Caustic Chemicals???

[trhland]

I Have A Few All Purpose Cleaners That I Bought From A Detailing Shop And There Caustic . Is That Bad?

 

[trhland]

bumpyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy

 

[Thejoyofdriving]

Well.....Generally yes, but it really depends on what you use it on. I think anything over a PH of 12 is considered caustic. I stay far far away from acidic or caustic cleaners as they can damage some surfaces.

 

[trhland]

Well.....Generally yes, but it really depends on what you use it on. I think anything over a PH of 12 is considered caustic. I stay far far away from acidic or caustic cleaners as they can damage some surfaces.

im slowly not useing them anymore the only thing i have thats caustic is an all purpose cleaner ive been useing on my dash board and its now removing the dye

 

[Thejoyofdriving]

im slowly not useing them anymore the only thing i have thats caustic is an all purpose cleaner ive been useing on my dash board and its now removing the dye

Oh no! you werent using it on the vinyl were you

 

[trhland]

Oh no! you werent using it on the vinyl were you

the stuff i used is from carbrite its ment for vinyl leather ect . the companys a high volume commercial detail company. and what ive noticed is these chemicals really arent ment for guys like us who clean our cars all the time .there just to strong and over time have these affects. so im stearing clear from them . at leastrit was my dumptruck not my new pick up.

 

[Thejoyofdriving]

the stuff i used is from carbrite its ment for vinyl leather ect . the companys a high volume commercial detail company. and what ive noticed is these chemicals really arent ment for guys like us who clean our cars all the time .there just to strong and over time have these affects. so im stearing clear from them . at leastrit was my dumptruck not my new pick up.

WWWWWWHHHHHHAAATTTTTTTTTTTTT?????!!!! Caustic+leather/vinyl=no no

 

[DAL1955]

I Have A Few All Purpose Cleaners That I Bought From A Detailing Shop And There Caustic . Is That Bad?

Originally Posted by Thejoyofdriving
Well.....Generally yes, but it really depends on what you use it on. I think anything over a PH of 12 is considered caustic. I stay far far away from acidic or caustic cleaners as they can damage some surfaces.


Tom,

How do you know they are caustic (as opposed to neutral, or acidic). I assume you do not have pH meter, and are going by what someone told you? If you have more info on the chemicals, pass it on...

Anyway, and to TJOD, pH of 12 would be extremely caustic to the point of burning your hands, etc, (think lye based drain cleaner). FTR, pH 7 is neutral, and anything below 7 is acidic, and above is alkaline. "Caustic" is casual lingo for alkaline and comes from caustic soda, the common name for sodium hydroxide. Also, you can have very agressive chemicals that are near neutral in pH, so pH is not the sole indicator of agressiveness. While I don't doubt that the chemicals TRH has are caustic as in more alkaline that pH7, I do seriously doubt that they are pH 12 chemicals. Some of the tire and alkaline wheel cleaning chemicals might make that standard, but not something intended, even for commercial use on leather or vinyl. I'm curious thouh, do you measure the pH of every chemical you use and only use pH 7 chemicals? You do realize that rain water has a pH of about 5.5 or lower if you're in LA.

DAL

 

[Thejoyofdriving]

Originally Posted by Thejoyofdriving
Well.....Generally yes, but it really depends on what you use it on. I think anything over a PH of 12 is considered caustic. I stay far far away from acidic or caustic cleaners as they can damage some surfaces.


Tom,

How do you know they are caustic (as opposed to neutral, or acidic). I assume you do not have pH meter, and are going by what someone told you? If you have more info on the chemicals, pass it on...

Anyway, and to TJOD, pH of 12 would be extremely caustic to the point of burning your hands, etc, (think lye based drain cleaner). FTR, pH 7 is neutral, and anything below 7 is acidic, and above is alkaline. "Caustic" is casual lingo for alkaline and comes from caustic soda, the common name for sodium hydroxide. Also, you can have very agressive chemicals that are near neutral in pH, so pH is not the sole indicator of agressiveness. While I don't doubt that the chemicals TRH has are caustic as in more alkaline that pH7, I do seriously doubt that they are pH 12 chemicals. Some of the tire and alkaline wheel cleaning chemicals might make that standard, but not something intended, even for commercial use on leather or vinyl. I'm curious thouh, do you measure the pH of every chemical you use and only use pH 7 chemicals? You do realize that rain water has a pH of about 5.5 or lower if you're in LA.

DAL

I have a wide range PH testing kit. It is not very accurate but it gives you a good idea of the PH. I test most of the products i use. I try to only use chemicals with in the "safe"
zone, which runs from 3 to 9. The most alkaline thing I use is 303 aerospace cleaner, it has a PH of about 9. This cleaner is safe on all water safe surfaces. So far I dont think I use anything acidic. As im sure you know the PH scale is logarithmic. So Megs APC is 1000 times more alkaline than 303 AC. I also know that PH is not the only factor that decides how strong a cleaner is, but it does play a major role. If you search through the forums you will find a thread in which one of the members tested some APC's thats how I know that Megs APC has a PH of ~12.

