V-TUF D-Green Softwash Algaecide

Both, on hard surfaces. V-TUF describe it as exterminating moss from hard surfaces, and say it can be applied directly onto moss, mould, algae or mildew and will kill it off. The one exclusion they state is moss in grass or lawned areas, so it is not a lawn treatment. On a roof, moss and the algae and lichen staining underneath it are two different problems, and this deals with both where a scraper only deals with the first.

Up to 500 square metres at full dilution. It is a 10x concentrate, so maximum dilution is 10 parts water to 1 part D-Green, which is where that coverage figure comes from. Use less water and you will cover proportionally less ground. It can also be run neat through a pressure washer chemical feed if your setup takes it, which uses considerably more product for the same area.

No, and that is the point of a softwash. It goes on through a sprayer at low pressure and stays there, which is what makes it safe on surfaces where high pressure would do damage, tiled roofs included. A pump sprayer covers ground level work. For a roof you need something that reaches, such as a chemical applicator kit fitted to a pole. It can be run neat through a pressure washer chemical feed, but the washer is an option rather than a requirement.

Normally two to three days, and V-TUF state results within 48 hours. This is worth explaining to a customer before you leave the job, because a softwash looks like nothing has happened when you pack up. The surface keeps clearing after you have gone, and V-TUF say regrowth is held back for up to six months afterwards. Customers expecting an instant transformation are the main source of complaints on softwash work, and one sentence at the start prevents it.

V-TUF state that treated areas are safe for children, pets and animals once dry. The concentrate itself is a different matter: it is classified as corrosive and harmful to the environment, so wear eye and skin protection when you are decanting and diluting it, and keep it out of drains and watercourses. Read the label before use. Use biocides safely.

It is a hard surface product, so the clear exclusion from V-TUF is moss in grass or lawned areas. Think about what sits below the area you are treating as well, because run off goes somewhere. Planting underneath a treated wall or roof is the usual thing people forget. Their stated surface list is wide and covers roofing, brickwork, masonry, pebbledash, concrete, York stone, decking, fencing, patios, tarmac and asphalt, PVC, greenhouses and conservatories among others.