For most buildings, the exterior is designed to be its most important eye-catching feature. While we’re wired to be extra mindful of the cleanliness and maintenance of the interior of our homes and offices, we sometimes neglect to remember to give the outside of our buildings the proper care. One of the biggest advantages of prepainted metal is its easy maintenance, but there are a few easy steps to make your metal panels shine bright.

Rinse the surface with water.

This sounds like a no-brainer, but this is one of the easiest ways to clean coated metal panels. Dirt and debris built up over time can affect the quality of the panel’s appearance and potentially reduce the lifetime of the coating. Simply rinsing the surface with a garden hose or pressure spray system will clean most buildups on a coating surface, allowing the panels to look brand new.

Clean with soap or water for difficult areas.

In cases where dirt and debris become too much for a simple rinsing, soap or detergent is the best next step. Soap or detergent is very effective in removing caked-on contaminants or stains. If an area needs a deep scrubbing, it is better to use a plastic bristle brush, as steel brushes can potentially lead to discoloration of the metal’s surface.

For graffiti, extra measures must be taken.

When it comes to tougher problems like graffiti, regular soap and water just won’t cut it sometimes. While many coatings have inherent qualities to combat graffiti, we recommend a water-soluble, biodegradable cleaning system made from soluble alcohol that can be rinsed with water. Any variation of these non-toxic cleaners that use a brush-on, wipe-off application can effectively remove recent graffiti without damaging the panel’s finish.

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