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Road Salt Remover / Neutralizer ? | Page 2 | Autopia Forum-Auto Detailing & Car Care Discussion Forum

Road Salt Remover / Neutralizer ?

I have wondered WHY no major car-care company has developed and sells a salt-neutralizing soap, but then the logic of doing so is self-apparent (AKA obvious to Captain Obvious!). What vehicle owner washes their vehicles at home outside in the winter where de-icing salts and chemicals are used on roads? It`s too cold to do so, so hence, there is no market for doing so, or at least it`s a limited market for OCD Autopians, like myself. who are just crazy enough to want to wash their salt-encrusted vehicle in the rare above-freezing days in the winter. (By the way, this has been THE most unusual winter weather in Wisconsin I have ever seen in my lifetime. We go from above freezing high temps to sub-zero temps on what seems to be a 10-day cycle, with at least two of those days being above freezing. Good for washing vehicles outside on the more-than-frequent "warm" days.)

I also think that salt-in-the-air is a problem for vehicles kept and driven near the salt water of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans and Gulf of Mexico coasts, but again, it`s a limited market. Maybe regular car soaps used for owner-done vehicle washes will take care of that; I don`t know because I do not live in that salt-water environment.

Anyway, this is a great thread discussion. Wonder if tunnel/automated car-washes in areas that use de-icing salts have "special" wash soaps specifically for neutralizing that road salt designed for such car washes. I do know that cleaning of beet-juice de-icing binder used by many municipalities plowing and de-icing road departments on roads where snow falls is a REAL problem to remove in such touchless washes. This Road Traffic Film (RTF) is near impossible to remove chemically with specialized cleaners or at least those chemicals needed for such cleaning are not "legal" (AKA environmentally safe per federal EPA legislation) for use in the Untied States.
 
Lonnie said:
I have wondered WHY no major car-care company has developed and sells a salt-neutralizing soap, but then the logic of doing so is self-apparent (AKA obvious to Captain Obvious!). What vehicle owner washes their vehicles at home outside in the winter where de-icing salts and chemicals are used on roads? It`s too cold to do so, so hence, there is no market for doing so, or at least it`s a limited market for OCD Autopians, like myself. who are just crazy enough to want to wash their salt-encrusted vehicle in the rare above-freezing days in the winter. (By the way, this has been THE most unusual winter weather in Wisconsin I have ever seen in my lifetime. We go from above freezing high temps to sub-zero temps on what seems to be a 10-day cycle, with at least two of those days being above freezing. Good for washing vehicles outside on the more-than-frequent "warm" days.)

I also think that salt-in-the-air is a problem for vehicles kept and driven near the salt water of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans and Gulf of Mexico coasts, but again, it`s a limited market. Maybe regular car soaps used for owner-done vehicle washes will take care of that; I don`t know because I do not live in that salt-water environment.

Anyway, this is a great thread discussion. Wonder if tunnel/automated car-washes in areas that use de-icing salts have "special" wash soaps specifically for neutralizing that road salt designed for such car washes. I do know that cleaning of beet-juice de-icing binder used by many municipalities plowing and de-icing road departments on roads where snow falls is a REAL problem to remove in such touchless washes. This Road Traffic Film (RTF) is near impossible to remove chemically with specialized cleaners or at least those chemicals needed for such cleaning are not "legal" (AKA environmentally safe per federal EPA legislation) for use in the Untied States.
Click to expand...

Ammo makes an anti salt and winter washing additive (Boost) and also an anti salt version of Frothe.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
And there`s the aforementioned 303 product

30592-303-Salt-Neutralizing-Wash-Boost_00000-min.png


303(R) Salt Neutralizing Wash Boost - Gold Eagle
 
I figured I would come back to this as I did a test over last weekend using an Optimum ONR/MDR mix in a pressure sprayer as a pre-treat after rinsing the car first. (1oz ONR + 2oz MDR / 1 Gal Hot Water)




I did go to the Pay & Spray and spent $2+ per vehicle to just rinse them off and remove as much loose stuff as possible.

Once I came back I put the vehicle in the garage and closed the door running a heater. (It was sub 20* outside)

I mixed up my regular ONR wash at a little over regulars strength using hot water.

I mixed the pre-treat in my Kwazar Compression Sprayer using hot water as well.

I would spray a section and let it sit for a minute or two and then do my regular ONR wash.

I would do a second pass if needed and everything appeared to come clean and I didn`t notice any residue issues.
 
Setec Astronomy said:
So the salty water just dripped onto your garage floor? What do you do, just hose it out in the spring?
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I have drains in my floor. After washing I took a hose and rinsed the floor down and swept it with a broom to remove the dirt / crud that ended up on the floor.

It`s a regular/small 2-Car garage that I could technically use the hose and do a 2-bucket wash.

But in the winter I don`t always like to do that since I could have the floor freeze if I`m not careful. Doing rinse-less then a single hose down and sweep keep me safe.
 
I ask because I realized like a week ago that I probably could have reduced the salt damage to my concrete all these years by hosing out every spring the salt/dirt that comes in on the undercarriage of the car during the winter. Sometimes I`m a little slow.
 
Mine is only decent don’t think it’s lsp rated. I would not buy a salt remover again think they are more for the boating crowd in salt water when they are removing dried salt water spot. Not what we here intend to use them as where there dirt and junk and all sorts on the paint.
 
I used the AMMO NYC FROTHe with the salt remover the other day. I had a light to medium salt film on the car. I used Larry’s hand-pump foamer and followed up with Hydrate. I have to admit, it worked just like in his demo video. No streaks or any issues in 30 degree weather. I’ll definitely continue using it.
 
