Cleaning agents for pool cage?

[TopherG]

Does anyone with a (white, metal frame) pool cage/enclosure clean it themselves?

I've found professionals online talking about mixing soap/surfactants with chlorine but, understandably, they won't divulge names/sources of the soaps. I have a pump sprayer to apply chemicals and a pressure washer to rinse them off but have not found a product that will remove the algae/mold/mildew and be safe to use around the pool. Any product suggestions would be most welcome.

 

[AftonJeeper]

I haven't tried it but wouldn't a bleach solution work?

 

[TopherG]

I tried a mix of chlorine and water but it runs off the frame rather quickly. I think it needs a soap/surfactant to help it cling to the surfaces long enough to work. Mixing dish soap or laundry detergent with chlorine seems like a solution but a number of sites advise strongly against that. I found something online that works slowly over a few weeks and claims to be safe for this use. I'll order it and see what happens. If it doesn't, I'll just have to pay the pros

 

[JamesW]

I would avoid bleach. It can oxidize aluminum and many other things.

Try an outdoor cleaner or outdoor furniture cleaner.

There are various ingredients that should be safer. One is
Alkyl dimethyl benzyl ammonium chloride.

 

[TopherG]

Thanks JamesW! I found something that lists that (at 9.9%) as its' active ingredient.

 

[YippeeSkippy]

But don't get that in to the pool! That is ammonia and it will chew up your chlorine in the water something fierce!

Maddie

 

[JoyfulNoise]

If you decide to mix it up yourself, you need to use a low- or non-foaming, non-ionic surfactant to the mixture with an ADBAC algaecide (Alkyl dimethyl benzyl ammonium chloride). You want a non-ionic surfactant because the ADBAC has a positive (+) charge to it and if you use an anionic surfactant (negative charge, often used in standard detergents to hold calcium and metal ions in solution), you'll created a giant cloudy mess.

 

[JamesW]

The ingredient is the same as the cheap foamy algaecide.

 

[TopherG]

If it's okay, I'll post the name of the product I intend to use and a link to the SDS for it.

 

[JamesW]

It's ok.

 

[TopherG]

Thanks James.
It is Wet & Forget Moss, Mold, Mildew and Algae Stain remover.
The SDS link: http://www.homedepot.com/catalog/pdfImages/e6/e6e9dacb-447c-4f5b-8b78-17ec99673660.pdf