Wet & Forget

 

Wet & Forget” is a moss, mold, mildew, algae and lichen remover. As the advertising states, “Are you tired of the never-ending cycle of cleaning black and green stains from your home? Introducing the easiest solution for eliminating these issues without using elbow grease or harsh chemicals — Wet & Forget Outdoor Cleaner! Simply spray and walk away! That’s it. Wet & Forget goes to work with the wind and rain to gently clean the surface over time.”

“Applying Wet & Forget is quick and easy. Just mix with water and apply with a tank sprayer. That’s it! Wet & Forget goes to work on contact cleaning the surface. Check out our video on how to mix Wet & Forget along with a few applications to different surfaces. Wet & Forget has an unlimited shelf life, and it can be safely stored pre-mixed in the sprayer until your next application!”

These are bold claims which I am testing in this study using a couple of family tombstones.

SHADY LOCATION / COVERED WITH BLACK MOLD SHADY LOCATION / LICHEN ENCRUSTED SURNAME

Wet & Forget Change Log

May 8, 2021     initial application of Wet & Forget to both flat and vertical stones / partial sun and cloud following two-day of light showers

May 16, 2021   second application of Wet & Forget to both flat and vertical stones / full sun and no showers / did not wet stones before application / noticed slight flaking on top of vertical stone

June 4, 2021    third application of Wet & Forget to both flat and vertical stones / full sun / some overcast moving in / wet stones with water five minutes before applying Wet & Forget / noticed significant flaking on top of vertical stone and large patches of lichens lifting when sprayed by bottle / lichens losing adhesion to surface of stone / black mold appeared to have shrunk significantly on flat stone

June 15, 2021  fourth visit but no application of Wet & Forget due to impending showers / Wet & Forget needs a minimum of 5 hours following an application with no rain / continued lifting and flaking on top of vertical stone / several small patches of lichens have fallen to ground but there has not been a heavy rainfall or strong winds to remove more lichen growth through erosion / top of vertical stone could be easily cleaned with water and a soft bristle brush / black mold is still present but shrinking on flat stone / two or three small but stubborn patches of mold remain on the horizontal stone

June 15, 2021 June 15, 2021
IMPROVING BUT NOT PERFECT YET SMALL PATCHES OF BLACK MOLD STILL PRESENT

 

June 15, 2021 June 15, 2021
STONE COULD BE CLEANED WITH SOFT BRUSH LICHENS DYING AND DETACHING FROM STONE

July 4, 2021  fifth visit with no application of Wet & Forget / heavy rain has swept the area a couple of times over the past few days/ continued lifting and flaking on top of vertical stone has accelerated and to a lesser degree on the front face / many small patches of lichens have fallen to ground reducing lichen growth on stone top by 60-70 %/ some black mold is still present but slowly shrinking on flat stone / two or three small but stubborn patches of mold remain on the horizontal stone

July 4, 2021 July 4, 2021
HEAVY RAIN HAS REMOVED MANY LICHENS LICHEN GROWTH IS DYING AND 60-70% HAS WASHED AWAY

 

 

 

July 4, 2021 July 4, 2021
BLACK MOLD IS REDUCED BUT NOT ENTIRELY GONE LICHENS FROM TOP NOT WASHED OFF BUT LOOSE

July 14, 2021 sixth visit with no application of Wet & Forget / heavy rain has swept the area several times over the past two weeks / small patches of black mold persist on the horizontal stone in about the same configuration as on July 4 / lichens continue to loosen and lift on the top of the vertical stone / more lichens are visible on the ground at the base of the vertical stone / front face of the vertical stone appears marginally cleaner

July 14, 2021 July 14, 2021
SMALL PERSISTENT PATCHES OF BLACK MOLD LICHENS STILL DYING AND DROPPING OFF

July 14, 2021 July 14, 2021
SOME LOOSE LICHEN PATCHES REMAIN MANY PATCHES ON GROUND AT BASE OF STONE

August 8, 2021 I decided weeks ago to end this experiment after three months, which is today. On the vertical stone, the death of the lichen growth has been obvious. A large percentage of the dead lichen growth has indeed been washed or blown away by the elements – but not all. Perhaps three months is not enough time for nature to remove the dead lichens. I  intend to check back in October or November to determine if lichen growth has begun again. At this point in time a very gently brushing was all that was needed to remove the already dead lichen growth on the front and the top of the stone. Perhaps, given more time nature would have removed the rest of the dead lichen growth. I would conclude that “Wet and Forget” did a credible job killing the lichens even if natural forces were slow to remove the dead material from the stone.

