If you’ve ever woken up and felt frustrated to find a new tag on your fence, we know how you feel. Graffiti around our neighbourhoods can seem like a never-ending issue, but there are solutions.
Every week, our team removes hundreds of tags around South and East Auckland. Alongside rapid removal, people like you reporting tags to us, and awesome murals popping up around our neighbourhoods as a preventative tool, we are making a difference in deterring graffiti from our community.
Here are some prevention methods you can use to deter any graffiti from popping up around your home or business!
1. Paint your walls or fences a dark colour
One of the most straightforward and effective methods to prevent graffiti is by painting your wall or fence a dark colour. Dark colours make graffiti less visible and by doing this, you discourage vandals as their work will be far less noticeable. Not to mention that tagging on a dark-coloured surface is also much easier to paint over.
2. Plant trees and flowers in front of your wall or fence
By planting trees, shrubs, or flowers in front of your walls or fences, you create a visual barrier that reduces access to surfaces for graffiti. Vandals are less likely to target areas that are obstructed or heavily surrounded by greenery because they’re harder to get to.
3. Install outdoor automatic lighting
Proper lighting is crucial in deterring graffiti vandals since they prefer working under the cover of darkness. By installing outdoor automatic lighting around your property, vandals are more likely to be seen by passersby, property owners or surveillance cameras.
4. Install surveillance equipment
Investing in surveillance equipment can be a powerful deterrent against graffiti vandalism. Visible security cameras, when strategically placed, make vandals think twice before defacing your property.
5. Paint a mural on your fence
Consider commissioning or creating a mural on your fence or wall. Murals can serve as an attractive and creative alternative to graffiti. They provide a visual focal point that vandals may hesitate to deface, as it can be seen as an act of disrespect towards the artwork and the community. Engaging local artists or organising community art projects can help transform blank walls into vibrant expressions of culture and creativity. Talk to us about how we can help you with a mural project.
6. Remove tags fast
Act quickly when you notice graffiti tags. Early removal discourages further vandalism. You can use methods like methylated spirits, turpentine, paint stripper, graffiti removal products, or even oven cleaner. Just check the instructions first. If you need assistance, report graffiti online or call us at 0800 END TAGS and depending on the nature of the graffiti we may be able to help with free removal. Swift removal keeps your property clean and deters vandals from targeting it again.
7. Use graffiti guard paint
Protect your property from graffiti vandalism with graffiti guard paint. Apply it to walls and surfaces and the paint will act as a protective film which makes removal nice and easy.
Together we can work together to keep our communities looking beautiful and feeling safe so we can all have sense of pride in the places we work, live and play.
Find out more about our graffiti removal services and how to report graffiti on your property.
What's the best way to prevent graffiti?
Paint your walls or fences a dark colour
Plant trees and flowers in front of your wall or fence
Install outdoor automatic lighting
Install surveillance equipment