CLEANING — Printable Version Walls must be cleaned on a daily basis as block laying proceeds. Keep walls clean by using brushes or rags and a clean damp cloth. Harsh cleaning methods after walls have been erected may mar the surface of the blocks. Do not allow excess mortar lumps or smears to harden on the glazed surfaces. Remove green mortar with a dry cloth. Do not use steel wool, sandpaper or other abrasives. Masonry Cleaners Use Custom Burnished Masonry Cleaner by PROSOCO (dilute 1 part to 10 parts clean water), carefully following manufacturer’s instructions. Available at Trenwyth Industries. Do not powerwash. CAUTION! The following solvents must never be used as they may damage Astra-Glaze-SW+ block facings: paint remover, lacquer thinner, epoxy thinner, methylene chloride, acetone, muriatic acid. General Wipe Astra-Glaze-SW+ faces clean with a soft cloth as the blocks are laid each day. Wear rubber gloves when using cleaning solutions. Test an unexposed portion of adjacent metal fixtures with the cleaning solution. If corrosion or staining occurs, protect the exposed portions. Protect adjacent masonry and floor area by saturating with water and flushing away any cleaning solution before it dries. Materials Two plastic or hard rubber buckets Rubber gloves Soft fiber masonry brushes (or whitewash brushes) Wooden, plastic or other soft, non-staining scraping device Supply of “clean” wipers, such as lint-free cloths or paper towels Clean water Custom Burnished Masonry Cleaner by PROSOCO. Dilute 1 part to 10 parts clean water. DO NOT USE ACID. Final Cleandown Procedure 1 Brush clean water liberally on the surface area to be cleaned. Brush approximately one square yard at a time. It is important that the glazed wall surface be kept wet at all times. Do not use dirty water. Apply cleaning solution brushing in a circular motion to remove any unwanted mortar smears. Remove excess lumps of mortar with a wooden, plastic or other soft, non-staining scraping device and re-apply cleaning solution. Allow cleaning solution to remain on the surface for two or three minutes then wash off with liberal amounts of fresh, clean water. Do not powerwash. DO NOT USE ACIDS. Wipe wall down completely dry with clean, dry wipers. Procedure 2 If liberal amounts of water cannot be used, an alternative procedure may be employed. Soak a clean wiper in the cleaning solution. Wring it out so it is wet enough to dampen the surface, but dry enough so that the solution will not run down the wall. Allow the solution to remain on the surface for two or three minutes. Remove excess lumps of mortar with the soft scraping device and repeat Step #1. Wipe the wall completely dry with clean, dry wipers. Maintenance Astra-Glaze-SW+ units, properly installed and cleaned, need virtually no maintenance other than routine cleaning with standard commercial grade cleaning agents such as PINESOL® or FANTASTIK®. Other detergent-type cleaners, such as MR. CLEAN®, LESTOIL® or equivalent, may be used to remove stains such as grease, paint or pencil. Use clean wipers. Graffiti Removal Graffiti, paint or dye may need special cleaning methods and products such as Trenwyth's Graffiti Wizard® environmentally friendly cleaner. Graffiti Wizard® environmentally friendly cleaner removes most paints and permanent markers, varnish, glue, crayon, oil, grease, food spills, etc. from Astra-Glaze-SW+ glazed surface. Apply Graffiti Wizard using a brush or cloth. Let stand 10 second to 20 minutes, depending on the severity of the stain. If using on a more porous or textured surface, a non-metallic stiff bristle brush may be required. Wipe the surface with a damp cloth. After the stain is removed, neutralize the surface with water making sure that all of the Graffiti Wizard is removed from the surface. Graffiti Wizard is available from Trenwyth Industries in 4-oz., 12-oz., 1 gallon and 5 gallon containers. To order, call (800) 233-1924. Always follow manufacturer's safety precautions. For stubborn stains that are not fully removed with Graffiti Wizard, additional cleaners may be required — specifically Varsol, turpentine or xylene. Extreme caution must be exercised when strong solvents are used to remove paint or other stains from Astra-Glaze-SW+ facings as too much exposure time or rubbing pressure can dull the gloss of the glazed face. Permanent damage to the glazed facing can result from the use of improper cleaners or solvents. The following solvents must never be used on Astra-Glaze-SW+ block facings: paint remover of any kind, lacquer thinner, epoxy thinner, methylene chloride, acetone or muriatic acid. Epoxy Grout Removal: Never allow epoxy grout to fully cure on wall. Fully cured epoxy grout cannot be totally removed from Astra-Glaze-SW+ facings. The following products, however, can remove most of it. Denatured alcohol – try this first since it will not damage the glazed face. Xylene – CAUTION: Too much exposure time or rubbing pressure can dull the gloss of the glazed face.