Removing moss.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Any easy way to remove moss from black painted steel railings? Before re-painting.

A magic chemical where it would just wipe off would be great.

[Andy Burns]

Surprised moss can get a foothold there.

Ferrous sulphate kills it in lawns, but takes a week or 10 days to do the job.

[alan_m]

The cheapest Aldi/Lidl malt vinegar and a spray bottle. Not instant and you need a couple of days without rain afterwards (re-apply if it rains)

[Broadback]

try biological washing powder, make a solution,apply and wait. works fine for me, cheap and readily available.

[Mark Allread]

I'd be surprised if it is moss.

Whatever it is I tend to clean up such things with a pressure washer. Shifts all the muck as well as loose paint. I use Hammerite to paint over (direct to metal or rust).

If the surface is perfectly sound after cleaning then Dulux Metalshield is also a good product IME.

(Dulux and Hammerite are both owned by the same company).

[Brian Gaff]

I have a problem on a concrete patio. Unfortunately it seems to actually stop this, probably the only way is to break up and remove the concrete and put down something else. It has such a foothold in the minute cracks in the surface that any attempt to kill it or pressure wash it off fails either in it coming back almost immediately or the concrete breaking up. Sigh.

Quite how you get it on railings is hard to see, unless its the paint which its growing on. Brian

[Martin Brown]

Do you mean moss or lichens?

The latter tend to etch into whatever surface they colonise so you are pretty much into wire brush to get it off a paint surface.

I think you may just need more elbow grease.

[RobH]

This has been dealt with in another thread about the same thing.

Anyway, as before I use a mix of cheap bleach, caustic soda and water in a watering can. The benefits are that apart from killing the moss, it also cleans the block paving.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Ah. It's a green growth, so moss to me. ;-) It resists vigorous brushing with a hand wire brush. And don't want to wreck the existing paint which isn't that bad by using a powerful abrasive.

Not got a pressure washer.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Probably the latter, after reading here.

Dammit. ;-)

[Mark Allread]

You could *buy* a pressure washer ;)

[Capitol]

Try Lidl bio washing liquid. Kills moss(and weeds) on my roof and drive.

[Jonathan]

Armillotox.

Jonathan

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Not really. Shortage of storage for large things like that I'd rarely use.