dawn dish soap and SH?

FTM-PTB

New member
tried a search.. wasnt able to find anything.

BUT.. want to hear your thoughts on using dawn dish soap as surfactant mix in SH.

any experiences? dangers? pro's/con's?

thanks guys
 
It used to be the "go to" soap for contractors a few years back. It is a degreaser so it will degrade your mix if not used promptly.
I liked it a lot for roofs because it's thick and heavy. But not for house washing. We choose not to do many roofs anymore though.
 
I have used Apple Blossom Dawn in a pinch. I don't do very many house or building washes though anymore. And when I do if I have to chemically wash it then I use EBC. It's more expensive but it works great.
 
The biggest drawback to the Dawn is that unlike laundry detergents or surfactants like Roof Snot the dish soaps are not chlorine stable. The SH can separate thus minimizing the effectiveness of your mix.
 
Pretty sure dawn label says specifically to not mix with bleach. I'll use Purex laundry liquid in a pinch, but really prefer industry specific chemicals when possible. Having tools like that helps me to justify getting $125- $175 an hour, when most of my competition is working for 25-50 bucks per hour.
 
Just something to think about when mixing your own chemicals. We were washing a big complex and get a call from the property manager that a homeowner left a child unattended and was lapping up some of our soap puddles and had to be taken to the doctor. (great parenting) The doctor needed MSDS sheets on our soaps. Within 3 minutes we had them in the doctors hands. Soap was non toxic and the child is fine. Buy industry soaps from a reputable manufacturer who will stand behind the product in all situations.
 
Laundry detergents mixed with bleach always remind me of laundry days when I was a kid,Ha,Ha,...

You know,..The Vinyl Siding Institute actually recommends using Tide or other laundry detergent with bleach for washing siding,..Not sure how credible they are but either way,..it's what they recommend.

Laundry detergent is actually a pretty good option,..especially on basic house washes where only mild detergent is needed,..which is most cases.

For those who use laundry detergent,..just put it in a different container and put on a chemical formula code,..just don't forget what's in there,Ha,Ha...

Not sure about the liquid Gain,..but the powdered Gain has a serious detergency factor,...I found that out from doing laundry with it and the clothes I wore made me itchy,,.which to me means harsh. It must have a high PH because it will even darken raw wood like high PH wood strippers do.

I used the powdered Gain a few times on house washes and it worked well. But Purex is cheaper and works as well. I use about 3oz. of Purex and about 3 liquid oz. of 9% SLS (Sodium Laury Sulfate),.. in a a 5 gallon bucket of DS mix along with 1 1/2 gallon 12.5%. Run through a 3-5 GPM injector and 150'-200' of hose. Makes soap like mad and cleans very well,...and customers love the delicate smell along with seeing all that soap on the windows when they're inside watching. Little more rinsing but not bad,...plus,..I also like seeing lots of soap.

If I get into a house that is really dirty and not just moldy,..I will replace the Purex with Sodium Hydroxide,..cuts bug crap and regular outside dirt better,..but usually isn't needed. Used more in spring and Fall when temps are down.

Jeff
 
Laundry detergents mixed with bleach always remind me of laundry days when I was a kid,Ha,Ha,...

You know,..The Vinyl Siding Institute actually recommends using Tide or other laundry detergent with bleach for washing siding,..Not sure how credible they are but either way,..it's what they recommend.

Laundry detergent is actually a pretty good option,..especially on basic house washes where only mild detergent is needed,..which is most cases.

For those who use laundry detergent,..just put it in a different container and put on a chemical formula code,..just don't forget what's in there,Ha,Ha...

Not sure about the liquid Gain,..but the powdered Gain has a serious detergency factor,...I found that out from doing laundry with it and the clothes I wore made me itchy,,.which to me means harsh. It must have a high PH because it will even darken raw wood like high PH wood strippers do.

I used the powdered Gain a few times on house washes and it worked well. But Purex is cheaper and works as well. I use about 3oz. of Purex and about 3 liquid oz. of 9% SLS (Sodium Laury Sulfate),.. in a a 5 gallon bucket of DS mix along with 1 1/2 gallon 12.5%. Run through a 3-5 GPM injector and 150'-200' of hose. Makes soap like mad and cleans very well,...and customers love the delicate smell along with seeing all that soap on the windows when they're inside watching. Little more rinsing but not bad,...plus,..I also like seeing lots of soap.

If I get into a house that is really dirty and not just moldy,..I will replace the Purex with Sodium Hydroxide,..cuts bug crap and regular outside dirt better,..but usually isn't needed. Used more in spring and Fall when temps are down.

Jeff
Jeff,
Do you mix sodium hydroxide with chlorine??
 
Pretty sure dawn label says specifically to not mix with bleach. I'll use Purex laundry liquid in a pinch, but really prefer industry specific chemicals when possible. Having tools like that helps me to justify getting $125- $175 an hour, when most of my competition is working for 25-50 bucks per hour.

That is what sets you apart from your competition. Pro's use professional tools and products. If you want to be the best don't cut corners. Anyone can do that.
 
Pretty sure dawn label says specifically to not mix with bleach. I'll use Purex laundry liquid in a pinch, but really prefer industry specific chemicals when possible. Having tools like that helps me to justify getting $125- $175 an hour, when most of my competition is working for 25-50 bucks per hour.

Our proprietary house wash mix! Shhhh.... Don't tell the $99.00 house wash guys.

photo.JPGbleach.jpg
 
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