As winter approaches, area road departments begin gearing up for another season of battling Mother Nature’s fury - snow storms. The best way to do this is heavy applications of road salt. Unfortunately, the salt can wreak havoc on your fleet and its multiple coats of paint. So how do you neutralize road salt and keep your salt trucks safe?

Road salt is extremely corrosive — it will eat away at the surface of your trucks and buses, their undercarriages, and even the metal framework. So how do you neutralize the effects of road salt on your trucks? 

The two-step washing process outlined below is an excellent way to reduce the impact of road salt on your vehicle, including rust and corrosion, and keep it looking like new all winter long. 

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What is Road Salt?

To understand how the 2-step process removes salt from vehicles we must first understand a little bit about salts. 

Salts are ionic compounds which means that they are two oppositely charged ions held together by a strong static-electric attraction. For example, table salt is made of a negatively charged chloride ion (anion) and a positively charged sodium ion (cation).

The blanket term “salt” when referring to road salts is a bit misleading because it implies two things, both false. 

  1. It implies that road salt is sodium chloride (table salt) as most people use the term “salt” to refer to table salt. 
  2. The term makes it sound as though there’s only one chemical salt being used when, in fact, road salts usually comprise many different salts including sodium chloride, magnesium chloride, calcium chloride, sodium acetate, etc. 

“Salts”, therefore, would be a more accurate term.

While salts can be dissolved in water, there are a few problems when removing road salts from vehicles. When the road salts react with organic molecules such as diesel, motor oil, and gasoline, as well as other inorganic molecules from the road, it forms a coating on the vehicle’s surface that isn’t easily removed with water alone.

The 2-step fleet washing method acts as a road salt neutralizer and removes these soils in a variety of ways, including ion replacement, chelation, competition for the vehicle surface, and rinsing.

 

How It Works

When removing road salt, the low pH acid Step 1 does the heavy lifting, and the high pH alkaline Step 2 works to neutralize the Step 1 chemical, leaving you with a near neutral water run-off.

2-Step can also help to remove salts by simply competing for the vehicle’s surface. Many polymers and surfactants utilized in the 2-Step process have a higher attraction for the vehicle surface than the salts and scales and when combined with a rinse, help loosen the salt.

For best results, it's recommended to use a 2-step wash method every time you wash your vehicles – and this is applicable throughout the year. 

That’s because it won’t just help against road salt, it will help against multiple kinds of soils, grime, and road film as well - something that can be very difficult to remove.

 

Step 1: Neutralize Road Salt with an Acidic Pre-soak

The first step in your two-step washing process should be applying a low pH acidic pre-soak. 

An acidic pre-soak will help neutralize and dissolve the road salt and any other minerals bonded to the vehicle surface. 

They are designed to be more acidic to help protect your truck’s finish from rust and corrosion. However, we recommend using the 2 Step Process, not just the low pH product, to fully clean the vehicle and neutralize Step 1. 

If you are ONLY going to use one product to help remove salt, it may be beneficial to use a low pH truck wash solution such as Hydro Redox which is formulated specifically for use on vehicles that experience regular road salt exposure. 

In addition, many people have found that heavy use of magnesium chloride specifically as the ‘road salt’ will require a more aggressive low pH product to remove the build-up from the vehicle. 

Our customers typically use something like Quicksilver. This combination of specific acids works better against magnesium chloride than some other, more mild products. 

 

Step 2: Follow Up With an Alkaline Cleaning Detergent

Once you’ve neutralized the salts and other minerals with an acidic pre-soak, the next step is to follow up with an alkaline cleaning detergent. 

An alkaline cleaning detergent will help neutralize the Step 1 low pH presoak and some of the corrosive effects of the road salts that have already had a chance to make contact with your vehicle. 

It is important to make sure you also clean the undercarriage as thoroughly as possible, as salt build-up is typically more concentrated there and rust can hide very easily. 

Check out our touchless truck wash soaps for multiple options for both your low pH and high pH detergents. 

 

The Importance Of Frequent Washing

In winter, it’s normal to find yourself needing to wash your fleet regularly, especially with the amount of excess salt on your roads. 

To avoid making the cleaning process difficult and lengthy, you should wash your vehicle regularly. 

This will help you avoid salt build-up, reduce the chance of rust in the undercarriage, and keep your fleet looking like new throughout the season.

If you wash your vehicles regularly, you can also expect them to have a longer lifespan than if it wasn’t washed at all. On top of that, regular washing will also significantly lower repair costs by reducing maintenance costs caused by corrosion. 

If your paint job is left unwashed, it will be subject to a great deal of wear and tear with an increased chance of rust. This can lead to expensive paintwork and even minor chips that may need to be repaired.

 

How to Know Which 2-step Chemicals To Use?

You can often check the pH level on the label or the SDS to make sure the product is either an acidic pre-soak or alkaline detergent. 

The pH level of neutral water is 7. Any pH level below 7 is considered acidic, and any pH level above 7 is considered alkaline.

For best results, you should use a combination of a low pH product and a high pH product that will act as a way to get near neutral runoff. It also assists with neutralizing the corrosive effects of the road salt AND road film before it has a chance to permanently damage your vehicles.

 

Neutralize Road Salt with 2-Step Washing

Road salt is an inevitable part of winter, but it doesn’t have to be a nightmare for your trucks and buses. Neutralize road salt with the 2-step washing process outlined above to reduce the impact of road salt on your vehicles and have them operational for much longer.

Questions about what washing method is most efficient at removing road salt? Schedule a complimentary wash review to get a customized solution that works for you!

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