Getting the right mix to combat rising costs of removal
August 1st 2005

For those that have a thankless task of keeping our public areas clean (trains/ buses, stations, toilets, street signs, buildings and so on) realise that the ‘art’of graffiti grows more intrusive every day. It cannot be ignored that graffiti defaces buildings and results in spiralling removal costs

The main problem the cleaning contactor has is the formidable array of materials the vandals have at their disposal. This can include spray paints and marker pens that are based on high polymer technology and durable pigments. These materials are not easily removed. Added to this, they are not discriminate on the type of surfaces they attack. These surfaces include porous masonry, metal, wood, polycarbonate, and so on. It is no wonder that confusion can occur as to what products should be used.

The critical choice of products used can mean the difference between a successful result and failure leading to poor time management and costly man-hours, especially as the fight is relentless against this problem. It is accepted that no amount of literature can replace the knowledge and experience of a trained operator.

For many years, Imperial Janitorial Supplies has worked closely with the London Boroughs, local authorities, private cleaning contractors, train operators to tackle the graffiti problem.

Imperial has built up expert knowledge on effective graffiti removal and would welcome the opportunity to show, through practical demonstrations, how to fight this problem. The emphasis is on selecting the correct product for removing the graffiti, controlled usage of the products and health and safety advice.

For sometime now customers have been asking for a self-contained kit. A kit that the cleaning operator can transport safely around by car or to carry around to treat unsightly graffiti. Some local authorities have also asked us to provide a graffiti cleaning kit for their residents to borrow. Using its industry knowledge, Imperial has put together in a box, effective cleaning products, with the right application tools andsufficient personal protection equipment – the Blitz It Graffiti Box.

Imperial is a cleaning chemical manufacturer based at Liphook, Hampshire. It was established in 1991 by Martin Earl, a ‘chemical chef’, as he likes to be known. The analogy is fitting as it buys in the raw materials, mixes the ingredients in the right proportions, according to the recipe, then serves it up with nice packaging. Imperial also doublechecks that these materials are biodegradable and not a hazard to the environment. A responsibility it takes very seriously. The menu of graffiti removers is growing all the time, this is because the ‘graffiti artist’ come up with their own recipes of paints, sometimes mixed with glue and other solvents making it very difficult to remove.

Removing graffiti from trains is a speciality. It is always astonishing to see a whole train covered in graffiti, and it is always satisfying to see it removed. Products under Imperial are 4-Rail approved for surface compatibility, health hazard and environmental assessment, product efficiency and supplier quality assessment. Its biggest involvement is with the London Underground. Here the war against graffiti is at its strongest. We are talking about etching on glass, backs of seats and acid etching.

Presently, Imperial are working on permanent surface coatings.

Applied to porous and non porous surfaces, will make the job of graffiti removal easier, using water based detergents, rather than solvents. Some of the London Boroughs are very interested in good effective, fast curing permanent coatings. Ease of removal means less time on site, better health and safety and less cost and more productivity.

Training sessions to stamp out graffiti Community groups keen to clean up their neighbourhoods are being invited to free training sessions to learn how to use graffiti removal equipment. Reading Borough Council has bought 20 DIY removal kits and these will be loaned to community groups and other organizations to get rid of the unsightly scribbles spoiling the look of their neighbourhoods. The kits contain chemical removal liquids which is why people using them have to undergo training.

The first training session is on Wednesday 23 February and will last for two hours. It's being run by the company supplying the kits – Merlin Chemicals.

The council is keen to hear from other organisations, for example a representative from a parade of shops or a local company, which would like to be trained to use the kits. The kits are part of the ‘Your Reading – Keep It Clean’campaign which was launched a year ago. It encourages local people to work alongside the council to keep Reading clean by tackling litter, graffiti and flyposting.

In the month the campaign was launched the number of people calling the council to report graffiti and rubbish was 120. Thanks to the campaign, the number of calls had dropped to 55 six months later.

As well as the graffiti kits, the council has six ‘clean up’ packs which it lends to community organisations holding neighbourhood litterpicks and tidy ups. The kits feature litter pickers, high visibility jackets, gloves and black sacks.

June Orton, Reading‘s lead councillor for environmental services, said: “Once representatives of community and residents groups have been trained in using the graffiti kits they should be able to tackle any cases of graffiti swiftly.

“There’s a big demand on the council's anti graffiti service which means there’s sometimes a wait before they get round to tackling incidents. If local groups have the training and equipment to do the job instead, it will go a long way to ridding neighbourhoods of this unsightly vandalism.”