Maintaining channel letter signs is important and there are ways to do it properly without laboring away your time, especially when you have a business to maintain. What sort of signs are they and what do you do to maintain them?
What is a Channel Letter Sign?
It’s a sign that consists of letters that are three-dimensional. The letters gain illumination from a light source that’s within the sign. A four-sided rectangular panel (raceway) houses the letters. Any electrical parts and wiring that’s part of the lighting system are wired into the raceway panel to light the channel letters.
There are two kinds of channel letters. Illumination occurs from the front or from the back. A front-lit channel letter has aluminum sides and backs that are colored through acrylics. With the use of LED’s, illumination occurs from the front of the letters.
How to Maintain Channel Letter Signs
If your channel letter sign is dirty, you want to keep one important thing in mind, use cleaning materials that are gentle to the sign. Though most of the sign is aluminum and is durable and sturdy, the fronts or faces of the letters are acrylic and you can easily scratch them. Any scratches on them can make the letters appear grungy, dull, and hazy.
Without the proper maintenance, any dirt that’s embedded in your channel sign may show that you’re thinking of abandoning the business. It also shows that the interior of your business is just as bad as your dirty channel letters on the exterior. With the professional cleaning help of Tupp Signs, your channel letters can get a thorough cleaning and your business will attract new customers. The opposite effect can happen without proper maintenance. A sign that is let go is a loss of business.
Harmful Products for Channel Signs
When you or someone else is cleaning your channel signs, you want to be cautious about what you’re using. There are many cleaning products out there that can harm your channel letters. Any ammonia cleaners will scratch channel letters. Most common cleaning products like glass cleaners, waxes for polishing, car waxes, degreasing products, and all-around cleaners are damaging to the acrylic parts of channel signs.
You also want to avoid sponges, metal scouring pads, melamine foam, and cleaning cloths that can damage your channel letter signs. These cleaning products are abrasive and can affect your sign in a bad way. Be cautious even when you use a dry microfiber cloth as it can scratch the surface area of channel letters fronts. Even using a dry microfiber cloth can scratch the surface of your channel as it can push dirt into the letters and cause tiny abrasions.
Also, grimy signs are hard to see. Any kind of litter can conceal the ability of people to see your sign. The letters may be totally or partially obscured, making your sign less beneficial. The face of a dirty channel letter can often look like it’s a different color, so it won’t catch the attention of people and the dimness affects the look as well.
Proper Cleaning Materials
To clean channel letters properly, you’ll need
- microfiber cloths – soft enough to draw in dirt and prevent scratches
- lukewarm water
- mild soap or detergent
- cleaner made specifically for acrylic (for hard sticking grime
Cleaning Steps
If you’re cleaning your own channel letter sign, the first thing you want to do is rid your sign of any clods of dirt and any other debris. With a sign that is hard to reach, use a leaf blower on the lowest possible setting to get rid of the dirt and debris. For a channel sign that is easy to get to and is smaller, use a hairdryer on a cool setting.
The next step you want to do in cleaning your channel letter sign is to moisten your cleaning cloth with lukewarm water. This action should be enough to wipe dirt and grime from your sign. If the channel letters are very dirty, add some mild detergent or an acrylic cleaner to the lukewarm water. This should work in cleaning your sign, plus bring a new look to it.
Once you’re done cleaning, allow the sign to air dry or blot the area with a soft dry cloth. If the sign shows dullness or you scratched the channel letter fronts by mistake, you can get advice from experts. Professionals can help you both clean and maintain your sign, minus you having to worry about it.
Routine Maintenance
When dirt and debris cause dysfunction with your channel sign, a regular set routine of cleaning and maintaining it is critical to keeping the sign in tip-top shape. You extend the life of your channel letter sign. Regular cleaning should also be part of any preventative maintenance routine, as it helps lengthen the life of your channel letter signs. Both dirt and debris can cause your sign to shut down, which requires repairs. You could even have malfunctions with the electrical and lighting equipment if you don’t clean your sign regularly. You need to think seriously about scheduling sign cleaning through a professional company, like Tupp Signs.
Tupp Signs wants to help you with any issues concerning cleaning your channel letter signs. Being experts at what we do, we will clean and maintain your sign regularly as well as do any installations or repairs, major or minor. We also offer supplemental services with channel letter designs and other types of exterior signs that correlate with your business. Promoting your company or business is important to us so you can attract new customers. Call us today at 302-322-1600 to learn more.