SOME DEAD LICHENS CLING TO FRONT OF STONE GENTLE BRUSHING REMOVED ALL LICHENS
ALTHOUGH DEAD, LICHENS ARE STILL VISIBLE GENTLE BRUSHING REMOVED ALL LICHENS

On the horizontal stone, the situation was not so clear cut. The problem was black mold rather than lichen growth. Although the overall stone was much cleaner and brighter than when this experiment started, mold stains still appeared on the stone and in some areas appeared to actually be increasing in size over a month ago. I cleaned the left side of the stone with distilled water and a soft cleaning sponge. Much of that stain seemed to disappear. This rubbing wore out the sponge I was using and the right side of the stone did not seem to respond to cleaning with water. At this point in time, I decided to apply “Wet and Forget” one last time in this experiment and check back in a week or two.

BLACK MOLD VISIBLE, PERHAPS SPREADING FINAL APPLICATION OF “WET AND FORGET”

August 14, 2021 A final visit to review the horizontal stone was in order. Although the effect of the black mold on the stone was visibly reduced, there still were traces of dark discoloration where the mold had been thickest. These could not be entirely removed even with vigorous scrubbing using a scrubber made for household cleaning.

BEFORE AFTER
BEFORE AFTER

Conclusions:

(1) “Wet and Forget” proved to be a potent “lichen killer” on the vertical stone and created a situation where a very light brushing with a soft-bristled brush removed all the remaining lichen growth.

(2) “Wet and Forget” significantly reduced black mold on the horizontal stone, although faint traces of stain still remained after the three-month trial period.

(3) The exact interaction between “Wet and Forget” and manually brushing and scrubbing the stones was not determined. Perhaps over time the remaining lichens on the vertical stone would have washed and blown away; perhaps the faint discoloration on the horizontal stone would also disappear. It will be necessary to monitor the situation for more than three months to find a definitive answer.

October 20, 2021 (Update) A visit to the “test stones” after a two-month interval revealed that the vertical stone was still “lichen-free” on its front surface and that there had been no new lichen growth. The horizontal stone actually looked better after the two-month absence. The two faint patches of black mold stain visible in August had almost completely disappeared, suggesting perhaps that the “Wet and Forget” continued to work eliminating existing mold growth and preventing further growth of new black mold.


October 3, 2022 (Update) Almost a year after the previous update, the stones looked even better. No lichen growth was visible anywhere on either the horizontal stone or the vertical stone. On the horizontal stone, the very faint patches of stain from the black mold were completely invisible, illustrating that “Wet and Forget” continues to work long after the point of application. Bear in mind, no brushing or rinsing with water was performed on this stone for a year.

October 2022


Purchase Wet & Forget at Amazon.ca


D/2 Biological Solution

“D/2 Biological Solution” is a product very similar to “Wet & Forget” in composition and effect on biological growth on tombstones. “D/2 Biological Solution is specially formulated to remove environmental pollution, dirt, and staining from biological soils such as mold, mildew, lichen, and algae from indoor and outdoor structures.” D/2 is available for purchase from far more locations in the United States than in Canada, hence the use of “Wet & Forget” as a substitute with comparable composition and effect in my study.

D/2 Biological Solution Becomes Part Of A Presidential Executive Order

The National Cemetery Administration now uses D/2.  Quote: “The NCA  entered into an agreement with the National Center for Preservation Technology and  Training, NPS, to evaluate marble cleaners in an effort to minimize damage to historic headstones. The 3-phase study began in 2004 and was completed in 2011. The best  – practice recommendations resulted in NCA’s determination to use the preferred cleaner, D/2 Biological Solution…”. “Researchers studied five different cleaners on stones located in five different climates at locations across the United States. Microbiologists at Harvard University evaluated samples for regrowth of microorganisms including bacteria, fungi, and algae. D/2’s quaternary ammonium solution came out on top!”


Purchase D/2 at Sage Restoration (Kingston)


Instructional Videos for Safely Cleaning Tombstones

YouTube and other sources have many good instructional videos showing how to safely clean tombstones, including using D/2 Biological Solution and Wet & Forget.

 


Protocols for Cleaning US Veterans’ Headstones

Cleaning_Headstones_Markers

 


Best Practices for Cleaning Headstones

Best-Practices-Final