Waterless Cleaning at St. George’s School
Recently, I was onsite at St. George’s School, near Newport, RI, for the cleaning of the interior of their chapel. It’s a beautiful building in a gorgeous setting, with a striking 145-foot bell tower and the Atlantic Ocean as a backdrop. It was constructed in 1928, and the interior was being cleaned for the first time—almost 100 years of candle soot, incense, and cigarette and cigar smoke and more.
St. George’s School chapel, circa 1928
When you have an interior project, it’s difficult to use water because of the electrical systems, the floors, and other potential hazards. On a site like that, crews often feel doubtful about getting a truly clean result. But Cathedral Stone Products has developed a waterless cleaning system—our Latex Based Cleaner is the ultimate interior solution when you want to avoid using water.
The Safe, Non-Acidic Approach
Applying CSP Latex-Based Cleaner with an Air Sprayer
The product is applied with an airless sprayer. As it hardens and cures, dirt sticks to the latex and is pulled from the stone when the latex is peeled away. Applied properly, the latex can be peeled away in one giant sheet.
Before CSP Latex-Based Cleaner …
Grande Masonry of Providence, RI, was the contractor on this project, and they were somewhat hesitant to use our product—which is only natural given the importance of a building like St. George’s School. But when that sheet came off, revealing a pristine stone surface, they were, in their words, “blown away” by the result—including some corner details with some very intricate carvings.
After Applying CSP Latex-Based Cleaner with an Air Sprayer
Our waterless cleaner is part of a suite of products CSP has developed to ensure a safe, non-acidic approach to restoration.
