​Graffiti is a gateway crime. Individuals who start breaking minor laws like graffiti and petty theft often end up committing more serious crimes, especially in communities with high amounts of gang activity and graffiti tagging. Graffiti is the "canary in the coal mine" for criminals to test how effective community policing is at preventing criminality. Additionally, Ggraffiti creates a visually blighted environment which sends the message that that crime tolerated which encourages further crime and disorder and discourages home owners and business owners from reinvesting in their community.

Approximately 80% of graffiti is “graffiti tagging”.  Tagging is essentially the street name of a graffiti tagger and is indented to show off to friends. These tags are often small, single color and include the tagger's street nickname. The bigger and more brazen the graffiti tag, the more street credibility the graffiti tagger gets.  The sooner the graffiti tag is removed, the better.  Ideally graffiti tags should be removed with 24 to 48 hours to discourage further graffiti tags.

Approximately 10% of graffiti is gang related, often designed to claim territority for drug sales and other illegal activities from rival gangs. These tags are often black spray paint, have large symbols, and are located on corner buildings. 

The remaining 10% of graffiti are street art.  Street art is not harmful.  Most street art requires skill and is intended to create visual interest on the street.  Street art often takes the form of stickers or small scale murals.  Street art is is typically not found on sensitive private property and is more likely found on public property such as street signs and semi-public property such as newspaper boxes.  

Graffiti tags and gang-graffiti should be removed as quickly as possible.  Street art does not need to be removed.  Clean City Pro graffiti removers are fast and effective graffiti removal tools that can help speed the removal of graffiti tags and gang-graffiti.  Please visit the graffiti removal product selection guide at www.CleanCityPro.com to find the best graffiti remover for your unique graffiti tag.

Zion National Park is one of Utah’s most-visited national parks.  It is magnificent in its natural beauty and is a source of pride for all Americans.

Despite this, a graffiti tagger has defaced a rock face with spray paint.  This has resulted in outrage and disgust.

National Park officials have had to remind visitors to this US National Park that graffiti tags (in this case a pair of triangles) is NOT art.  It is NOT artistic expression.  It is ONLY vandalism.

"As important as artistic expression is, we do not want to deface the natural resources of our beautiful public lands,” the post reads on the Zion National Park Website. “No matter how small or superficially drawn, graffiti in the park is vandalism. Humans have been leaving their marks on rock walls for thousands of years in this region. But these days, writing on the walls isn’t necessary, and in a national park, it’s illegal.”

The punishment for vandalism includes possible jail time and potentially thousands of dollars in fines.

What is the difference between street art and graffiti tagging?  Everything.  

How to Remove Graffiti Spray Paint from Stone, Limestone, Rock, and Boulders.​

3 Simple Steps to Remove Graffiti from Stone, Limestone, Rock and Boulders.
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Step 1: Brush Clean City Pro GREEN Label Graffiti Remover onto graffiti tag.  In closed and sensitive environments such as Ape Cave, the best practice to to "paint" the graffiti remover onto the graffiti remover using a thick deck brush.  This focuses the graffiti remover precisely onto the graffiti tag and avoids spraying product which will result in small airborne droplets of graffiti remover solvent.

Note:  If water source is not available for pressure washer and rinsing, such as cleaning graffiti from National Park, Municipal Park or Forest Preserve,  following dwell time, scrub using stiff nylon or brass brush taking care not to scratch surface.  Remove as much product and paint pigment using dry absorbent rags or towels.  Spray with water from hand held trigger sprayer and dry using dry absorbent rags or towels 

Louisville Kentucky Police arrested a suspected graffiti tagger after he posted images a graffiti on highway grade signs and highway billboards on his Instagram account.  After the arrest, the suspect admitted to graffiti tagging the a State Highway Sign and is suspected of graffiti tagging of a highway billboard along I-65 north. 

Graffiti is not a victimless crime.  Graffiti damage to the highway signage was estimated to cost $5,000.  The graffiti tagger is also suspected in tagging the brick wall of a restaurant with an estimated repair cost of $2,500.

