Graffiti
Graffiti is a problem in cities big and small, on buildings and sometimes homes. It can be a chore trying to remove graffit from both outdoor walls and even indoors. Most businesses make some kind of effort to remove it for sake of appearances and its possible effect on business. Fortunately, a number of cleaning techniques exist that can remove graffiti paint, chalk or etching, despite some tasks taking hours of time and requiring professional help.
Instructions
Pressure Washers and Sand Blasters
1. Acquire a low-pressure washer with a wide nozzle that doesn't exceed 700 pounds of pressure per second. These long-handled water sprayers are used frequently to remove graffiti on outdoor brick surfaces. Any pressure washer with more pressure power could cause damage to the bricks.
2. Hold the nozzle steady as it sprays and gradually move the tip of the nozzle from the outside of the graffiti stain to the center so the removed paint doesn't get on the clean areas. This could take a day or two to complete but pressure washers usually do the best job in removing paint and chalk from brick surfaces.
3. Purchase a sand blaster as an alternate method toward removing graffiti from outdoor brick, stone or wood surfaces. It's best to hire a professional, however, to use a sand blaster if you are inexperienced in using one. Sand blasters use a mixture of sand and grit in the blaster base that sprays powerfully through a nozzle. Wear protective glasses if you use one yourself.
4. Use your sand blaster around surface areas surrounding the graffiti stain so the entire surface will match up. Sometimes shadowing can occur or a dark outline of where the paint was after being cleaned off. If you clean the surrounding surface, shadowing won't be quite as noticeable.
Cleaning Other Surfaces
5. Buy paint thinners to clean graffiti paint off metal or glass surfaces. Dab paint thinner on a clean cloth and wipe the surface. Use a new cloth dabbed in water to wipe off any excess paint thinner.
6. Use mineral spirits to clean graffiti paint, chalk or etching off of most wood surfaces that are sealed with paint. Dab the mineral spirits solution on a clean cloth and wipe in circular motions. Avoid using this cleaning solution on weathered wood, since the mineral spirits will permanently work the paint into its surface.
7. Try penetrating oil on plastic surfaces that have graffiti stains. As with paint thinners and mineral spirits, dab it on a clean cloth and wipe the surface until the paint, chalk or etching stains are removed.
8. For any glass surface outdoors or indoors, hold a razor blade at a thirty-degree angle and gradually scrape the graffiti paint off. This works much better than any of the cleaning solutions, although it is obviously more painstaking and could take hours of work.
