Chlorine: How to Clean With Bleach

Have you ever wondered how to clean stucco walls or how to clean house siding? Well, you may not be able to drop thousands of dollars on a high flow commercial pressure washer or softwash system, but you can substantially improve the results you get from DIY cleaning using an easily purchased chemical called sodium hypochlorite (a.k.a. pool chlorine or bleach). This is the secret sauce that industry professionals use for removing and preventing the regrowth of organics like algae, moss, mold, etc. It can yield amazing results, but caution must be taken when using it, because it’s quite strong and can be harmful to you or your property if used incorrectly.

What can you clean with bleach?

It will brighten concrete, siding, and many types of hardscape by killing off organics that darken and discolor these materials.  

What can't you clean with bleach?

-        Oil/grease stains

-        Rust stains

-        Wood discoloration (it may help, but isn’t the ideal solution)

 What can bleach/chlorine damage?

-        YOU!

-        Your lawn/plants (undiluted, it will kill both almost immediately)

-        Fabric including outdoor furniture and clothing (though it has far less of an impact on polyester than it does on natural fabrics)

-        Your pressure washer (it is only suitable for use with a downstream injector that adds it to water that has already passed through the pump, many consumer pressure washers come with a “soap injector” tank that will cycle chemicals through the pump. If you put strong chlorine into one of these it is liable to destroy your machine. A suitable injector can be purchased for $40-300. Some pumps can handle chemicals being cycled through them, but unless you're a pro who has spent many thousands of dollars on a softwash diaphragm pump, the likelihood is that your pump doesn't fit into this category.

How to use chlorine for cleaning:

Once you’re finished pressure washing concrete, you simply spray it on using an appropriate pressure washer, let it sit for 10-15mins, and then rinse it off. This is all it takes to remove lingering organic grime, and bring your hard surfaces from pretty clean to sparkling.

In the case of siding, you shouldn’t pressure wash it first, but instead, dampen the siding with a soft spray of water followed by an application of chlorine (in addition to a scrub with a soft brush if necessary) and then rinse after 10-15mins.

How much to dilute bleach for cleaning?

Chlorine is usually purchased from a pool store in a 12% concentration, but before you use it at home it must be diluted. Bleach purchased from a supermarket will probably come in at around 4-5%, and even this will need to be diluted for anything but the toughest jobs. A good starting point for strength is 1%. Keep in mind that the water your pressure washer mixes it with will dilute it, but you need to calculate exactly how much it will be diluted based on the specs of your machine.

What can you mix with bleach for cleaning?

Purpose made surfactants can be added to chlorine to thicken it, allow it to better wet/permeate surfaces, and smell better. These include options like Apple Wash, and Eliminator (though these cost $70+ per gallon). Similar results can be achieved with bleach safe laundry soap. Whatever you do, don't mix bleach with any chemicals you're unsure of! It can create noxious gasses, some of which are so potent that they were used as poison in world war 1. 

Where to buy chlorine?

Most pool supply stores will sell it to you if you're buying in bulk and have your own container (chlorine specific HDPE jugs are the yellow cubes that come in 10, 15, and 20L sizes). Alternatively, you can buy it from a store with a pool section like Canadian tire or Walmart. The latter options costing you about twice as much by volume, but offering it prepackaged and in small quantities.

How do I protect my plants?

Chlorine is great at killing algae, but will also kill many other plants (including grass) if given the chance. This risk can be minimized by softly but thoroughly soaking plants with water before and after chlorine application. A very large amount of chlorine (at 1% purity) can be applied to grass or plants wihtout damage if they are rinsed both before and after exposure. 

Disclaimer

Do with this information what you will, but don’t consider this short article to be a comprehensive guide. It won't leave you fully prepared to use this chemical on your own. If you go this route, its best to consult other resources, get hands on instruction from professionals, and most important of all, don’t blame us if you destroy something. If in doubt, give us a call at (647) 212-6460, and we will do the hard work for you.