# To neutralize road salt on your truck



## SnoFarmer

Road salt, an ice-melting substance, is often part of a sand mixture spread over roadways before or after an ice or snow storm. This can lead to rust formation on the undercarriage of your vehicle. Rust can also form on any area of your vehicel that the road salt touches, and is even destructive to farm equipment and other metal machinery. To stop the rusting process, you can neutralize road salt and remove it from your vehicle before it can cause any damage.

In a bucket, mix 2 tbsp. of baking soda with 1/2 cup of automotive wash and 1/2 gallon of water.. Stir the mixture . 

Apply the mixture to the undercarriage and any other areas of your vehicle containing road salt or a salt/sand mixture. 


You can run this just as you do soap threw your power washer.

then spray/rinse your vehicle with water to remove the cleaning mixture.


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## 1olddogtwo

I like this, preemptive answers


Sticky time


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## Dogplow Dodge

I use Oxalic acid.

Works similar to what you did, except that I don't put soap in it. Maybe I should .....
http://www.hardwareworld.com/Wood-B...dtlvHk4064rrHk_6wsKgQUJi2pvcVn6i7caAtr08P8HAQ

Cheap too..


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## SnoFarmer

Thx.

















I'm doing community service, 
Working to get my sentence lowered to double secrete probation .


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## SnoFarmer

Dogplow Dodge;2058378 said:


> I use Oxalic acid.
> 
> Works similar to what you did, except that I don't put soap in it. Maybe I should .....
> 
> Cheap too..


I rember that, it looked like it did do a good job.
I'm just not comfortable with the acid.
Will it etch if not rinsed off?

I know we use all sorts of mild acids everyday.
Still....

And most of use have some baking soda in our frig that we could use.


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## Dogplow Dodge

SnoFarmer;2058382 said:


> I rember that, it looked like it did do a good job.
> I'm just not comfortable with the acid.
> Will it etch if not rinsed off?
> 
> I know we use all sorts of mild acids everyday.
> Still....
> 
> And most of use have some baking soda in our frig that we could use.


I used HALF of the recommended amount of oxalic acid, just so it didn't do any damage. It's the main ingredient in "salt away". I sprayed my exterior surface of my truck, and found no remnants of it. My paint is in good shape, and I'm sure if you had a vehicle that had poor paint on it, and you wiped a booger on it, it would stain... No ill effects that I'm aware of.



There are stronger versions of baking soda as well, but I would think it would leave a whitish residue, no ?


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## SnoFarmer

Dogplow Dodge;2058386 said:


> I used HALF of the recommended amount of oxalic acid,
> 
> There are stronger versions of baking soda as well, but I would think it would leave a whitish residue, no ?


The residue would continue to naturalize to a point,
Salt spray is white and that will be back in no time....
And I rinse the mageviers out of it , I've never noticed any.

Haven't tryed salt away and I'm sure you can find oxalic acid at the lumber yard
Cheeper. Just never used it...


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## jhall22guitar

I might have to try this this winter. I was thinking of making a spray wand with a bunch of nozzles that could be hooked up to our power washer at work and hopefully make a design that could be driven over (obviously no nozzles where the wheels would be passing) so that we could wash all the undersides quick.


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## Brian Young

jhall22guitar;2058427 said:


> I might have to try this this winter. I was thinking of making a spray wand with a bunch of nozzles that could be hooked up to our power washer at work and hopefully make a design that could be driven over (obviously no nozzles where the wheels would be passing) so that we could wash all the undersides quick.


One thing I found over the summer at Lowes was a gutter cleaning wand. It's about 6ft long with a (roughly) 90 degree bend and comes out like a pressure washer. It would be an excellent under carriage cleaning tool.


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## jhall22guitar

Brian Young;2058511 said:


> One thing I found over the summer at Lowes was a gutter cleaning wand. It's about 6ft long with a (roughly) 90 degree bend and comes out like a pressure washer. It would be an excellent under carriage cleaning tool.


I will have to look into that. We have 4 vans, 3 pickups, a minibus and a Fuso to try and keep clean, and the towns love to use alot of salt. Need something to get them clean but not take too long since we dont have too much downtime and every dept keeps their vehicles in different places


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## Jaynen

I use dish soap and water then scrub and rinse off. Then oil spray right away. Do it once before winter and once after winter. Messey job and alot of work though.


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## juspayme

Rick fennel has done both my trucks , he sells cans on his website. He is in butler pa look up on goggle


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## Mark Oomkes

I neutralized the salt on my old skidsteer once.................


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## jhall22guitar

We used fluid film at a company I worked for previously. Seemed to work pretty well. We did it before the season and then halfway through.


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## SnoFarmer

jhall22guitar;2060289 said:


> We used fluid film at a company I worked for previously. Seemed to work pretty well. We did it before the season and then halfway through.


dont waste your money, the stuff stinks up a new truck.
salt spray off of your wheels washes it off so does a carwash.. and it attracts dirt.

and at what cost. every year, 2 or more applications a year. there are cheaper alternatives.


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## jhall22guitar

SnoFarmer;2060302 said:


> dont waste your money, the stuff stinks up a new truck.
> salt spray off of your wheels washes it off so does a carwash.. and it attracts dirt.
> 
> and at what cost. every year, 2 or more applications a year. there are cheaper alternatives.


I realized that when I left, luckily I wasn't the one paying the bill for it


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## whdahel

SnoFarmer;2060302 said:


> dont waste your money, the stuff stinks up a new truck.
> salt spray off of your wheels washes it off so does a carwash.. and it attracts dirt.
> 
> and at what cost. every year, 2 or more applications a year. there are cheaper alternatives.


