Verdigris appears in clay soils when they are exposed for long periods of time to humid weather conditions, with mid-range temperatures and in porous materials. Verdigris appears in clay soils when they are exposed for long periods of time to humid weather conditions, with mid-range temperatures and in porous materials. Verdigris is a green layer of cryptogamous plants (that is, plants devoid of flowers) that grows in fresh waters, mainly stagnant waters, and on walls, porous soils, humid places and on the bark of some fruits, such as lemon . and the orange, when they rot. According to the Royal Spanish Academy, mold is: "the corruption of an organic substance when it is covered with certain cryptogamous vegetations . " Origin of verdigris We define porosity in ceramic tiles as the number of voids that a tile has , either when the water evaporates during the drying phase, or when the different substances that make up the ceramic paste burn during the firing phase, depending on the point. fusion of each of them. The degree of porosity of each type of ceramic flooring defines its capacity to contain liquids within the tiles, which has a proportional effect with respect to the final hardness of the material.
Verdigris appears when water is absorbed by the clay tile and is retained in its interior cavities. At the same time, from a climatological point of view, the area where the tile in question is located is usually not sunny or ventilated. This microenvironment is ideal for the spores of certain cryptogamous plants to develop and proliferate. Therefore, controlling humidity is essential to eradicate and prevent the future appearance of verdigris on clay soils. This problem can appear both in indoor and outdoor environments. Indoors, the most critical areas are bathrooms and kitchens, mainly due to the emission of Slovenia Phone Number List water vapor, and those areas with poor ventilation and infrared heating systems. Outdoors, north-facing surfaces and those exposed to very few hours of direct sunlight are the best candidates for developing verdigris. How to solve the problem Once a clay soil develops verdigris, what can we do? When the floor is swept and completely dry, we use rotary machines to distribute and apply the optimal combination of products that the clay floor needs. At the same time, we use wet vacuum cleaners so that the floor does not absorb dirt again. The use of machinery is essential for the cleaning phase to be effective on surfaces larger than 15 m2. For surfaces smaller than these dimensions, customers could carry out the cleaning themselves, following the instructions for use of the products intended for this purpose and using a hand brush and mop instead of machinery.
Although, we must say, it is a very demanding and ineffective exercise compared to professional cleaning . Once we have a clean clay floor, we must wait until it is completely dry to apply a protective treatment . Drying time varies depending on the season of the year, but, as a general rule, we wait between 5 and 10 days . During the drying period it is advisable not to step on the floor, and if necessary, do so without shoes and with thick socks to avoid leaving footprints. To effectively eliminate verdigris, not only must you first clean the surface with fungicide and algaecide products (which cover the surface and prevent the future proliferation of spores), but you must also drastically reduce the porosity of the clay tile and enhance the preventive action of cleaning. All these measures to maintain ceramic floors would not be one hundred percent effective or in the long term if they are not accompanied by the elimination of the continuous source of moisture. This origin may be due to uninterrupted filtration of water through a broken pipe, poor evacuation of liquids that causes continuous flooding in permanently shady areas, or poor or no ventilation.