A painter I know was using a product a resort lodge (power washing) before painting. The active ingredient is Sodium Hydroxide (NaOH), also known as lye. He informed me that they are careful to keep wet all surfaces they are cleaning until they do a thorough rinse. In this case the resort owner called the painter to inform him that the evening after they cleaned the lodge for painting there was ‘something’ on the glass. The resort owner has tried spray cleaner (like Windex) and soap and water with a white buff pad to remove the ‘something.’ So far, nothing has worked to remove the ‘something.’ The painter has called me for help. After a little research I’m concerned that the NaOH was left on the glass too long and actually began frosting (chemical etching) the glass. I’m going to look at the job Wednesday evening and see if there anything I can do, so I need a little help, quick like. Direct calls are welcome as well as responses to this post (Eric, 715-892-4290).
I haven’t even seen the glass, yet. I also haven’t ever used One Restore. Just got the call tonight and not time to drive up to the work site before dark. I also haven’t made any promises other than, “I’ll look at it.” So, chemistry not being my strong suit, is it just a matter of balancing the base (NaOH) with an acid to remove it from the substrate (glass)? Would muriatic acid or even plain white vinegar work?
They might. I suggested the One Restore because the wiki article said that hydrochloric acid could affect the SH. Not sure about the others but couldn’t hurt to try it on a small lower corner of one window.
Here is some information about chemicals and the PH scale. Learn it! You MUST know what is in every chemical before you use it to prevent very expensive accidents. Ask for the MSDS (material safety data sheet) for every chemical you carry on your truck store the sheets in a binder. The Sheet contains valuable info like PH, Personal Exposure Limit (PEL) and how to treat/clean up spills.