Setec Astronomy said:
So the salty water just dripped onto your garage floor? What do you do, just hose it out in the spring?
Click to expand...
Setec Astronomy:
This is what I do in the winter when temperatures are below freezing (AKA 32°F) to "wash" de-cing salt that has dripped off of a vehicle (or vehicles) parked in garage off of the garage floor. First, after driving out any parked vehicles from the garage, I shovel out any slush and ice chunks that may have fallen from the wheel wells or lower door sill rockers. (Yes, how many Autopians have kicked that accumulated slush or ice from behind each wheel with your shoe or boot when you get out of a vehicle when it has been driven in the snow! However, I usually try to do this BEFORE I drive the vehicle into the garage, but not always.) I take light, fluffy DRY snow nearby the garage in a snow shovel and then spread it out on the garage floor over the salt and dirt, which acts like a sweeping compound and soaks up the salt and dirt. I then take a push-type snow shovel and push out the excess now-dirtied snow through the opened vehicle-access garage door (or doors, if your garage is so built). Next, using a large push broom, I brush out the remaining dirtied snow debris to finish "washing" the floor. I may repeat the snow application and broom brushing if the floor still looks dirty and wet. Works OK until warmer weather sets in when you can actually wash the floor with soap and water to remove the salt.
When warmer weather does set in in Wisconsin (which has been at least one day every other week during this unusual winter!), I use a special cleaning tool called a Sh-Mop by ComSen Tech, Inc., which has a large, 15" x 8" rectangular swiveled head on a pole that a removable elastic cotton towel stretched over the head to mop out my garage floors in warmer weather. I use this with 8 ounces of degreaser soap (Jungle Jake`s Concentrated Degreaser by Stearns Packaging Corp.) and 2-gallons of water in a 5-gallon bucket. When the removable cotton towel gets dirty after a few swipes on the floor, it is removed and cleaned in the bucket, rung out, placed back on the large head, and mopped again. This may need to be done several times depending how dirty the garage floor is and the soap and water in the bucket changed out as needed as well. Works very well to cover a large area in very short time.
I know those of you with pressure washers will use that tool or spray it out with a garden hose nozzle and squeegee, and, yes, I will admit it is a (much?) better way to clean out the salt on the floor, but with the Sh-Mop I do not have to remove items in the garage and worry about excess water spray getting on them or the walls.
 
Have you heard of Salt Away?

I dilute it and spray my vehicle with a pump up sprayer and then head to the quarter car wash which is conveniently located at the end of my street. It helps the salt to rinse off the vehicle. Drive back to my heated garage and then do a rinseless wash.

When temps permit here in Michigan I use the adapter from Salt Away and hook it up to my pressure washer. I use my under the car attachment hooked to the pressure washer and I can blast the Salt Away directly on the underside of my vehicle. I switch to rinse and then rinse it off. Pull into the garage where it`s warmer and do a rinseless wash.
 
I wonder if they`re using actual *salt* in the areas where people are finding the "salt-removers" so helpful. Maybe it`s something more tenacious, like magnesium chloride or somesuch. I can`t get over how it`s simply *not a challenge* for Yours Truly and I`m wondering why. I mean, gee....it simply rinses/washes off, easy as can be. No residue, no rust-out, no problem. And it`s not like we don`t travel by car in winter weather (Pandemic not withstanding that is). OK, I`ll just shut up and count my blessings, but I do find it odd.
 
The striping of the roads here with mag chloride solution is routine before a storm now.

EDIT: I guess I`m not 100% sure that it`s mag chloride, it`s referred to as "brine". The advantage to that is they can do it several days before the storm to cut down on overtime, as it dries on the pavement. And since it`s there before the first snow, it`s supposed to make plowing easier by preventing the snow from adhering to the pavement. I do see that in some areas of NJ they are using mag chloride-treated rock (sodium chloride) salt, that also may have an "OBPE" (Organic-based Performance Enhancer), although I see that usually has blue dye, so I can`t say that I`ve seen that where I am, but all of this may contribute to the non-solubility of the salt residue that I have witnessed, although some of it may also be just road film. This year hasn`t been too bad, the rain has done a pretty good job of washing the salt off, but we haven`t had a bad winter.
 
We`ve had so much ice this year that I`m not begrudging such stuff.

They use "brine" here too, but fortunately for me that stuff rinses right off too. We had a hard rain the other day (before it turned to sleet-then-snow) and that got the Tahoe back to looking perfectly OK for the season.
 
Wash, scrub, use some "salt" remover from the paint---not going to stop the real corrosion damage of rust perforation--because doing such does little to nothing to remove the corrosives that are inside of the painted panels, Yeah, washing the paint nice and clean may make you fell all warm and fuzzy, but that`s about all.
 
mustangmike said:
Have you heard of Salt Away?

I dilute it and spray my vehicle with a pump up sprayer and then head to the quarter car wash which is conveniently located at the end of my street. It helps the salt to rinse off the vehicle. Drive back to my heated garage and then do a rinseless wash.

When temps permit here in Michigan I use the adapter from Salt Away and hook it up to my pressure washer. I use my under the car attachment hooked to the pressure washer and I can blast the Salt Away directly on the underside of my vehicle. I switch to rinse and then rinse it off. Pull into the garage where it`s warmer and do a rinseless wash.
Click to expand...

Bringing this back up.
Found out about this product today, it looks interesting, at least a jab at the salt battle on the car. I was close to buying some, just wondering which, if any, Bilt Hamber product is similar?? They have a couple corrosion related ones.
 
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