Soap List / Part II Graffiti Removal
Why is graffiti removal important to the public?
The City of Fort Worth has a thorough program on how and why it’s done. This department removes over 600 graffiti tags a month, with a record of 78 in one day!
The City of La Port started cleaning their properties in house and needed the supplies to get started. WashMart was able to help them with a hot water pressure washer trailer along with training the team on how to use the equipment properly.
We helped the city of League City with hot water pressure washer rentals and helped train their graffiti abatement program to learn to use the graffiti products.
There are two main products we offer for graffiti removal:
Undun was named after Fort Worth’s most notorious tagger who has created a lot of job security for the City of Fort Worth’s graffiti abatement program. This product was made specifically for the City of Fort Worth to be less harsh than other products on the market but still yielding results.
Undune is perfect for use on non-porous surfaces, painted surfaces, and aluminum surfaces.
Apply: Apply straight with a spray bottle. Dwell 15 minutes. Apply straight again and then brush into the surface. We repeat this process until the graffiti has been removed.
Taginator is perfect for use on masonry surfaces and concrete. It’s also effective with cold water.
Taginator is stronger for heavier duty jobs, it can burn your skin so make sure you have proper PPE.
Apply: Use straight, apply with a spray bottle, dwell for 15 minutes, apply another coat, brush, power wash off. Repeat the process until graffiti has been removed. Hot water is preferred.
Did you know that you can remove the majority of graffiti without a pressure washer?
If you don’t have a pressure washer, you can remove graffiti with a graffiti chemical, a spray bottle of water, and clean rags.
We started Neighborhood Grime Watch when we discovered the city of League City had a graffiti abatement program. The surrounding municipalities, Seabrook, Kemah, Webster, and El Lago did not have it in their budget to have a graffiti abatement program. We decided to contact the business owners “the victims of graffiti” to get their permission to remove their graffiti for free. We wanted to give back to our community while we were slow in our other business, so we reached out mostly to underserved areas, non-profits, and cities without graffiti abatement programs.
In the photo of this blog, there are several profane words used and this structure was right in front of our son’s special needs school. Our son is autistic and has a habit of repeating what he reads. We imagined there are many parents in similar circumstances. We went from just starting this program to giving back to the community and then becoming a passion to prevent others from having the same negative impacts we’ve seen with our kids. That is how Neighborhood Grime Watch formed. You can report Grime by texting 713-702-7828 or email us at neighborhoodgrimewatch@gmail.com. If you’re interested in setting up a Neighborhood Grime Watch in your area, we’d love to help.
Other Removal Options:
Tip, do not paint over graffiti.
If you just paint over graffiti, there will be a shadow under the paint. You always want to try and remove the graffiti first before painting over the surface. In the event you paint over the graffiti and it shows a shadow, you will want to repaint the area until you no longer see it. You will be able to tell if the graffiti will show when the paint dries.
This is a tool that can be used when standard graffiti removal products just won’t work. We only recommend this on concrete, if used on masonry, you’ll run into pitting and not easily fixed. Sandblasting will also tear out grout on brick surfaces.
We will be attending the 2024 Traps Institute and Expo 2/26/24-3/1/24 at the Moody Gardens Hotel and Convention Center in Galveston, TX
Eric Manely with the City of Fort Worth will be speaking about adding a graffiti abatement program to your city. WashMart.com / Neighborhood Grime Watch will be attending to support your pressure washer and chemical questions and supplies. We hope to see you there!
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