A Primer on the Merits of One Step versus Two Step as an Effective and Economic Vehicle Cleaner
1) Commonalties for Effective Cleaning of Any Surface
a) Character of the Soap Applied
b) Dilution Ration of the Chemicals to Emulsify, Saponify, Suspend, etc.
c) Soft vs. Hard Water
d) Cold Water vs. Hot Water
e) Need for Pressure, or Friction, Applied to the Dirty Surface
f) Degree of Soap Agitation or Release
2) The Removal of “Road Film” is what distinguishes vehicle cleaning from other forms of industrial/commercial cleaning.
“Road Film” = A thin layer of dirt and pollutants held to the surface by an Electrostatic Bond.
It’s distinguished from the dirt film on ordinary stationary objects in the following manner:
3) Causes of “Road Film”:
a) “Road Film” results from the build-up of road dirt, diesel smoke, and other foreign contaminants emitted from the vehicle engine or picked up in the atmosphere.
b) “Road Film” is created as a high speed moving vehicle generates air friction and static electricity forming an electrostatic bond to the pollutants.
c) “Road Film” consists of pollutants which freeze on the vehicle surface like steel shavings to a magnet.
4) How can such Vehicle Pollutants be Removed? Two Ways:
a) Either physically pull or brush the shavings from the magnet, or ….
b) Neutralize the magnetic bond and let the shavings (i.e. Dirt) fall off!
5) 1-step Vehicle Cleaning Methodology:
a) A single soap is sprayed onto the vehicle surface.
b) This is followed by a spray rinse, relying on the water pressure to perform the agitation without brushes and manual assistance.
c) May apply greater pressure or hotter temperatures, both of which risk damaging the vehicle surface if used in excess.
d) May apply a stronger soap, risking damage to the vehicle surface if it’s strong enough to remove the vehicle surface dirt.
e) Must be customized to individual vehicle dirt and weather conditions.
6) What’s the 1-step vehicle upshot?
a) Must rely on pulling or brushing the dirt off rather than neutralizing the magnetic “road film” bond chemically.
b) Such agitation requires extra labor or additional equipment to remove the “road film” surface.
c) Risks damage to vehicle surface by applying overly stringent soaps, excessive pressure or extreme temperatures.
d) Cannot clean unpainted aluminum surfaces.
e) Cannot clean inside of wheels (Needs mit).
7) 2-Step Vehicle Cleaning Methodology
a) A positively charged first step detergent is quickly applied to saturate the dirt molecules.
b) A negatively charged second step is quickly applied to re-saturate the positively charged surfaces.
c) After a short dwell, the vehicle is neutral ready for a low labor rinse.
d) Vehicle is rinse free of dirt and “road film”.
8) 2-Step Vehicle Cleaning Relies Less on Surface Agitation than on Neutralizing the Magnetic Attraction (See Attachment)
9) What are the merits of 2-step vehicle cleaning?
a) It requires less physical agitation (labor/equipment).
b) It’s more cost effective than any other vehicle cleaning system.
c) It results in a cleaner vehicle surface.
d) It’s environmentally friendly. Resultant run-off is a near neutral fluoride salt. Less need for solvents, or high phosphates.
e) Broad spectrum vehicle cleaning and weather conditions, giving 2-step a more universal application on a national basis, with more predictable results.
f) Cleans vehicle areas that generic soaps can’t clean without brushes and hand labor, such as wheel hubs and frames.
g) Cleans irregular surfaces such as tankers, livestock haulers, gravel trains, and the huge trash hauling vehicle wash market. |