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Graffiti Removal Information

The best way to prevent further graffiti in a location is to remove it as quickly as possible - and report it!

Call 000 for immediate police attendance if you see someone in the act of vandalising property or marking graffiti.  Do not approach the person.  Be aware of your own safety. Contact you local council or police station to report property that has previously been graffitied.  For further information see Reporting Graffiti in the right-hand menus.

The method used to remove graffiti will depend on how it was applied and the surface to which it was applied. Hasty or poorly thought-through removal attempts may damage the underlying surface and 'set' the graffiti, making it even more difficult to remove.

To avoid harming yourself, others or the underlying surface, it is best to seek advice from specialist graffiti removers or your local hardware store. Search the Yellow Pages for 'graffiti removal' or 'anti-graffiti' to locate specialists.

Graffiti removal companies, hardware stores and your local council may provide removal products and kits, and may advise on options for removing graffiti from private property.

If you do choose to remove graffiti from your property:

• take a photograph of the graffiti and report it to your local police station (the photograph may assist police in the prosecution of graffiti offenders) and contact your local council as they may be able to assist you with graffiti removal (see right-hand menus for links to local police and council contacts)
• read all safety instructions associated with the removal product you have chosen and ensure you have appropriate protective clothing and other safety equipment
• do not use chemical graffiti removal products unless you are appropriately trained in their use
• read information about the use of chemicals and hazardous substances and reducing the risks involved with working with hazardous substances which is available on the Victorian Government's Department of Human Services and the Victorian WorkSafe Authority websites (links are available in the right-hand menus).

Emergency contacts

• phone 13 11 26 for the Victorian Poisons Information Centre (see right-hand menus for link) if chemicals or hazardous substances are swallowed, inhaled or someone has chemicals splashed on them
• phone 000 for an ambulance if the person collapses, stops breathing, is fitting or is suffering an anaphylactic reaction – DO NOT ring the Victorian Poisons Information Centre in these cases.

Paint-out

The most common method of graffiti clean-up on painted surfaces is repainting. Your local council may have programs to assist residents and local business to paint-out graffiti, such as voucher systems to assist with the purchase of paint.

As regular repainting will lead to a build-up of paint on a surface, you may consider the use of an anti-graffiti coating to protect your painted surfaces from graffiti and the wear-and-tear of removal.

Protective coatings

Protective coatings provide a physical barrier that helps to reduce permanent damage or discolouration of the original surface. Anti-graffiti coatings make it easier to clean subsequent graffiti from surfaces and help to ensure rapid removal of graffiti.

Anti-graffiti coatings may be temporary (also known as sacrificial) or permanent.

• Temporary coatings are removed, or 'sacrificed' in the graffiti removal process and the surface must be recoated to ensure ongoing protection
• Permanent coatings are more resistant to the products used to remove graffiti and remain on the surface after repeated graffiti removal.

Search the Yellow Pages for 'anti-graffiti coating' to identify companies that sell and apply anti-graffiti coatings.