Cleaning products?

[Marc_B]

  On 6/6/2024 at 11:04 AM, Kirch56H said:

I only use the Plane Perfect line of cleaners and waxes on my Mooney. Chris at Plane Perfect is awesome to deal with and their product is amazing. I used to use the traditional wash/wax blue stuff but find this product is far superior. 

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I always used WashWaxAll (purple for belly, blue everywhere else) but a friend recommended Buddha Belly for the belly.  I have to say that Buddha Belly requires MUCH less elbow grease to clean off the aircraft.  My impression was that PlanePerfect (wing wipe and buddha belly) make cleaning much easier, but they don't seem to have as much of a wax/residue...is this good or bad??  Does the wax in WashWaxAll "protect" the surface better???  No clue.  Sometimes with the blue WashWaxAll I'd get a kinda wax/film/residue that I'd have to grab a clean dry microfiber to buff out, but bugs seem less "stuck on" with the WWA vs PP.  I'm definitely a Buddha Belly convert...that stuff works well and is much easier to spray on and wipe off.

But the best thing you can do either way is grab a big bag of cheap microfiber rags from Sams/Costco and just toss them when they are dirty/dropped on floor.  Also best to keep your belly rag separate from top side rags!

[Fly Boomer]

  On 6/7/2024 at 2:40 PM, AndreiC said:

For the belly I used to use this product -- premoistened cleaning wipes with some kind of lemon-y cleaner which I got from an auto parts store in town. Is there any concern about corrosion for using these?

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Others here have endorsed them.  I tried them, but found them too dry.  I got them at Harbor Freight where you might expect a fairly brisk turnover, but maybe they were in a container coming from China for a year before they hit the shelf.

[LANCECASPER]

  On 6/7/2024 at 2:40 PM, AndreiC said:

OK, after further inspection (now that I am back in the hangar) I decided that just scrubbing with the blue Wash Wax All will be enough for the upper surfaces. So that's that.

For the belly I used to use this product -- premoistened cleaning wipes with some kind of lemon-y cleaner which I got from an auto parts store in town. Is there any concern about corrosion for using these? They do a very good job of cleaning the belly and there is no risk of the cleaner dripping in my eyes.

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I actually like these for the first cleaning of the belly. I got mine from Amazon.

[AndreiC]

  On 6/11/2024 at 1:21 AM, LANCECASPER said:

I actually like these for the first cleaning of the belly. I got mine from Amazon.

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**First** cleaning? You do several cleanings of the belly? You enjoy unpleasant work?  More to the point, what do you use for the later cleanings, and why? Do you have something that keeps the belly from getting dirty?

[jetdriven]

The best stuff we've seen for cleaning off the bottom of airplanes is  PTI 2000 degreaser. Sold at aircraft spruce. Spray it on, push it around with a microfiber mop on a stick and then hose off to shiny paint. Lead deposits cake grease everything it's gone.

[LANCECASPER]

  On 6/11/2024 at 2:45 AM, AndreiC said:

**First** cleaning? You do several cleanings of the belly? You enjoy unpleasant work?  More to the point, what do you use for the later cleanings, and why? Do you have something that keeps the belly from getting dirty?

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If all I want to do is wipe the grime off, the wipes make it a 5 min. job. I don't like solvents dripping on me when i'm under there. Normally that's all I do and I don't even need to do that very often.

But, after that if I decide I want to put a product on that has some protection, maybe once a year, it's usually the Wash and Wax product.

[Fly Boomer]

  On 6/11/2024 at 3:31 AM, jetdriven said:

best stuff we've seen for cleaning off the bottom of airplanes is  PTI 2000

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I found PTC-2001.  Is that the same?

[Pinecone]

I find a page with the PTC-2001 listed, but no link or way to order.

[PeteMc]

  On 6/5/2024 at 2:10 PM, natdm said:

I use Extreme Simple Green on the underbelly

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Your comment on "Extreme" threw me and I was about to point out that as @Pinecone mentioned, Simple Green is corrosive to aluminum.  I thought the "Extreme" was going to be even worse.    So I was looking up the correct name for what I thought used to be Simple Green Aircraft and now see they call it "Simple Green - Extreme Aircraft and Precision Cleaner."

 

 

Edited June 11, 2024 by PeteMc

[PeteMc]

  On 6/5/2024 at 7:42 PM, WilliamR said:

I use a foam cannon with the Meguiars product mentioned above. Let the foam sit and couple minutes, then respray with cannon

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I was looking at this thread again and noticed you use the Foam Cannon.  I'm not a big fan of pressure washers with planes, but do you know if it will work with low pressure or even out of the faucet pressure and still get a good foaming action?  I like the idea of a pre wash with the foam to dissolve the grime and rinse most of the dirt off.

But again, personally I don't think you should be pressure washing a Mooney.  It would be too easy to actually push grime and grit into areas you don't want it and you'll never get it clean... Until your mechanic has to start taking things apart due to the corrosion. 

 

[201Steve]

@PeteMc you don’t put a high concentration tip on it and get 2’ away from it. 
 

in fact, the foaming portion isn’t a hard stream at all. It just gives the blast enough juice to “atomize” the soap through the affixed soap container. I’ve had no luck with anything close to useful with a hose attachment. 
 

a rinse with a wide area nozzle and distance from the surface just rinses with a high volume fine mist. Or pull the pressure off altogether. 

[PeteMc]

  On 4/9/2025 at 12:21 AM, 201Steve said:

in fact, the foaming portion isn’t a hard stream at all. It just gives the blast enough juice to “atomize” the soap through the affixed soap container.

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Thanks!

 

[GeeBee]

Armor All foam cannon with Armor All "ceramic detergent" is the bomb. Use it on my boat, cars and airplane. Yes I own two pressure washers but the foam cannon works really good on vehicles.

[Hank]

  On 4/9/2025 at 11:56 AM, GeeBee said:

Armor All foam cannon with Armor All "ceramic detergent" is the bomb. Use it on my boat, cars and airplane. Yes I own two pressure washers but the foam cannon works really good on vehicles.

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That looks interesting! I use Wash Wax All on fround and air vehicles, is this easier than squirt on, wipe and buff?

Walmart has the kit for $33.97, Amazon for $33.96. I'm out right now, and have to drive past wally world on my way home . . .

[PeteMc]

  On 4/9/2025 at 2:16 PM, Hank said:

I use Wash Wax All on fround and air vehicles, is this easier than squirt on, wipe and buff?

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I use the spray on cleaners too.   But the Foam Cannon looks great for after a long XC or if you've been doing a lot of flying when the Wx is bad and you haven't had time to keep up on the Spray/Wipe cleaning.  I'm thinking the Foam Cannon would be great just to cut through that first layer of grime and making the polishing cleaning a bit easier. 

 

[Hank]

  On 4/9/2025 at 4:23 PM, PeteMc said:

I use the spray on cleaners too.   But the Foam Cannon looks great for after a long XC or if you've been doing a lot of flying when the Wx is bad and you haven't had time to keep up on the Spray/Wipe cleaning.  I'm thinking the Foam Cannon would be great just to cut through that first layer of grime and making the polishing cleaning a bit easier. 

 

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Wonder how it would work now? Or at least whenever the pollen becomes less visible on the car overnight . . .