Short answer: yes. When it rains, the task of cleaning or removing graffiti gets a little more complex and time-consuming – sometimes, it becomes simply impossible.

Really? Why?

Rain water creates a layer between the surface to be treated and the product used to clean graffiti, reducing the graffiti cleaning product’s efficiency. The way specialized products are engineered, they work best when they have time – a few minutes, usually - to cause a chemical reaction between the paint and the "soap". This process is usually completed with a specialized brushing technique at a specific point in time. To complicate things further, rainwater, when it falls on the surface being treated, will often neutralize the cleaning solution, stopping the process before it can be completed.

Rain often brings with it cooler temperatures (below 10 degrees Celsius). Colder temperatures mean that graffiti removal will take more time, which gives more time for the rain to neutralize the product before the process is complete.

The human factor; has rain ever spoiled one of your favorite outdoor activities like biking, golfing or gardening? We bet it has – the same is true for technicians working in the field; generally speaking, it is difficult to work outdoors in rainy conditions - both physically and for morale - as it is for almost any outdoor activity.

Does Graffiti-Solutions clean or remove graffiti on rainy days?

Absolutely! However, there are situations, sometimes involving the surface, sometimes the location and sometimes the climate on a given day, which can make it almost impossible to properly clean or treat a surface. We always try as much as possible to proceed with the cleaning – after all, that’s how we earn our living - but when an experienced technician determines that it is better to postpone the intervention, this decision is made with the client's interests first. (This decision is one that actually costs us money). It has always been our policy that if we do something, we do it the right way.

What about painting?

The combination of exterior painting (covering graffiti with a special, color-matched exterior paint) and rain is, well, incompatible. With the exception of certain very specific situations, it is highly inadvisable, sometimes literally impossible, to successfully apply exterior paint while it is raining.

Record rainfall in 2011
In Montreal, April 2011 was the wettest since 2005 (158.8 mm), with 128.8 mm of rain. After 18 days, May 2011 has seen 98.6 mm of rain, the highest total since the 173.4 mm seen in 2006 (with 13 days yet to come).