How to protect children & animals when soft washing

Benz Bio Cleanze should be applied at a maximum dilution strength of 50:1 to horizontal porous surfaces on which a customer's, or their neighbour's, animals and children may walk or play. All animals and children must be prevented from gaining access to the treated area until the entire surface is completely dry.

Important: "Dry" means that no puddles or "pooling" remain anywhere on the treated surface. Pooling must be brushed away, or removed from the site, to enable that area of the treated surface to dry completely. Ideally allow a few hours of dry weather after application for the biocide to soak deep below the surface. This ensures animals and children will not be exposed to ingestion of biocide via mouth or skin.

Benz Lightning Cleanze should be thoroughly rinsed from the treated surface after activation and before animals and children are allowed to walk on the treated surface. LIghtning Cleanze is perfect for softwashing non-porous surfaces.

Questions to ask a customer if their pet becomes ill

1) Did they keep their pet away from all treated areas until it was completely dry for several hours? (if they say Yes, how then did the pet become exposed to a softwash chemical?)

2) What makes your customer think their pet is ill because of exposure to a softwash chemical? What is their proof? (animals can become ill from a wide range of causes, including chemicals applied by a neighbour to their property)

Take these essential precautions before softwashing a property

Ask your customers if they have children or animals on the property before starting work. Then ...
Explain to your customers – before treating their property – the reasons why you ask them to keep animals, children and themselves away from the working area and treated surfaces until they are completely safe.
Quick tip: When customers fully understand the reasons for your requests they are more likely to comply.
Erect barriers to keep customers, the public, children and animals out of the working area.
Place "spotters" at either side of the working area whose job is to stop people and animals entering the working area.
Do not apply Bio Cleanze at stronger than 50:1 dilution on surfaces that animals and children may walk or play on, because stronger dilutions may not ensure the complete safety of animals and children.
Never apply Bio Cleanze to children's play equipment and play areas.
Use LIghtning Cleanze to softwash most non-porous surfaces.

Give your customers written instructions

We've know of cases where a contractor's customer ignored verbal advice to keep their children and animals away from the working area and treated surfaces until they were safe.

The only way to overcome this problem is to put instructions on how to ensure the safety of children and animals into your written contract, ask them to read it, and give it to your customers before softwashing their property.

We suggest including the wording below on the written contract that you give your customers and have them sign the contract before starting work.

Feel free to copy and paste this text into your written contract:

"To ensure the safety of any children or animals that may walk or play on the premises you require to be soft washed, it is important to ensure that they are kept away from the working area and equipment at all times.

"Please keep all children and animals inside, or let a trusted person take care of them, or put them in the care of a professionally qualified person or company, while work is in progress and until the area has been declared safe."

Dilution strengths of Benz biocides for safe softwashing

Lightning Cleanze - ensure treated surfaces are thoroughly rinsed before telling your customer that the area is safe. The product can be applied at any of our recommended dilution strengths, as the active ingredient will be mostly used up during the process of softwashing.

Bio Cleanze - apply at a maximum dilution of 50:1 on horizontal porous surfaces on which your customers, or neighbour's, animals and children may walk or play.

When treating walls and roofs, and other surfaces that children and animals will not be in contact with, Bio Cleanze can be used in stronger dilutions of up to 20-25:1.

When Bio Cleanze is used as a post-treatment following cleaning by Lightning Cleanze and/or power washing, it does not need a stronger dilution than 50:1 to be sufficiently effective on horizontal surfaces.

Applied yearly, or in some cases twice yearly, this dilution strength will be sufficient to keep paths, patios and tarmac surfaces permanently free from re-colonisation.*

* The length of time a surface will remain clear from infestation depends upon multiple variable factors such as the porosity of the surface, ambient temperature, presence of organic matter such as leaves and grass cuttings, and the general local environment (eg presence of overhanging trees, hedges, shaded areas, etc).

IPA: There will be no ill-effects from the IPA (Iso Propyl Alcohol) in Bio Cleanze as it will have evaporated by the time the surface has dried.

Click here to learn how to protect your customer's plants and grass

The Benz Softwash range of softwash cleaning products:

Click here to get more practical soft washing how-to tips

How to find answers to most soft washing questions: Simply enter a relevant "keyword" or short phrase (e.g. keyword for above link = "how to") into our in-site Search Engine (the magnifying glass icon on main menu)

You can order Benz softwash chemicals & equipment online or by phone:

GB (England, Scotland, Wales)

Phone: 0800 70 74 222

Online: www.benzsoftwash.co.uk

Ireland and other countries

Phone: 00353 214 622 978

Online: www.benzsoftwash.com

Lines open Monday - Friday, 9am – 5pm

Please note: The above numbers are for orders only (click here for tech support)

Click here to explore the full range of Benz Softwash cleaning chemicals & equipment

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