There are various ways to treat graffiti and a range of available products including

• painting over the surface in a dark colour, graffiti shows up more on light coloured surfaces
• applying chemicals designed to remove graffiti or using solvents to help remove paint and
• sandblasting or water-blasting.

NOTE: Council does not endorse any particular product or manufacturer.

The NSW Government has also set up the stop graffiti vandalism  website. This is an excellent resource and has information about

• graffiti laws
• graffiti prevention
• graffiti removal
• reporting graffiti
• publications/factsheets and more.

Free Graffiti Removal Kits

There are also free graffiti removal kits available through the council- to arrange collection of these kits, please call the Graffiti Hotline: 1800 223 840

Videos on how to use the graffiti removal kits

For painted and sensitive surfaces, signs, etc… use SoSafe green kit

For unpainted bricks, concrete, metal etc…Worlds best kit 2

Fee for service

The City of Newcastle provides a paid Grafitti Removal Service to businesses and residential properties. This is a paid service, to view information and pricing on grafitti removal simply view:  Grafitti Removal fees (2.26mb).

Paint it out

If the graffiti is on a painted surface, sometimes it’s easiest to paint over it. Remove as much of the graffiti as possible before painting. Some graffiti markers tend to bleed through the new coat of paint so use a sealer coat before painting the whole surface. Do a test on a small area first to see if this will happen.

Choose a dark colour to paint out graffiti; the marks are less likely to show through and the colour will make the site less attractive to other graffiti vandals.

Paint Assistance Scheme

The City of Newcastle Pride of Place committee operates a paint assistance scheme to assist with the removal of the graffiti from properties, fences, garage doors and so on. To take advantage of the scheme you will need to

1. call the graffiti hotline 1800 223 840 and provide details about the location of the graffiti
2. a member of the graffiti team will visit your property and undertake an inspection 
3. they will also recommend a removal technique depending on the surface and location of the graffiti
4. if appropriate a paint assistance program voucher will be issued for one litre of exterior paint.

Chemical removal

The most reliable chemical method is to use a product designed specifically to remove graffiti, which is available from many hardware stores.

Sometimes graffiti can be removed with liquid laundry or dish washing detergent. These may remove felt pen graffiti from glass, aluminium, terrazzo, smooth cement and similar surfaces. Liquid cleansers, eucalyptus oil, solvents and mineral turpentine can also be effective.

If aerosol paint has been used on an unpainted surface, be sure to act quickly. Paint will quickly penetrate absorbent surfaces like porous brickwork and is difficult to remove.

Important: Whatever chemical you use, make sure you follow the safety procedures recommended by the manufacturer.

Solvents & other products

It is possible to remove graffiti from your own property with the help of specialist products. New and improved graffiti removal products regularly appear on the market. Phone your local hardware store to check on current availability.

Always ask for the least toxic product to protect yourself from harm while removing graffiti. Council does not endorse any particular product or manufacturer.

Some examples of graffiti removal products are:

• Muck off
• So-Safe Graffiti Remover
• Graffiti Remover
• Guardian Graffiti Remover
• Goodbye Graffiti.

As these products may contain toxic substances, please take all precautions recommended by the manufacturer.

Mechanical removal

If you want to remove extensive aerosol graffiti from an unpainted surface, it may be best to have it sand or water blasted. Look in the Yellow Pages under Cleaning Contractors.

Colourbond surfaces

There are specific products that can be used to remove graffiti off colourbond surfaces. Download the following fact sheets for more information:

 Removing graffiti off colourbond surfaces (65Kb)

 Graffiti removal (76Kb)

NOTE: Council does not endorse any particular product or manufacturer.