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Insta-Clean - Troubleshooting:

The first step is always to test the product in another application other than your project. The purpose of doing this is to get over your natural reaction that something might be wrong with the product. This will aid in determining what is really happening and why.

If, after testing as described and reviewing the information on this page, you do not have an answer and do not know what to do - contact us for assistance as something is certainly different than you think.

Before emailing for assistance - do the following tests so you can give us the results in the your email. If you contact us before doing the testing and reviewing the information, there will be delays in assisting you because we must still ask you for these test results. We cannot be of assistance by guessing.

(It is important to do all 3 tests)

  1. Apply a small amount to a piece of flat, clean glass per the label directions. The glass gives you a clear view of what the product looks like when dry. With sealers or coatings, this will show you the degree of toughness and adhesion. With cleaners and other products, this will show you the what it looks like when dry.

  2. Apply a small amount to an uninstalled piece of the same surfacing per the label directions. The uninstalled piece of the same surfacing takes away anything that occurred during and after installation.

  3. Apply a small amount per the label directions to a different type of surfacing with a similar absorption. This takes the surfacing itself out of the equation to show if there is something unusual about that particular batch of surfacing.
Now that you see what the product does and how it looks - let's examine the job conditions and determine what is different. The conclusion to be verified is that something has occurred during the installation, or in the time span after installation, to interfere with performance. You do not want to do anything else (reapply product, strip, etc.) that will complicate identifying the issues.

Here are the things to look for:

  • The stains have become permanent and cannot be broken down by Insta-Clean. This is when the stain has actually changed the color of the surface:
    See "Grout Restoration" and "Grout Residue Remover / Brick & Block Cleaner" for more aggressive cleaning and stain removal.

  • The "Insta-Clean" is leaving a residue:
    1. "Insta-Clean does not leave a residue as you will see from the glass test above.
    2. A residue would be from wax, other cleaners, or water based acrylic sealer that is being broken down by Insta-Clean. It is best to continue to use the "Insta-Clean" (or our "Premium Stripper") to continue to remove whatever is degrading and replace it with one of Aldon's tougher sealers. See the Surface Types section for suggestions.
  • "Insta-Clean" seems to be creating more bubbles and suds than it should.

    Insta-Clean has some bubbling action to it as an aid in the cleaning process. However, to much bubbling can be from left over soap or cleaner residues. As they are dissolved by the "Insta-Clean", the cleanup process can create the excess bubbling action. Just do more cleaning and rinsing to finally get rid of all the residue.

    Another possibility is the use of a cleanup tool like a sponge or rag that is being pressed down on too much.  That action can inject air into the liquid.

If this does not answer your situation - something is very different and unusual. You should be able to discover why by looking for the issue in  "Problem Solving"