What do you use as a cheap alernative?? I was thinking of using bar oil? It says it jas rust inhibitor in it.


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## Indycorp

Old post, but what I don't understand is one guy says baking soda (alkaline) and the other is saying oxalic acid (acid). They are opposites. Any chemists here because I have a crust buildup of salt under my truck that is a ***** to get off.


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## 1olddogtwo

Indycorp said:


> Old post, but what I don't understand is one guy says baking soda (alkaline) and the other is saying oxalic acid (acid). They are opposites. Any chemists here because I have a crust buildup of salt under my truck that is a ***** to get off.


BS contains oxalic in it.


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## Indycorp

I own a carwash. Did some quick research. Kleen rite corp in Columbia pa sells a Simoniz product called De Salt. It is an acid based product. Ph neutral is 7. This product is 3.5 on the ph scale. Very acidic. Using De Salt will bring magnesium and calcium chlorides close to neutral. I would recommend using the De Salt after each storm then at the end of the season give our trucks an in depth wash of De Salt, then give it a wash of baking soda (Ph of 8) to neutralize the De Salt. Using baking soda is a waste of time for initial washes or washes throughout the season.


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## ktfbgb

Indycorp said:


> I own a carwash. Did some quick research. Kleen rite corp in Columbia pa sells a Simoniz product called De Salt. It is an acid based product. Ph neutral is 7. This product is 3.5 on the ph scale. Very acidic. Using De Salt will bring magnesium and calcium chlorides close to neutral. I would recommend using the De Salt after each storm then at the end of the season give our trucks an in depth wash of De Salt, then give it a wash of baking soda (Ph of 8) to neutralize the De Salt. Using baking soda is a waste of time for initial washes or washes throughout the season.


You have no idea what you just started. Good luck lol


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## Indycorp

Teee heeee heeee


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## SnoFarmer

Ive all
So used purple power or simple orange and the like as they too can adjust the Ph

On the used of soda .
http://www.ehow.com/how_7375591_neutralize-road-salt.html


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## John_DeereGreen

I know it's an old post but we just started using Hotsy Salt Lick. It's not cheap but a little goes a long way and it flat out works.

There are also undercarriage brooms that your local pressure washer store sells, and they're all over Amazon. We set a 4 nozzle up with quick connects so we can run regular nozzles, or switch 2 holes out for plugs and 2 holes for soap nozzles to spray the Salt Lick up all over the undercarriage.



Mark Oomkes said:


> I neutralized the salt on my old skidsteer once.................


I'm absolutely shocked that not a single member of the peanut gallery caught this post........Defcon were you on probation at the time?


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## 1olddogtwo

Well south of GR, a rinse and a bath are two different things

Besides Mark is getting a fresh start with a lot of the new guys.


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## Defcon 5

John_DeereGreen said:


> I know it's an old post but we just started using Hotsy Salt Lick. It's not cheap but a little goes a long way and it flat out works.
> 
> There are also undercarriage brooms that your
> 
> local pressure washer store sells, and they're all over Amazon. We set a 4 nozzle up with quick connects so we can run regular nozzles, or switch 2 holes out for plugs and 2 holes for soap
> 
> nozzles to spray the Salt Lick up all over the undercarriage.
> 
> I'm absolutely shocked that not a single member of the peanut gallery caught this
> 
> post........Defcon were you on probation at the time?


I could have been in a timeout at the time of this posting appeared....Even if I wasnt...I try to avoid any thread posted by Snofarmer like a girl with sores on her lips....Thumbs Up


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## BUFF

Defcon 5 said:


> I try to avoid any thread posted by Snofarmer


 I call BS....... ewer infatuated with him..........which is weird but hay what ever peels ewer banana Bonzo......


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## 1olddogtwo

We rumor on the playground it's *monkeypox.
*


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## Defcon 5

BUFF said:


> I call BS....... ewer infatuated with him..........which is weird but hay what ever peels ewer banana Bonzo......


Ya....Thats it...Kinda like your infatuated with Marci...


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## Defcon 5

1olddogtwo said:


> We rumor on the playground it's *monkeypox.*


You just pipe down....Dont you have carpet and drapes to clean at the CEOs house....


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## BUFF

Defcon 5 said:


> Ya....Thats it...Kinda like your infatuated with Marci...


Pfffffffttttttt!!!!! Pretty week...... rough day slinging poo:waving:


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## Defcon 5

BUFF said:


> Pfffffffttttttt!!!!! Pretty week...... rough day slinging poo:waving:


I agree...Yours was pretty weak....As a Union Monkey we have no rough days because we make a living wage and have no worrys


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## BUFF

Defcon 5 said:


> I agree...Yours was pretty weak....As a Union Monkey we have no rough days because we make a living wage and have no worrys


Well dang.......... we're all entitled to our opinions, it's apparent someone has had daily dose of the UM Kool-Aid .


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## The_engineer_49

Was wondering what about phosphoric acid it would neutralise the salt; wash it off and spray again with phosphoric acid. If there was rust from the salt, then the phosphoric acid would clean the rust and leave a zinc phosphate coating. So you could have it undercoated and if any damage to metal just have to replace the damaged piece, spray phosphoric acid on the patch let all dry then undercoat it. You wouldn't have to worry about rust eating away at your truck undercarriage or cleaning the salt of next year. Make sure you clean off all the metal rust scale before you spray the last coat of phosphoric acid and let it dry; then it's ready to undercoat.


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