Limestone Cleaning Services in the Austin, Texas Area

Limestone cleaning requires care to restore beauty to limestone surfaces. Cleaning limestone with high pressure has the potential to damage limestone by chipping limestone away or leaving streaks in the limestone surface, so caution must be exercised when applying high pressure to limestone. As an alternative to cleaning limestone with high pressure, limestone can be cleaned with soft washing. Soft washing is a process which uses detergents to lift contaminants away from surfaces. The contaminants can then be rinsed away with low-pressure water.

The ingredients needed soft wash limestone include bleach (sodium hypochlorite, also known as chlorine), a bleach-stable surfactant, and water. The bleach, surfactant, and water are combined into a solution and applied to the limestone surface. The soft wash solution is allowed to dwell on the limestone surface, and organic contaminants such as algae, mold, and fungi change color. Once the limestone is cleaned to satisfaction, the soft wash solution is thoroughly rinsed from the limestone surface. The sodium hypochlorite concentration in the solution will need to be at least 3%, but higher concentrations may be required. Care should be taken when working with high concentrations of bleach. Vegetation should be pre-soaked to prevent any runoff from burning the vegetation, and the bleach solution should be prevented from drying on the limestone surface.

It is important to understand the strength of bleach prior to attempting to clean limestone. Household bleach typically ranges from 4% to 8% sodium hypochlorite while pool shock or industrial bleach is typically 12.5% sodium hypochlorite. Additionally, sodium hypochlorite breaks down very quickly, so old bleach may be very weak. Therefore, it is recommended to use fresh bleach when soft washing any surface.

Six Solve provides quality limestone cleaning services. We use professional-grade bleach and surfactants to soft wash limestone patios, limestone walls, and limestone landscaping. If we need to apply any high pressure to the limestone surface, we limit the amount of pressure applied to the stone, apply the pressure consistently, and begin with a test spot in an inconspicuous area to verify the stone’s strength. Additionally, we offer a satisfaction guarantee for all our services, so you can hire Six Solve to clean your limestone with confidence!