Often graffiti taggers share images of their graffiti on social media.  Social media can be an effective tool to identify graffiti tagging suspects and also to help confirm responsibility during court proceedings.  Because of the tendency of graffiti taggers to share their tags, the quick removal of graffiti is essential to discouraging future graffiti attacks.

How to remove Graffiti from traffic signs5 Simple DIY Steps to Remove Graffiti from Traffic Signs.
Traffic Signs are very delicate so extra care needs to be taken to remove the graffiti tag without damaging the delicate signage.  Anti-Graffiti Films protect signage substrates and allow graffiti to be easily removed.

Step 1: Spray Clean City Pro Green Label Graffiti Remover or Clean City Pro Yellow Label Graffiti Remover.  
Step 2: Allow short dwell time of 10 to 30 seconds
Step 3: Swirl gently with soft rag or paper towel.
Step 4: Wipe surface clean with dry, absorbent rag.  
Step 5: For the best results, rinse with water or wipe down with wet rag.
Repeat as necessary.

Note: For traffic signage protected with a anti-graffiti coating such as 3M Anti-Graffiti Film or Avery Dennison Anti-Graffiti Film, Clean City Pro Red Label Graffiti Remover can be used without fear of damaging the underlying delicate substrate.

3 Simple Steps to Remove Graffiti from Brick.
​Step 1: Spray, pour or brush Clean City Pro Red Label Graffiti Remover or Clean City Pro Blue Label Gel Graffiti Remover onto graffiti tag.
Step 2: Allow a moderate dwell time of 5 to 15 minutes
Note:  A longer or shorter dwell time is possible depending on conditions.  If spray paint is highly saturated, the brick is highly porous or the temperature is cold, allow for a longer dwell time. 
​Step 3: Pressure wash using a wide, fan tip pressure washing nozzle such as 25 degree green tip.  Repeat if necessary.

Clean City Pro Blue Label Gel Graffiti Remover is a fast, effective and safe heavy duty graffiti remover for removing Spray Paint and Permanent Marker
from porous surfaces including Concrete, Brick, limestone, stone, Rock and other difficult surfaces.

What's the difference between Graffiti Tagging and Street Art?

1. Street Art is constructive, Graffiti Tagging is destructive.
2. Street Art adorns the urban landscape, Graffiti Tagging scars it, accelerating urban decay.
3. Street Art is an embrace of the city, Graffiti Tagging is an attack against the city.
4. Street Art stretches your mind, Graffiti Tagging is a slap in your face.
5. Street Art is about the audience, Graffiti Tagging is about the tagger.
6. Street Art says "Have you thought about this?", Graffiti Tagging says "I must be important because I see my name".
7. Street Art was done with a smile, Graffiti Tagging was done with a scowl.
8. Street Art was done with an outstretched hand, Graffiti Tagging was done with an outstretched finger. 
9. Street Art takes skill, Graffiti Tagging takes anger and distain
10. We mourn losing Street Art and celebrate losing Graffiti Tagging. 

Good Street Art is great, good Graffiti Tagging is gone!
 
Wild Flowers are not weeds: Protect Street Art

"Street Art are urban wildflowers.  In a formal Rose Garden, wildflowers are weeds just like the buckthorn, crabgrass, and dandelions.  But in a vibrant, dynamic native garden, wildflowers are different.  They bloom in colorful bursts, attract bees and butterflies.  They require no watering and they don't choke out other native plants.  But the weeds that grow around the wildflowers need to be cleared so that the wildflowers can prosper."
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Do your part to allow Street Art to Thrive
Do your part to keep the streets clean of graffiti tagging so that Street Art can thrive!  The only way to change the perception that all graffiti is bad, is to raise the bar and eliminate the bad graffiti and graffiti tagging.  A single Street Art sticker on the back of a sign can make a strong visual statement.  Graffiti stickers covering a sign drown out Street Art and turns the sign to blight.  

Community volunteers, police officers, firefighters, and park district staff came together in Duluth, MN for a Community Graffiti Action Clean-Up Day to Help eliminate the blight of graffiti and graffiti tagging in the urban center.  