 

[TOGWT]

This thread may answer some of your questions-
http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/auto-detailing-university/8358-acids-ph-values.html

 

[trhland]

just read the bottle the ph is 13 high alkaline. so what does this mean ?should i flush this stuff down the toilet?

 

[Thejoyofdriving]

just read the bottle the ph is 13 high alkaline. so what does this mean ?should i flush this stuff down the toilet?

wow, thats crazy. I would not feel comfortable using a product like that. And you say it is for use on leather?

 

[trhland]

wow, thats crazy. I would not feel comfortable using a product like that. And you say it is for use on leather?

i ment vinyl sorry the dash board . anyway im done with it im not useing it anymore. by the way what is a good ph to look for in chemicals? i have an extractor fluid i was going to use and its a 12.5 ph is that ok ?its for carpet

 

[Thejoyofdriving]

i ment vinyl sorry the dash board . anyway im done with it im not useing it anymore. by the way what is a good ph to look for in chemicals? i have an extractor fluid i was going to use and its a 12.5 ph is that ok ?its for carpet

Well it really depends on the chemical and the surface. I use 303 AC for almost all of my cleaning needs since it is safe on any water safe surface. Basicly anything that you can put water on you can put 303AC on. The only problem is its not very strong. Generaly you want to use products as close to 7 as you can. It is usually a good idea to avoid products at the extreme ends of the PH scale

Once you start heading to either of the poles the chemical can become more dangerous. Diffrent materials can handle diffrent PH's, also like i said it matters what type of cleaner it is, a cleaner that has a PH of 8 can be stronger than a cleaner that has a PH of 9. Any thing over 10 is considered high alkiline and lower than 3.5 is considered a strong acid. Consider 303 AC for general cleaning tasks. For stronger tasks it my be nessasary to use a stronger cleaner.

 

[trhland]

Well it really depends on the chemical and the surface. I use 303 AC for almost all of my cleaning needs since it is safe on any water safe surface. Basicly anything that you can put water on you can put 303AC on. The only problem is its not very strong. Generaly you want to use products as close to 7 as you can. It is usually a good idea to avoid products at the extreme ends of the PH scale

Once you start heading to either of the poles the chemical can become more dangerous. Diffrent materials can handle diffrent PH's, also like i said it matters what type of cleaner it is, a cleaner that has a PH of 8 can be stronger than a cleaner that has a PH of 9. Any thing over 10 is considered high alkiline and lower than 3.5 is considered a strong acid. Consider 303 AC for general cleaning tasks. For stronger tasks it my be nessasary to use a stronger cleaner.

thanks very much for that. i have a gallon of extractor soap i bought a while back from carbrite and it contains as it says on the bottle 12.5 high alkaline phcontains fortified surfactants and water soluble solvents. sounds greek to me i hate not to use it

 

[trhland]

what i have is a 12.5 high alakline p/h contains fortified surfactants and water soluble solvents . this is what it says on the bottle .its an extractor carpet cleaner.i hate to throw it out is it safe.

 

[Thejoyofdriving]

what i have is a 12.5 high alakline p/h contains fortified surfactants and water soluble solvents . this is what it says on the bottle .its an extractor carpet cleaner.i hate to throw it out is it safe.

Coming from a company which makes a product called "WHEEL ACID" i would be carful. Carbrite offers many harsh chemicals which could potently damage surfaces. Plus they even say that there products may cause damage if used often. Like I said I would stay away from harsh chemicals that have very high or very low PH's. You might have to use a little more elbow grease but its better than damaging your cars surfaces. I will get back to you with more info.

 

[Thejoyofdriving]

I did a search but I haven't been able to find out what the max PH that is ok to use on carpets or other materials. I guess im gonna call the guy at 303 products tomorrow since he seems to know just about everything (seriously, he knows everything), if anyones going to be able to answer my questions it will be him, I bet he will have answers for me. I guess since carpets are made of plastic fibers it would be alright to use something that is safe on plastic. I will call a carpet store and ask there. I also am going to call Good Year Tires and see if they could let me know what the max PH that is safe to use on rubber is, although I will probably stump them with that question, and they will pull one of those "ummm, one second let me get someone to help you with that one, *1 hour later* We dont know.". Hopefuly I will have time since they are based on the east coast and by the time i get home they are closed. As you may see i have a bit of a OCD when it comes to detailing.

 

[Thejoyofdriving]

Found some info!!!

"Carpet spot cleaners are very popular. You will find a great variety to choose from at a grocery store. Can they harm your carpet? The answer to this is yes, they can. Continue reading to learn how spotters can damage your carpet and how to prevent the damage.
One way spotters can harm your carpet is by being too strong. A cleaner that is too strong can strip the protector off of the carpet or it could even react with it causing your carpet to irreversibly change color. To make sure that the cleaner is not too strong you should do two things. Make sure that the spotter says that it is safe for stain resistant carpet. This means that it has a PH less than 10 and is generally safe. Also test the spotter in an inconspicuous area like a closet for color loss or color change."-http://ezinearticles.com/?Can-Carpet-Spotters-Damage-Your-Carpet?&id=390526

 

[trhland]

great info!!!!thanks