We clean the surfaces from polyurethane foam

Polyurethane foam has become an indispensable attribute in any construction work. Having appeared on the market relatively recently, polyurethane foam has gained popularity due to its wonderful property - it can easily fill any volume. When applied, the foam is in a viscous state, after which it expands slightly (the degree of expansion depends on the type of foam), and then becomes quite hard. In a dried form, such a layer is able to withstand various types of negative influences.

However, it should be noted that when foam gets on many surfaces, it can be very difficult to remove it. In a liquid form, it is difficult to collect, and in a dried form, it is difficult to separate from the surface. Foam application is most often associated with the use of a special pistol, which, after a lot of work, clogs up and does not really cope with its task. In both cases, you will need specially designed cleaners.

On the market for building materials and tools, you can see a huge number of polyurethane foam cleaners, they all have some differences from each other. When shopping for foam, it is best to buy it straight away. Until now, many builders remove foam using the old "folk" methods, but often this technique does not justify itself.

There are two main types of purifier:

• products that remove just applied foam that has not had time to dry;
• means for removing dried foam from various surfaces.

Cleaners can be produced in the form of a regular liquid, which you just need to moisten a cloth and treat the surface. A spray variation can also be seen. This option is much more convenient for removing foam from the finished surface, when the foam must be dissolved and removed quickly without damaging the surface.

Many people believe that it is not worth spending money on a special cleaner - just having acetone on hand is enough. It is worth saying that any purifier contains acetone, but its amount is extremely small. Using a cleaner will not cause any problems with surfaces such as ceramics or plastics.

At the same time, the use of pure acetone can be harmful - unpleasant stains may remain, for which you need to buy another product, or these stains cannot be removed at all. Also acetone dissolves in itself or strongly corrodes some types of surfaces.

The advantages of special tools include the following.

• They contain a large number of chemical compounds and reagents that soften the polyurethane foam. After that, it can be easily removed from any surface without harming it.
• Separately, use a gun cleaner. These tools allow you to keep the pistol in excellent condition. With proper care, you can achieve good results and correct foam distribution for a long time without changing the working tool.
• Also, the gun makes it easy to work with the cleaner itself, carefully directing it exactly to the place that needs to be cleaned.

Acetone has no such benefits. Due to the inaccuracy of the very process of using rags with acetone, surfaces are often treated that did not have contact with the foam at all and do not require cleaning.

Also, acetone is difficult to use pointwise, because you cannot use it with a pistol - acetone is not sold in cylinders. Hence the appearance of large spots.

In other cases, it is necessary to use only special cleaners, which in any case will cope with this problem.

The use of a cleaner may differ depending on the situation. The surface is also taken into account - what material it is from, how long ago the foam was worked, the size of the pollution and some other factors.

The most repetitive situations will be discussed below.

• Some foam has spilled onto the finished surface... It is best to use a regular knife or a utility knife for removal. In this case, it is necessary to ensure that nothing is smeared and does not increase the area of ​​the spot. The stain that remains must be wiped off with a rag or paper with a cleaner applied to them.
• If the foam has already hardened, it won't be easy to delete it. It is best not to wait for the material to completely solidify, but to start removing it while it is viscous. Then you can use a knife or putty knife. If the foam has already hardened, it is necessary to use special cleaners for hardened polyurethane foam, which are used with the gun. This allows the cleaner to be sprayed on a spot without touching the clean surface.

• When removed from an expensive or decorative surface everything must be done very carefully. It is worth remembering that you cannot apply cleaners to such surfaces. It is necessary to apply a small amount of cleaner to a rag and remove everything with gentle movements. In this case, it is necessary to constantly pay attention to the fact that no residues remain on the surface.
• If foam gets on a wooden surface removal will not be particularly difficult.If the wooden surface is already finished, then it must be treated with a paint and varnish material, therefore the process is reduced to the use of fine-grained sandpaper. If the area is large enough, then a grinder can be used to increase the speed of work.
• When installing plastic windows... If it is necessary to remove excess from the surface of the frame of a plastic window, special wipes with an already applied cleaner will help.
• On contact with linoleum. In this case, it is best not to start deleting immediately, but to wait a certain time. After a couple of hours, the foam will be more viscous and can be easily removed without damaging the linoleum.

Do not try to wash off the foam with water - water only accelerates the foam hardening process... No soap solution will help either; it is also pointless to remove it with a knife or scraper - the foam will remain on the fabric. If you delay, the foam can penetrate the structure of the material and leave a yellow, extremely unpleasant stain.

Using a cleaner can help in this situation. The algorithm of actions looks like this:

• apply the cleaner to the desired area;
• leave it like this for half an hour;
• at this time, no mechanical effect should be exerted on the clothes, for the fabric can be very easily damaged or torn;
• after the foam is soaked, it must be removed with a dry cloth;
• it is possible that it will not work to remove the entire stain the first time, so repeat the procedure;
• before re-applying the solvent, pay attention to whether it corrodes the fabric, if it turns out to be damaged, you should not wait for the action of the cleaner itself;
• after the stain is completely removed, the clothes are washed in warm water.

Products BAU MASTER sold in 500 ml cylinders. These cleaners are essential to remove fresh foam from absolutely any surface, even from fabric and leather. There are two types of BAU MASTER cleaner: Ultima and Hobby. The first type is designed for cleaning guns and removing fresh foam from any surface, the second one for cleaning the gun and removing stains from skin and fabric.

You can often buy them in pairs. As an example, you can consider the company's products Tytan... They make foam and a cleaner to work with plastics, so you can be 100% confident in the quality of the formulations.

Purifier Dali differs in versatility of application and high quality indicators. Also, buyers are attracted by the low price of these products.

The purifier also does a great job. "Cosmophen"... It perfectly removes stains from plastic and glass. Purifier "Macroflex" used to soften already cured polyurethane foam. All the names given here have very good technical characteristics and fully comply with GOST.

The composition of the cleaners includes a large number of different chemical compounds, therefore, when working with them certain safety rules must be observed:

• work with solvents and cleaners is possible only in well-ventilated areas;
• be sure to carry out such work in gloves, goggles and other personal protective equipment;
• during storage, the cylinder should not be exposed to ultraviolet rays;
• it is forbidden to store the cylinder or use it at very high temperatures;
• if foam gets on the skin or hair, it must be immediately removed - for this you can use a cleaner, but in a very small amount, and only when applied to a towel or napkin;
• if the solvent gets on the skin, rinse the stained area thoroughly with water and then treat it with a hypoallergenic baby cream;
• if the solvent gets into the eyes, rinse them and see a doctor as soon as possible;
• if the foam gets on the head, especially the hair, it is rarely possible to remove the dirt with a solvent. The only way out is hair removal.

With the right choice of solvent, the required purity can be easily achieved. When working with cleaners, you must always remember to observe safety precautions.

For information on how to properly use the foam cleaner, see the video below.