Paging cleaning experts 

"AestheticsInMotion" (aestheticsinmotion) 07/25/2018 at 17:33 • Filed to: None

2

22

Svend, gettingoldercarguy, etc. After a lot of work I picked up a government contract for cleaning some F-650's and dump trucks. If it goes well... My team will get multiple other fleet contracts worth quite a bit. Let me pick your brains

This is right on the water in Seattle, and due to hazardous materials powering the satellites in each vehicle, they have never been taken off sight and cleaned. Years and years being around salt water and accumulating dirt. That said... After sending a sales guy out to bid the job, in the images he sent me t he trucks don’t look too bad. I think we can handle things with an application of 12.5% sodium hypochlorate followed by a medium pressure rinse with 8ga l/min pressure washers. I’ll be sending out tons of brushes and random chemicals as a backup.

What I’m less sure about is the “ceramics” they want removed. There’s some sort of manufacturing plant/factory/whatever in the next lot, and from what my on-site guy said, either it’s a cera mic manufacturer and has gotten hard to remove ddebris on t he trucks, or... It’s gotten ceramic over the trucks. This is u ncharted waters for me. Any ideas?

First picture below is the offending factory, the rest are images of the vehicles.

Oh and last thing, after both sides approved the bid, the property manager mentioned that he was interested in paint protection. I told him I’d give him options tomorrow morning after researching his specific situation... Obviously I can’t have my guys hand wax everything. Any ideas on a paint protection application I could up sell to them? Something that could be sprayed on wet would be really nice

Future next gen S2000 owner > AestheticsInMotion 07/25/2018 at 17:40

1

This may sound dumb but what about clear bra over everything, or at least those areas most susceptible to paint issues.

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > AestheticsInMotion 07/25/2018 at 17:44

1

1 2.5% sodium hypochlorate

Be careful, that will literally bleach the vehicle, and could potentially damage any soft parts like fabric, rubber etc...

CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever 07/25/2018 at 17:46

1

Go higher! 50% sodium hypochlorate  

AestheticsInMotion > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever 07/25/2018 at 17:49

0

Definitely. It’s what we use on houses with great results, but this will be the first time attempting it on v ehicles. I might play around with the mixture a bit so it's not as powerful

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever 07/25/2018 at 17:51

1

We use 25% in water treatment, it gets a bit thick at higher concentrations where you need to keep it at 20 deg. C so it doesn’t go to a solid.

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > AestheticsInMotion 07/25/2018 at 17:53

0

I’ve always used sodium hydroxide ( NaOH) as a commercial cleaning soap. That’s what we used at a pepsi bottling plant to wash tanks. NaCl (hyprchlorite) or bleach is very, very, very corrosive. I wouldn’t use it on paint, rubber or plastic.

someassemblyrequired > AestheticsInMotion 07/25/2018 at 17:57

2

My wife used to work a few months a year at Vigor, which is close by. I had good luck with a general household cleaner - I think I used Scrubbing Bubbles non bleach cleaner to knock down the biological material, and Tarminator to get rid of the other stuff. That may not work as well for you as I had paint protection and use good wax.  Even then it was a bear - you could not get me to do that job at any price.

AestheticsInMotion > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever 07/25/2018 at 17:59

0

I’ve got that too. The risks are definitely higher with NaCl, but... Oh man. After testing almost 20 different mixtures the next best took twice as long and gave us about 80% the effectiveness as the bleach. It really is something seeing a ten year old asphalt shingle roof look better than a brand new asphalt shingle roof. Same deal with house siding.

Would sodium hydroxide be significantly safer on plastics and rubbers? 

His Stigness > AestheticsInMotion 07/25/2018 at 18:02

1

I doubt I’ll be much help as I stick to professional detailing your stuff, and you’re dealing with industrial stuff, but maybe this will help.

Right now I’m primarily using Gtechniq products, so first I’d use the W4 citrus foam. It’s ph neutral, which I’m sure you don’t want, but it is a more aggressive soap without being dangerous. So first wash all the car off. Then I’d use fallout remover. That removes most things that isn’t bird shit, bugs, and dirt. Then you wash the car again. Gtechniq also has a tar and glue remover which smells nasty, but Holy shit it works. If also use a good concentrate degreaser for anything else.

Sorry I can't be of more help. That's way outside my expertise. 

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > AestheticsInMotion 07/25/2018 at 18:03

1

Yes, IIRC NaOH is non-reactive on plastics and rubbers, while bleach will eat the shit out of rubber and eventually fail plastics. The bleach could peal the clear coat off of a car, while the NaOH is just a supper strong soap (surfactant). I would definitely do a test area and see how it goes.

AestheticsInMotion > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever 07/25/2018 at 18:17

3

*dissolves truck instantly*

AestheticsInMotion > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever 07/25/2018 at 18:18

0

25% ... Yikes. That does not sound fun to work with (or contain, pump, etc.)

MM54 > AestheticsInMotion 07/25/2018 at 18:22

1

My dad has a 96 F250 (white) which is solely used as a work truck, typically hauling a lot of stuff around and to the dump. It otherwise lives outside under some trees. Every couple years when he decides to wash it, kerosene and fine steel wool brings it back from black/grey to white.

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > AestheticsInMotion 07/25/2018 at 18:28

1

It’s better than gaseous chlorine, but yeah it is a pain in the ass to work with. We have to use heated tanks made out of special resins that are resistant to corrosion.

Manwich - now Keto-Friendly > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever 07/25/2018 at 19:21

1

100% Hydroflouric Acid!!!

http://breakingbad.wikia.com/wiki/Hydrofluoric_acid

CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever > AestheticsInMotion 07/25/2018 at 19:24

2

so clean, it’s invisible

AestheticsInMotion > someassemblyrequired 07/25/2018 at 20:21

0

My thoughts too, but we have some crazy powerful chemicals for dealing with organic matter which I hope makes the job easier for my team. 

AestheticsInMotion > MM54 07/25/2018 at 20:23

0

Glad you said that, because steel wool was something I was going to supply my crew with. Any issues with scratching or stripping the clear coat that you know of? 

AestheticsInMotion > Future next gen S2000 owner 07/25/2018 at 20:25

0

I like the idea, but 1) the application process is a bit tricky, requiring multiple days without moisture to fully cure, and 2) these are pretty beat up already and something about putting a clear bra on top of paint flaws just... Seems wrong to me haha

MM54 > AestheticsInMotion 07/25/2018 at 20:33

0

I would be surprised if there’s still any clear left on it. It has a satin/matte finish when clean.

someassemblyrequired > AestheticsInMotion 07/25/2018 at 21:11

0

You’d be surprised how well the household cleaner worked , I didn’t believe Svend when he suggested it, but the results spoke for themselves. I figured I’d need to get it machine polished off, but just letting it stand for a minute or two did the trick.   I’d maybe start gentle and experiment from there before going to the house level stuff, since you won’t have the surface imperfections of siding.  Have you looked at the RV/boat wash chemicals that I see around sometimes?

MM54 > AestheticsInMotion 07/30/2018 at 19:54

0

For reference this is what it looked like on Sunday when I stopped on the way past to meet the new puppy. Getting close to its once- every-couple-years washing. It’s a good truck (and super rusty underneath).