How best to clean ?

[Primrose]

We have a corrugated see-through lean-to along the side of our house which reaches out to our boundary fence. The water from it drains off into water butts via a guttering. Over the years the roof has become begrimed and covered in lichen which restricts the sunlight and which will be difficult to dislodge. Can anybody suggest a substance which would dissove the grime and clean it up which won't leach harmful substances into the water butt?

[Beryl]

Do you have a power-washer Primrose?

My window-cleaners did my guttering, the dorma etc. and it cleaned it all a treat. No chemicals either.

Beryl.

[madasafish]

try vinegar...

[Primrose]

No unfortunately we don't have a power washer and I suspect that even if we had, the perspex (or whatever it is) is far too fragile to stand up to any great pressure being exerted on it and it's been up for nearly 30 years now. The area is about 30 feet long and the canopy extends out from the wall about 3 feet, so it's quite a large area to try and clean. Also it not a flat roof but corrugated style so doubly difficult to deal with.

[Beryl]

Sounds like it is a job for good old 'elbow grease'
What about a long handled soft bush, squeezy mop, something to get into the grooves. Soap and water then a rinse down with a gentle hose.

Have fun getting wet -Best of luck
Beryl.

[John]

You could try washing-up liquid, in particular those green, environment friendly types. All these liquids are biodegradable so anything that gets down into your water butts should be broken down into harmless stuff.
30 years is a pretty good lifetime for a plastic roof. Perhaps as its has been there for so long and you think that it has become brittle, it might be time to replace it?

John

[Gilly C]

Do you think Algon would work ? you just spray it on then leave it next time it rains everything comes up nice and clean Johnboy recommended it so he might know and it is harmless in the soil but if splashed on leaves it burns !

[peter]

I use Jeyes on my car port across the back of the house.

[Primrose]

Thanks for your suggestions. I'll give them a try. One problem is having to access neighbour's garden with a ladder and a hosepipe, as it will have to be done from his side.

[Vegman]

There is a product called superspray which connects to a hosepipe. You can fill it with Jeyes, detergent, plant food, car shampoo whatever you like and it will dilute as you spay. I have one for cleaning my greehouse and feeding my plants. It sprays up to 8 metres and helps you NOT to use a ladder.

If the perspex is heavy green algeae then I would spray on jeyes and leave it a while to work. then spray clean water to rinse. repeat a few times til it becomes clean. Though if its a few years old then the perspex will have gone a bit 'milky' but eventually the green should clear. As the green is a short daylight plant keep spraying in winter. see www.superspray.co.uk it cost about £10 mail order