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How to wash the plane without water

mattsmith

Well Known Member
Long story short due to a growing family the wife said we need a new house so we got another house and it doesn?t have a 50'X22' garage perfect for building a RV8 like the last one, so I rented a hanger to finish the project. The problem is the hanger is nowhere near air tight and is in the middle of the Nevada desert and when the wind blows everything gets covered in dust. How do I wash the plane without water? The avionics are in and in the middle of being wired, the canopy is cut and Sika flex, but the wind screen is not on and the motor is hung. Can I use Windex and paper towels? I have tried the air compressor which gets most of it off and then following up with a feather duster but this doesn?t get all of it.

The plan is to get the dust off of it and keep it covered with old bed sheets when not working on it. I don?t want to use something to clean it that will leave a residue when it?s time to paint it.
 
I wouldn't recommend using Windex.

How about using a portable garden sprayer? You can either purchase either a 5 gallon hand pump model for a few bucks or use your air compressor and large container to make a sprayer. You will need just enough volume of water to rinse the dust. The only PIA will be lugging the water to the hangar.

Mike
 
I keep a couple of 7 gallon drinking water containers from WalMart in my hangar. I fill them with soft water from home, since the hoses at my airport all have very hard water. I can wash the whole plane with about 3 gallons of water. I just (repeatedly) pour some in a bucket and wash in sections. This also prevents water spots since you can dry a section before it dries by itself. It sounds slow and tedious, but I've found it's the most efficient method for a good wash.

Guy
 
Also, specifically with regards to Windex. It has ammonia in it. Just about the worst thing ever for the canopy and the aluminum.
 
Garden sprayers work perfect and use suprisingly little water. Just spray on some water and wipe it off with a towel. Larry
 
Seal up the hanger also

If your hanger is the typical hanger construction, you probably have a gap between the floor and the metal sidewall skirting. All kinds of dust, sand, bugs and critters can find their way in. I filled mine with the round foam insulation tubes commonly used to insulate pipes. My door seals up pretty good so I have no problems there. Pretty much all that gets in now is what I track in or what blows in when the door is open. I still keep a couple gallons of water in the hanger to rinse the canopy though before I do anything else to clean the transparencies.
 
cleaner

Matt,

Mine has never been washed with water. I always spray on a wet coat of ICE DETAILER or similar automotive finish detailer. You want to wet the surface well enough to lift the grit so it won't scratch when you wipe it off. It works very well. I'd take compressed air and blow off as much as I could before I sprayed the detailer though.

You can also clean the belly with SCRUBBING BUBBLES bathroom cleaner once you get it flying. Spray it on, wait a few minutes and wipe it off. It works better than you can imagine. Use PLEDGE furniture polish on the canopy and wipe off with a soft cloth.
 
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Try the Washwax

The first time I tried the garden sprayer it must have been less than 32 on the skin because it froze instantly. 'Washwax' works better than the car products above freezing and then the 'California' car Duster takes off the dust very well hot or cold. 9.95 at the Walmart.
 
I was gonna say to get a California car duster, but it seems I've been beaten to the punch. If all you have is dust, the duster will take it right off.
 
Matt,

Use PLEDGE furniture polish on the canopy and wipe off with a soft cloth.

Lots af advice on here; just a note, although tons of guys use Pledge, all the acrylic manufacturers specifically say NOT to. Do you really want to use $2 cleaner on a $1000 canopy? I believe Plexus and many other cleaners specifically made for acrylic have anti-static properties and will not build up like the carnuba wax in pledge.
If you are 'blowing off' the dust with compressed air...does it then magically go away? ....more likely, it settles over a wider area later, you breathe it etc.
How about a little shopvac with a HEPA filter. If you are physically wiping every square foot, why not actually get RID of the dust?
Obviously, keeping it out is going to pay dividends in the long run.
good luck! ( wish I had a hangar). :( envious!
 
