Laundry Detergent for engine bay

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Ryan R

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So a buddy of mine has a 2002 Wrangler with an engine bay that looks brand new.
He says he uses laundry detergent mixed in a spray bottle. He said degreasers can (long term) dry out the seals and gaskets.
Laundry detergent does just what it says..."LIFTS grease and grime" with little agitation.
I haven't tried this yet but I will unless anyone can chime in with a reason not too.
His instructions were to rinse the engine bay down and then spray everything with the laundry detergent mix and let soak for 10 to 15 minutes and then rinse off.
And the same as any engine detailing goes...cover up any wires and intake tube.
 
Interesting... subscribed to see if any expert opinions show up
 
for a lightly soiled engine it could work I guess

I doubt that there are any experts using this method however...
 
embolism said:
for a lightly soiled engine it could work I guess

I doubt that there are any experts using this method however...
Click to expand...

I did a search on here using "laundry detergent" but didn't come up with anything about engine bays.
So I'm assuming if I was a good way of doing it then I'd find it here.
I'm assuming I'm going to find out all the reasons NOT to do this but atleast I won't have to find out the hard way
 
Does he have laundry in his engine bay?

Kidding. But for real - Laundry Detergent is best suited to wash, laundry.

I guess that some strong degreasers could eventually dry out some pieces here or there, but any safe, good APC will not.

But, all that aside, let's look at a couple of scenarios:
Scenario 1:
You have a filthy dirty engine. You use a super strong degreaser to knock the nasty off and you have harmed nothing (with everything protected that needs to be etc.)
From them on, you have a mildly dirty engine that you just have to keep clean. Use a weaker cleaner that hurts nothing.

Scenario 2:
You have a filthy dirty engine. You use laundry detergent, and it works the same as the super strong degreaser.
From then on you have a mildly dirty engine, yet you keep using the laundry detergent just because why???

I really don't understand why he would do this - or the reasoning honestly. The "drying out" problem is to say that you are using a degreaser that actually will harm "seals and gaskets" over time. I'd just prefer use a product made for it.

DLB
 
I completely agree with you. Like I said...never heard of this done before. I've always used diluted purple power or simple green and always came out with great results.
And this was the first time someone ever told me those products could dry out the seals.
As for keeping the laundry detergent in the laundry room...thats exactly what I'll do lol
 
Many different formulations for laundry detergents...from a given set, or group, of substances/chemicals. Some contain certain phosphates, some don't. If not, other/additional chemicals must be added. Then there's powdered and liquid formulations.

Also to keep in mind, laundry detergents usually have...some type/% of surfactants, bleaching agents (for killing bacteria), enzymes, fragrances/perfumes, anti-foaming agents, fillers, whitening agents, etc.....


I'd be interested to find out which laundry detergent your friend is using. Could you please supply that information?

{As a favor: Could you also ask him if he knows if laundry detergent will have any adverse effects (corrosiveness) on aluminum?}

Thanks.


Note: I personally prefer dedicated automotive cleaning products over most, if not all, "homemade recipes".

:)

Bob
 
i just ordered griots engine bay cleaner. i hope it works well so i dont have to use laundry detergent ;)
 
I thought I smelled "tide" when he drove by recently ....
 
killrwheels@autogeek said:
I thought I smelled "tide" when he drove by recently ....
Click to expand...

LOL! Hope it's the kind with the softener added...smells better :)

I ran into the guy at the gas station on my way into work but didn't have enough time to question his "brand of choice"
 
Did a search just for fun. A "frugal" website endorsed it, but they used powdered detergent, which is "gritty". Assuming the grit wouldn't plug the sprayer.... more scrubbing power? Sounds good, but "sound" doesn't clean engines. :)
 
whitson01 said:
i just ordered griots engine bay cleaner. i hope it works well so i dont have to use laundry detergent ;)
Click to expand...

I think the important question now is, can you use Griot's Engine Bay Cleaner to wash your clothes?
 
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