White Mineral Spirits

[travis2375]

I have used many things as a polish remover, but I have kind of settled on Mineral Spirits as my preferred product. The thing is I have always used the clear variety. I bought a bottle at Home Depot last week and when pouring it into a secondary container I noticed it was a white milky color. I had not seen this type of Mineral Spirits before so I checked the bottle and sure enough it was just 'odorless mineral spirits' made my Kleen Strip. here is a link to the actual product

Odorless Mineral Spirits from Klean-Strip | The Home Depot - Model QKGO75001

Has anybody used this white mineral spirits before? Is it the same thing as the clear stuff I have used before?

 

[SR99]

I bought a bottle at Home Depot last week and when pouring it into a secondary container I noticed it was a white milky color.

White milky color sure doesn't seem right to me. Maybe someone bought it, contaminated it, and returned it, and HD resold it.

I have a can of Kleen Strip odorless MS, and it is colorless/clear. However the packaging is different than your link, but still, a milky color doesn't seem right and I'd probably not use it (for car paint wiping where you want no films left).

Edit: reading the reviews, this is a "green" product and others described it like milk so that color might be as intended from the manufacturer. I'd try to find some good old fashioned clear MS which is available in odorless form, for your task of paint wipedown where you don't want any residue.

 

[travis2375]

It was sealed with a foil seal under the cap, so I am sure it is not contaminated.

 

[Mike PhillipsMike Phillips is verified member.]

That's the "green" version, supposed to be more environmentally friendly.

I also bought some and ended up disposing of it as it just doesn't work to try to wipe a panel clean with something that looks like milk.


Stick to the normal Klean-Strip Mineral Spirits, it works perfectly fine.

 

[ksigna]

Cleaning up polish with mineral spirits is better than IPA and water mixture? Is that what you guys prefer to use as a cleaner? If so, which brand do you prefer?

 

[SR99]

You could always tape off a couple sections of of the hood, use IPA on one and MS on the other, then pour some water on the entire hood and see which section strips off the beading ability compared to the untreated hood the best.

Effectiveness of IPA vs MS might vary depending on what product you've used on your paint for protection.

Also, there's some question (in my mind anyway) whether "smelly" mineral spirits are more effective than odorless MS since the process of making MS odorless removes the nasty chemicals that are most effective at stripping but it still functions well for brush cleaning. "Smelly" mineral spirits are hard to find anymore, with the big box stores only carrying odorless.