I had forgotten about the California Duster (and that's what I use:eek:)

I used Pledge on my airplane windows for many years without a problem until one day someone mentioned to me that Johnson & Johnson is under no obligation not to change the formula to contain some ingredient that ISN'T compatible with acrylic.:eek:
 
.........You can also clean the belly with SCRUBBING BUBBLES bathroom cleaner once you get it flying. Spray it on, wait a few minutes and wipe it off. .........

While Scrubbing Bubbles does remove greasy stuff well, the reason it does so is that the pH is 12.1. It is my understanding that a substance with that pH can get into the tiny gaps in the joints and cause havoc over time.

I would stay away from cleaners that strong.

Google the msds for whatever product you choose to use.

Here is a link to Scrubbing Bubbles msds: http://www.cleanitsupply.com/Download/Msds/DRK 94308.pdf

Would love for a chemical engineer to step in here..............
 
What to use?

While Scrubbing Bubbles does remove greasy stuff well, the reason it does so is that the pH is 12.1. It is my understanding that a substance with that pH can get into the tiny gaps in the joints and cause havoc over time.

I would stay away from cleaners that strong.

Google the msds for whatever product you choose to use.

Here is a link to Scrubbing Bubbles msds: http://www.cleanitsupply.com/Download/Msds/DRK 94308.pdf

Would love for a chemical engineer to step in here..............

Pete, Thanks for posting this as I was wondering if Scrubbing Bubbles was safe for aircraft. What is the best product to use for removing oil from the bottom of airplanes? (sorry for the thread creep)
 
Solvent

IMHO, plain old solvent, such as Stoddard solvent, works very well, and doesn't leave a damaging residue. Then follow with diluted Aviation Simple Green.

Diluting the Aviation Simple Green makes it wipe off much easier, and was strongly recommended by the vendor (Simple Green) at OSH. Dilute at least 1:1 or more water. Even 2 or 3 units water to 1 unit ASG will work well behind solvent.

YMMV. ;)
 
WD-40

I have used WD-40 or the cheap Wally World brand to clean my belly. It usually takes less than one can. I don't know if I would use it before painting. It works great, but I'm not sure if it is harmful or not. Maybe someone will know.
 
Pete, Thanks for posting this as I was wondering if Scrubbing Bubbles was safe for aircraft. What is the best product to use for removing oil from the bottom of airplanes? (sorry for the thread creep)

Aviation Simple Green works wonders. The oil just rolls off. I use it on dirt bikes too. I buy mine in 1 gallon concentrate from Spruce.

Standard simple green is not good for aluminum either.
 
Honda Pro Polish is available in Honda motorcycle dealers and a lot of Harley dealers stock this. It takes off the belly grease like its nothing and puts a nice shine and polish on. I've also "washed" my entire plane with this a number of times. It is safe for Plexi/Lexan and it is great for post-flight bug removal. If it's good enough for my Harley, it's good enough for the RV. The price is actually reasonable.

Steve
RV-9A
 
---snip. If it's good enough for my Harley, it's good enough for the RV. snip--

Steve
RV-9A

If that cleaner can handle the amount of oil a Harley leaks it must be good stuff! :D It's a good thing it's made by Honda and not Harley, otherwise it might make your plane slow and unable to turn! (Kidding of course....) :)
 
If that cleaner can handle the amount of oil a Harley leaks it must be good stuff! :D It's a good thing it's made by Honda and not Harley, otherwise it might make your plane slow and unable to turn! (Kidding of course....) :)

That may be true, but my RV sounds awesome.
 
If that cleaner can handle the amount of oil a Harley leaks it must be good stuff! :D It's a good thing it's made by Honda and not Harley, otherwise it might make your plane slow and unable to turn! (Kidding of course....) :)

Be careful here - this could be worse than the primer wars!:eek:
 
How To Wash A Plane Without Water

I used to use WASH WAX ALL when I owned a Mooney. It worked great. Just spray it on and wipe it off. I used regular strength on the top and sides and heavy duty on the bottom. I no longer own the Mooney, but continue to use it on my Harley and Vette. I buy it on the internet and you can find it by doing a search on WASH WAX ALL. I've been using this product for over 13-years.
 
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