Fixing Bleached UPVC and Brown Lead After Softwashing

Mark Cave

So, you've-you've just finished up a massive job, right? Pristine five-bedroom detached house, render looks brand new, you're packing up the hoses... and then you look at the front porch. And right there, on the brilliant white UPVC door frame, there's a, a patch of nasty, pinkish-brown staining. Right at eye level. I'm telling you, it is a heart-stopping moment. Your stomach just drops. You're thinking, "Right, I've ruined it. I'm going to have to pay for a new door." But look, don't panic. Don't go splashing more sodium hypochlorite on it thinking it'll bleach it out--that's actually the worst thing you can do. What you're looking at isn't a permanent stain, and you hasn't-you hasn't actually damaged the plastic. It's just a, um, a chemical reaction. See, older UPVC gets degraded by UV light over the years, and when the sodium hypochlorite hits those tiny, degraded metal particles on the surface, it-it-it oxidizes. It's basically a flash-rust reaction on the plastic itself. That's why it goes that pinky-orange-brown color. So, how do you fix it? Well, you don't use more bleach. You use science. You grab a gentle acid, specifically an oxalic-acid based rust remover with built-in surfactants. We use a product called Rust X Pro. You put a bit of that on a clean rag, give it a wipe, and literally, right before your eyes, the pink disappears. Gone. It-it-it instantly restores the white. The reason you need the surfactants in there is to encapsulate those metal particles so they don't just deposit further down. It's a-it's a massive get-out-of-jail card for exterior cleaners, and it takes about thirty seconds to sort.

Mark Cave

Now, the other absolute nightmare scenario is lead flashing. You're up on a roof, you're spraying your sodium hypochlorite mix to get rid of the moss and lichen, and a bit of overspray hits the dry lead flashing around the chimney. Instantly, it turns this dirty, oxidized brown color. It looks terrible. The customer looks up, and instead of seeing a lovely, clean roof, they see these ugly brown runs all over the lead. Again, it's just oxidation. But you can avoid this entirely if you use the right procedures. First rule of lead flashing: never let the chemical hit dry lead. Always, always pre-wet the lead with pure water first. Wet it thoroughly so you create a physical barrier of water on the surface. That way, if any softwash runs down, it hits the water, dilutes instantly, and runs off before it can react with the metal. And if you want to be really safe, you can use a temporary shield. I've heard of guys using petroleum jelly, or even just spraying a quick coat of WD-40 over the lead before they start. It creates a water-repellent barrier that the chemical just slides right off of. But let's say the mistake's already happened. You've got the brown stains. What do you do? Well, you don't leave it. You grab an oxalic-acid based lead cleaner--we call ours Lead X Pro--which has a built-in surfactant. You spray it on, or wipe it on, and it eats that brown oxidation right off, leaving the lead clean. And if you really want to stand out, apply some patination oil after it dries. It restores that deep, grey, professional look, and honestly, the lead will look better than it did before you even started the job. Alright, hope that helps you out of a tight spot. Have a great day, and I'll catch you on the next one. Take care.