The top 5 mistakes people make when dealing with graffiti 11/03/2013

- ***Believing the most dangerous product is the most effective.*** It is a common misconception that graffiti removal products marked; Hazardous, Harmful, Corrosive and Irritant are in some way stronger and therefore more effective than their unclassified and safe equivalents. This is not true. Products marked with these kinds of warning symbols merely rely on simple base chemicals to break down the graffiti. They are no more effective but infinitely worse for the operative and the environment. - ***Ignoring safe products because you believe they are weak*** Advances in modern technology mean that safe graffiti removal products are every bit as effective at removing graffiti as their old fashioned counterparts. Just as modern insulation has replaced asbestos and gas guzzling monsters are being replaced by leaner more efficient versions of our favourite cars heavy graffiti removal chemicals are becoming unnecessary and the new breed of safe graffiti removal products are gaining recognition. - ***Chasing the graffiti vandals around.*** All too often we let graffiti get away from us. That is to say we allow it to build up to such a point that a full “anti graffiti blitz” is the only solution. Every study carried out on the subject of graffiti eradication extols the virtues of graffiti free zones. Only by designating a suburb, stairwell, public toilet or a subway as a graffiti free zone then keeping on top of it on a week by week basis will we get our message across to the graffiti vandals and make sure they understand we will not tolerate any graffiti in this area. - ***Painting out graffiti as a solution.*** “We just paint it out” is often offered as a solution to the ever growing graffiti problem. The truth is 9 times out of 10 the patch work quilt effect created by such graffiti management strategies looks worse than the graffiti it is meant to replace. Videos such as “The subconscious art of graffiti removal” now litter the internet and are attracting tens of thousands of views every year. If the only option is to paint out the graffiti can we please paint out the whole wall then protect it from future attack with a permanent anti graffiti coating. - ***Not applying an anti graffiti coatings to frequently attacked areas*** The sight of a clean wall all too often signals the end of a graffiti removal job. We forget that a clean wall is simply a blank canvas to the graffiti vandal. If you’ve had to remove graffiti once you can guarantee we’ll be back again within 12 months and you’ll have to remove it all over again. This “Forth Bridge” mentality inadvertently makes the substrate even more porous and wastes more of our precious time and money. If we just spent a few more minutes on the job and protected the surface from future attack with a permanent anti graffiti coating our return visit would be far more efficient. A protected surface is around 80% quicker to clean than an unprotected one proving that prevention really is better than cure.