Cleaning Wall Paneling in Bays???

[smullen]

The wife and I have recently taken on a new Adventure.

We are part time managing a small rural Car wash.
It has two Automatics (1 "Soft Touch" and 1 "No Touch") and 3 Self Service.

In all honestly the last guy they had running the show was really slacking... From the looks and comments we've got from regulars, I don't think he showed up, but maybe one every week or two to collect (and pocket some of) the money.

The place has been neglected and we are trying to really clean things up and improve it where we can., with our little to no knowledge of the Car Wash business.
We are already getting compliments from regulars saying they can tell the difference in many areas.

My question is, (i'm sure there will be many) the White or off White paneling in most of the bays is from slightly dirty to caked with whatever covers these things over the years. Could be exahust, dirt/dust, dried soap and chemicals, or a combo of all the above. They are well past just spraying them down with the High pressure wands in each bay. I've tried soaking them really well with Simple Green and a Purple cleaner that a mechanic friend recomended(can't recall the name), those worked in some places a little, but not really worth the effort (cost and time).

I was wondering if anyone had seen this and knew of something we could spray and then pressure wash off?

Something other than just replacing the panels? The owners are taking most of our suggestions on spending money to fix things, but I doubt they'd replace the paneling, so I'm trying to do the best we can.

I want then to be pleasantly surprised next time they check in, which I'm guessing will be in just a few weeks.

Thanks for any input.

 

[MEP001]

Try some toilet bowl cleaner from the nearest dollar store. Sno Bol is usually cheap, Dollar Tree sells a case of 12 bottles of Lime-A-Way cleaner for $12. It's thick so you can brush it on, wait a few minutes (Make sure it stays wet) and pressure it off. If toilet bowl cleaner isn't strong enough, try to locate some Klean Wall. It contains hydrofluoric acid, so take the proper precautions.

 

[wrightwash]

I've had great results from Awesome cleaner, similar to MEP001's suggestion. You can get a case of it at DG for around $13 here in Tennessee. Spray it on, scrub it with a brush and pressure wash off. I would try a little inconspicuous spot first just to make sure it agrees with your wall coatings.

 

[Twodose]

Are they fiberglass panels? I use a product called aluminate from warsaw chemical co. It will clean stainless, aluminum, and the fiberglass panels. It also contains hydrofluoric acid. Also if you order just 5 gallon it will cost allot to ship because it has to ship by freight.

 

[smullen]

Are they fiberglass panels? I use a product called aluminate from warsaw chemical co. It will clean stainless, aluminum, and the fiberglass panels. It also contains hydrofluoric acid. Also if you order just 5 gallon it will cost allot to ship because it has to ship by freight.

Thanks everyone for the replies... I really want to get these panels looking nicer if I can.

There are Fiberglass I'm assuming, or some type of plastic. There is a white strip that goes in between each two panels that has lip on the inside, they have a bit of texture to them. Looks like the same or similar stuff you see in some gas station bathrooms...

 

[Twodose]

what state are you in?

 

[Randy]

What you've got are fiberglass panels. Don't waste your time with the Dollar store products, I've used Awesome and it doesn't work as well as Nu-wall. Use Nu-wall from Arcadian https://www.arcadianservices.com/chemicals/nu-wall/ Be very careful it's dangerous stuff, wear a rain suit and gloves and don't get it on your skin.

 

[Noob]

Randy, do you use nu wall or nu wall2?

 

[smullen]

what state are you in?

Me ???
I'm in Southern Missouri... Around Farmington...
Most people have heard of Farmington, but none of the other places around here... Its PoDunk ville. I have cows for neighbors!!!
Moving down here from St. Louis a few years ago, I love it.

 

[Twodose]

Randy, does the nu wall work like it says it does with no scrubbing?, even on brick?

 

[Greg Pack]

Randy, does the nu wall work like it says it does with no scrubbing?, even on brick?

A gentle brushing is going to increase effectiveness substantially.

 

[MEP001]

A gentle brushing is going to increase effectiveness substantially.

I used to think otherwise, but I started cleaning the walls at mine and I brush on Klean Wall and keep dipping, applying and lightly scrubbing with an acid brush until my bucket is empty. It might be because the walls are so dirty, but they came much cleaner much easier this time, I think because I'm breaking through all the crud while I'm still applying. When I sprayed it on with a deck sprayer, it took at least four applications to get this result.

 

[Randy]

Randy, do you use nu wall or nu wall2?

We use the Nu-wall. We mix 1 to 1 with a little bit of foam brush added and use a sprayer to put it on. After it's been on the wall for a few minutes we back brush it with a stiff brush and wash it off with the high pressure gun. Sometimes we have to hit a spot again to get the wall super clean. We used to have a ZEP foam cannon that we'd use to put the chemical on the wall, it work great until it disappeared. It got When using Nu-wall you want to wear rain gear and rubber gloves.

 

[Car_Wash_Guy]

I'm going to try the hot water route. I'm custom building a pressure washing trailer with a 37hp Kohler mated to a 10gpm/3000psi pump. The less chemical I use the better - that shit is toxic/deadly.. Plus I'll be able to run a monster surface cleaner and clean at a much faster rate.

 

[DiamondWash]

Just tried Klean Wall 2 (the HF Free Version) and I'm not at all impressed with the results plus it separates in the container so fast even after mixing it up I couldn't get it to clean the walls, I got the walls looking like new with a cheap dollar store Scotch Brite pad and water LOL.

 

[MEP001]

If your Klean Wall is separated, it's old and probably bad. I've had some that sat around for six months and just wouldn't clean any more.

 

[DiamondWash]

Quest Car Care products have a Wall cleaner call F.W.C which a lot of people are having great success with.

https://questcarcare.com/wp-content/uploads/F.W.C.-tech.pdf

other Quest wall cleaners:

Bay Cleaners | Heavy Duty Car Care Products | Archives

Bay Cleaners provide a "knock out punch" with a heavy-duty acidic blow to extremely soiled aluminum, cement, brick, trailer panels, walls, wheels, and more!

questcarcare.com

 

[sparkey]

Are they fiberglass panels? I use a product called aluminate from warsaw chemical co. It will clean stainless, aluminum, and the fiberglass panels. It also contains hydrofluoric acid. Also if you order just 5 gallon it will cost allot to ship because it has to ship by freight.

I second the aluminate from warsaw.

 

[soapy]

LOw Fume Muratic acid availible at Home Depot or Lowes. I dilute it 2 parts water to 1 part acid. I brush it on and let it sit for a couple of minutes then brush it again for agitation. and rinse. Bad spots might require 2 applications. About $7 per gallon and I can do a 40 foot auto bay with 2 gallons.

 

[MEP001]

Get extra acid brushes when brushing on muriatic acid - I can barely get one use out of them before most of the bristles come off.