Fertilizer Stains - Certified SoftWash Roof Cleaning

Doug Shaffer · SoftWash Systems Authorized Professional

Fertilizer Stains

AC Lockyer · Administrator

F9 should work. It is the only thing I have seen take magnesium stains off of concrete. You generally get two pellet stains, one from iron and the other from magnesium. Magnesium is the toughest to get out.

AC

Michael Derose · SoftWash Systems Certified Applicator

The last one I did had no effect on the stain followings craig's advice. I would do a test spot before going any further with the process and yes you will to power wash first.

Doug Rucker · UAMCC Officer

Clean first....it doesn't take long and better to be safe than sorry.

John Aloisio · SoftWash Systems 5-Star Professional

Pressure wash first, app,y straight F9, let dwell, pressure wash again. Repeat as needed. It depends how deep the stains are. We did a patio last year that took four applications...charge accordingly.

Doug Rucker · UAMCC Officer

Here's our procedure for fertilizer and battery acid procedures.

Take before Pictures
Clean Concrete
Allow or Use Blowers to dry concrete
Apply F9 (mix 1/2 gallon water to 1 gallon F9)
Allow or Use Blowers to dry concrete
Apply F9 (mix 1/2 gallon water to 1 gallon F9)
Allow or Use Blowers to dry concrete
Wet Concrete and broom the surface
Lightly rinse
Allow or Use Blowers to dry concrete
Take After Pics
Collect LARGE Check
Done

Doug Shaffer · SoftWash Systems Authorized Professional

Thanks to all who responded. I also exchanged a cew emails with Craig Harrison at F9 who outlined for me the same priocess that Doug Rucker listed in his post. He also referred me to the YouTube video on removing battery acid stains on a concrete driveway. Using a PW first to open up the pores of the concrete is key to having the F9 product work correctly.
We are currently waiting out the weather today and tomorrow. When we complete the job, I will put up another post with the results.

AC Lockyer · Administrator

Doug Rucker wrote:
Here's our procedure for fertilizer and battery acid procedures.

Take before Pictures
Clean Concrete
Allow or Use Blowers to dry concrete
Apply F9 (mix 1/2 gallon water to 1 gallon F9)
Allow or Use Blowers to dry concrete
Apply F9 (mix 1/2 gallon water to 1 gallon F9)
Allow or Use Blowers to dry concrete
Wet Concrete and broom the surface
Lightly rinse
Allow or Use Blowers to dry concrete
Take After Pics
Collect LARGE Check
Done

Step one is Sooooooo important!

AC

Jesse Bracken · Junior Member

If you forget step one your quality of work can be open for debate. Pictures have saved my behind a few times.

Interested in before and after picks, and to hear about your out come. I haven't tried f9 yet... have some but haven't used it.

Doug Shaffer · SoftWash Systems Authorized Professional

The Restoration Soft Wash Team went to work on this badly stained pool deck Following the steps that Doug Rucker outlined in his post. It took a few more applications of F9 Barc but the customer was pleased with the results.

-- Edited by AC Lockyer on Friday 18th of July 2014 04:10:55 PM

Mark Fermoyle · Lead Tech Certified

BEAUTIFUL JOB, Doug!!

AC Lockyer · Administrator

Doug Shaffer wrote:

The Restoration Soft Wash Team went to work on this badly stained pool deck Following the steps that Doug Rucker outlined in his post. It took a few more applications of F9 Barc but the customer was pleased with the results.

-- Edited by AC Lockyer on Friday 18th of July 2014 04:10:55 PM

WOW awesome when it all comes together!

AC

Ray Burke · Community Member

Really nice work. Doug!

Doug Rucker · UAMCC Officer

Doug, that is awesome work. Great job

Brandon Vaughn · SoftWash Systems Pro Staff

Doug Shaffer wrote:
The Restoration Soft Wash Team went to work on this badly stained pool deck Following the steps that Doug Rucker outlined in his post. It took a few more applications of F9 Barc but the customer was pleased with the results.

Awesome results Doug! Nice work.

A small tip - I noticed that the grass is lightly browned a little on the edges. This happened to me a couple times, especially when doing the several applications that fertilizer stains require. We now take the cardboard sheets from the F9 boxes, and hold them as barriers while spraying along the grass edges. Now we never have any dead grass along the edges.

Mario Ciottariello · SoftWash Systems 5-Star Professional

Came out awesome. Good work

Mark Fermoyle · Lead Tech Certified

Great tip, Brandon!!

Doug Shaffer · SoftWash Systems Authorized Professional

Thanks again to all who commented. Actually, the yellow grass along the edges was like that when we got there (see the "Before" photo). But thanks for the tip Brandon.

Jesse Bracken · Junior Member

bad landscape edging... Great job, looks awesome!!

Troy Layman · Lead Tech

Brandon Vaughn wrote:
Doug Shaffer wrote:
The Restoration Soft Wash Team went to work on this badly stained pool deck Following the steps that Doug Rucker outlined in his post. It took a few more applications of F9 Barc but the customer was pleased with the results.
Awesome results Doug! Nice work.
A small tip - I noticed that the grass is lightly browned a little on the edges. This happened to me a couple times, especially when doing the several applications that fertilizer stains require. We now take the cardboard sheets from the F9 boxes, and hold them as barriers while spraying along the grass edges. Now we never have any dead grass along the edges.

Has anybody tried out this tool versus the cardboard option? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SUv_L48LZbg, (also http://surfaceedger.com/Blank.html) called the "Surface Edger" It's $99 or $170 depending on which model you buy (with/without the wand). It looks like it works well, at least on straight line edges. Not sure how well it would work on curved surfaces like around this pool though. The outside (left turn) edges would probably work, but the other turns would probably put the nozzle directly into the dirt, at least partially.