Graffiti Action Days are innovative volunteer graffiti removal events that empower the community to reclaim their neighborhood from the visual blight of graffiti.  They can make a significant and tangible impact on the appearance of a targeted commercial corridor, park or neighborhood plagued by graffiti.  
 
Graffiti Action Days are typically spearheaded by Municipalities, Neighborhood Organizations, Schools, Aldermanic Offices, Chambers of Commerce, or Block Clubs.  

Volunteers can quickly and safely remove hundreds of graffiti tags armed with the highly-innovative, highly-effective, highly-green Clean City Pro Green Label Graffiti Remover.  During the two-hour events, volunteers report personally cleaning an estimated 30 to 50 tags.

Clean City Pro Green Label Graffiti Remover is highly environmentally-friendly and  therefore very safe to work with. It is fast acting and can completely remove most tags within a couple minutes without impacting the underlying surface.   
   
Because Clean City Pro Green Label Graffiti Remover is safe enough to be used by non-professionals, a group of volunteers armed with spray bottles, sponges and buckets of water can effectively remove the majority of the graffiti in a commercial corridor on non-porous surfaces including signs, mailboxes,  newspaper boxes, meter boxes and lamp posts. 

Large graffiti tags on brick, concrete or other porous surfaces require removal with a pressure washer and heavy duty Clean City Pro Blue Label Gel Graffiti Remover.  Alternatively, painting over large graffiti tags is an option for this type of graffiti.

Often graffiti action volunteers will encounter street art while removing graffiti.  It is not necessary to remove street art.  Street art has been demonstrated to improve the urban environment, unlike graffiti tags which blight it.  So what is the difference between Street Art and Graffiti Tagging?  1. Street Art is constructive, Graffiti Tagging is destructive. 2. Street Art adorns the urban landscape, Graffiti Tagging scars it and accelerates urban decay. 3. Street Art is about the audience, Graffiti Tagging is about the tagger.
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Fast and Easy Step-by-step guide for how to Remove Graffiti from Painted Metal Newspaper Box using Clean City Pro Green Label Graffiti Remover.

Step 1: Spray Clean City Pro Green Label Graffiti Remover onto graffiti tag

Step 2: Allow short dwell time of 20 to 100 seconds.  Sharpie or permanent marker will break within 15 seconds.  Paint marker will break within 30 to 60 seconds.  Grease pen will break within 2 minutes and agitation will assist the removal as the grease chunks break free.  Spray paint will break within 60 seconds to two minutes.

Step 3: Scrub lightly with scouring pad

Step 4: Rinse clean with water or wet rag.

A three month old exterior mural depicting the history of the historic Music Box movie theater located in the 3700 block of Southport Avenue was hit by a graffiti attack.  The mural, painted on stucco, had been sealed with a clear coat varnish.  However, the varnish was unable to protect the mural and the mural, which took over 40 hours to paint, is now damaged beyond repair.

Murals play an important role as street art and to beautify the urban street environment.  They often can reduce the frequency of graffiti tagging on a particular wall or commercial corridor.  However, after completion, murals should be coating with an anti-graffiti clear coating.  This step is essential to protect the mural against graffiti attack.  Additionally, Clean City Pro Yellow Label or Clean City Pro Green label can be used to attempt to remove the spray paint graffiti tag without damaging the underlying mural surface.  A clear coating will help to prevent the graffiti remover from removing the mural paint.

The concrete entryway in front of the Parkminster United Church in Waterloo, Ontario was hit with offensive graffiti.  The congregation decided to turn this act of vandalism into an act of community building and a reaffirmation of their inclusiveness.  They painted a colorful mural over the graffiti tag.

Another option would have been to remove the graffiti tag from concrete using Clean City Pro Blue Label Graffiti Remover or SoSafe Blue Gel Graffiti Remover which are ideal for graffiti spray paint removal from concrete and brick surfaces.  More detailed instructions for how to remove graffiti from concrete at /how-to-remove-graffiti-from-concrete.html.