Airplane cleaning products

swisspilot

swisspilot

Well-Known Member
Any advice on good cleaning products for airplane, there is a ton of them out there. Our plane gets pretty wasted with mud and other dirty stuff, we also have a pod that gets really oily and hard to clean. The plane is brand new so we want to take good care of it.One more thing, most of the steel screws rust like crazy, especially the ones of the tail section, is there any specific product to treat them without affecting the paint?
 
Zep makes a pretty good airplane soap. As for the screws, replace em with stainless.
 
Roger said:
Zep makes a pretty good airplane soap. As for the screws, replace em with stainless.
Click to expand...

I still fly unpainted and have trouble removing bugs, blood and honey from aluminum surfaces. Could Zep work on bare aluminum without promoting corrosion?
 
Simple green aviation, a pressure washer, and soft brush are my choice. Lemon pledge on boots seems to keep the bugs, frost and other crap off....

But lemon pledge is not FAA approved.
 
There is a really good cleaner that I use on all of my company's airplanes from the gulfstreams to the DC-3 and the other warbirds. It is made by PPG aerospace and is called ED-403. It is a mild cleaner that you have to put on by hand and then whipe it off with another rag. It is really good for getting bugs and stuff off that are really plastered on good. You have to find a cheap source to get it though, I have seen some people sell it for 700 dollars for a 5 gallon jug of it, but our chief mechanic found some of it somewhere for about 150 dollars a jug. I usually mix it with some water in a spray bottle to make it easier (it also works good just putting a little on at a time not diluted or anything, it isn't meant to be diluted). ED-403 is amazing when it comes to removing bugs though, if you put some on a rag and really scrub on it hard I haven't had anything it really couldn't get off as far as bugs/ general nastyness goes.
 
TUCKnTRUCK said:
Simple green aviation, a pressure washer, and soft brush are my choice. Lemon pledge on boots seems to keep the bugs, frost and other crap off....

But lemon pledge is not FAA approved.
Click to expand...
We_Need_More_Lemon_Pledge_by_narutobakasan.jpg
 
Just be very, very careful what you put on airplanes, especially on a prop. Don't ever use regular simple green.
 
Why not regular simple green? Seems to be the only thing that can get exhaust marks off the right side of the Caravan!
 
Standard simple green will promote corrosion in the aluminum. There is Simple Green aircraft soap. I use it on all aircraft finishes including poly fiber, ceconite, aluminum, composite airplanes. Cuts grease, oil, bugs, fuel stains...
 
I used to use a spray can called something like shurkleen or something. I can't find it anymore but this is a good alternative:
http://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/cspages/crazyclean.php

It's the only thing I've found that easily removes oil off the bottom of planes. Just spray on/wipe off. 1/2 - 1 can + a roll of shop towels/papper towels = a clean belly. I'll lay down on an automotive creeper and knock the bottom of a Bonanza out in just a couple/few minutes.

I've tried using 100LL, simple green, mineral spirits, etc and this is easier and doesn't make a mess.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top