Follow Us

Soap Warehouse Blog

Exterior Maintenance Cleaning Products for Concrete, Wood & Fabric

Posted by Linda Chambers on Thu, Apr 08, 2010 @ 11:38 AM

Each month we are featuring a group of our products to help our current and future customers learn what products we carry that they might not be aware of. Plus this gives information regarding the differences between some items as well. This month we will discuss products used for exterior maintenance cleaning.


For concrete flat work we have a basic “Concrete Cleaner” as well as degreasers like “Mighty-O” “Mighty-Max” and “Mighty Max Plus” these all contain butyl, a great grease cutter. The differences between these three mainly are the amount of butyl they contain, 3%, 6% or 10% respectively. We have a product called “Pro BRC” or Building Restoration Cleaner for brick and masonry to remove years of neglect, mold, mildew and dirt. It will restore mortar lines back to original or near original color with out using damaging high pressure that can loosen mortar joints. To remove rust stains from concrete, sometimes caused by certain mineral waters or irrigation thru metal water lines, we have “Concrete Rust Remover”. This is a powder that is mixed 4 lbs per 5 gallons of water for best results. We also carry some more environmentally friendly products when other products can not be used due to Home Owners Associations or other factors, like our “Natures Green APC” all purpose cleaner or “Mighty Green” which is in the same family as the well known Simple Green®. We also have a bio degradable Economy degreaser called “Rite Stuff” that contains an organic solvent if butyls are not allowed to be used.

For wood cleaning for decks and other wood structures we have the following:

Deck Wash” for regular cleaning of most wood surfaces it can clean anything from cedar to pressure treated wood. Now if a softer approach is needed to clean, and in no way can contain any acid or harsh ingredients, then our “So Safe” can be used. This percolating product comes in a powder that is mixed just prior to use and only in the amount that is expected to be used, since it will loose its cleaning ability if left to sit. This is perfect when you just need to lift off a layer of dirt with out touching the stain, finish or the woods own character like with teak or a newly stained deck. Now if you are in need to remove an existing finish or stain then you will need one of our strippers. We have two; the first is just called “Deck Stripper” and can handle most normal single layer or worn stain jobs. But if multiple or thick layers of stain, sealer or varnish need to be removed then we have the product “Super Stripper” that will do the job. With either of these you will need to follow them up with a neutralizer to stop the chemical action and for that we have our “Wood Brightener”. This comes in a powder and is mixed 4 lbs to 5 gallons of water and can also be used alone to brighten a previously untreated wood surface. The last product we have in our exterior wood section is our Bio Barrier mold inhibitor product. This should be applied to a surface after it has been cleaned and is completely dry. This will prevent the re-growth of mold on wood in areas having known pre-existing problems. Bio Barrier does not kill mold, that is why the surface must first be clean and old mold removed, but once applied to a surface it should stay mold free for at least 6 months if not for a year or more. Length of time will depends on factors like amount of time area is in the shade, how much water or moisture it comes in contact with, how much air circulation is available to the area and if the surface is horizontal or vertical.

Next is a product for outdoor cloth or plastic fiber fabrics found on lawn furniture pads, umbrellas, awnings and fabric gazebos called “Carpet & Fabric Cleaner” this is a great multi use product. It is formulated with optical brighteners to give colored fibers deeper tone and better contrast. It will help restore color to fabrics that are faded by dirt and grime. It contains no harsh chemicals that will damage fibers and will help to extend the life of the outdoor fabrics use. Companies such as Sunbrella® suggest to only use mild detergents for heavy soiling or to remove molds and mildew by adding a small amount of bleach to the cleaning solution, hot water should NEVER be used on Sunbrella® fabric and may require some brushing to remove stubborn stains from between fibers. “Carpet & Fabric Cleaner” can be used in this recommended manner.

Tomorrow we will cover our products for house washing.

Tags: exterior maintenance, exterior cleaners, Deck wash, building restoration cleaner, Carpet and Fabric Cleaner, Deck Stripper, Super Stripper, Concrete Cleaner

Happy New Year

Posted by Linda Chambers on Fri, Jan 01, 2010 @ 09:00 AM

Welcome to 2010. With one decade almost behind us already we have a lot to improve upon to end this first ten years in the positive and not the negative.

By now if you have been following along with us since 2008 we have informed you to get or upgrade your web site, improve your SEO, have great business cards, know how and where to advertise, and have introduced you to some of our great products.

This year we would like to hear from you to know what more you would like to learn? We will also explore some of our products in more detail each month, as well, depending on the time of year and when they are most often used.

For example, although we still have outside exterior maintenance cleaning going on in the Southeast and out in the Southwest, most of our customers are in the deep freeze of winter and either not working or have moved inside to other work such as commercial kitchen exhaust cleaning. Now for some this is an all year business but not for everyone. So my next blog will cover our Hood Cleaning products.

Others move to things like increased home carpet, air duct and window cleaning or inside car detailing. So in February and March we will cover products for that.

Once the spring starts to get here and we get back from Louisville KY and the Mid America Truck Show we will move into truck fleet wash products and then exterior home products for April and May.

Come June & July we will be in full swing of the outdoor cleaning season and will explore our car wash and deck products.

I plan in August to cover our new large laundry product line since by then we sould have many of the older Orenda customers on board by then.

September will bring us to heavy duty equipment products for the commercial contruction industry. By October we will discuss our aircraft cleaner Top Gun as well as 'Green Products' that we have or products we are converting over to being 'Green'.

November we will discuss our degreasers and how they differ as much as they seem they are the same. By December we will be running out of product lines so it will be on what ever we have missed or what will be new for 2011.

I hope these product line blogs will help you understand and choose the product that will work best for your own business applications and you will enjoy them along with the other informational blogs we will be posting.

Talk with you soon.

Tags: exterior cleaners, Kitchen cleaner, laundry detergent, Blog

Sign up for Newsletter by Email

Latest Posts

Posts by category