my inthusiasim and doesnt even take bids now, knowing he surely has the "peerless" one.

Roofs have not been my focus last couple months. I mean we still do a few a week but, I am consumed with these big parking garages and ofice buildings.
Anyone here do a lot of office buildings with a lot of windows? Borax could be my answer?
Click to expand...

I clean a butt load of flat work,send me the mix in PM and it'll neveer get around.Currently we use caustic soda beads with with a buytl and soap.Not real expensive,but expensive enough I would look at other alternatives.
 
If anyone is willing to share suggestions for self mixed cleaners please send a PM or email me at thompsonpw@yahoo.com. I will keep any and all information in the strictest confidence. I am just getting started and I am a little worried about my initial expenses, so any money saving tips would be very appreciated.
Thanks.
 
Scott - going to try the caustic for the first time!

1 Cup Caustic to 5 Gallon water, correct? This is what Russ says......but who trusts him?

Anything else to spice it up a little? Maybe some green food coloring? :eek:
 
PowerWash Pros said:
Scott - going to try the caustic for the first time!

1 Cup Caustic to 5 Gallon water, correct? This is what Russ says......but who trusts him?

Anything else to spice it up a little? Maybe some green food coloring? :eek:
Click to expand...

I bet this didnt work I use a minimum of 56oz per 5 gallons
 
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