Truck wash chemicals: brown soap or the two-step system?
What fleets run on trucks and trailers, and the products for the jobs soap will not do.
222 S. Academy St., Opelousas · Mon–Fri 8:00 AM – 4:30 PM
What fleets run on trucks and trailers, and the products for the jobs soap will not do.
222 S. Academy St., Opelousas · Mon–Fri 8:00 AM – 4:30 PM
Washing trucks and trailers is a different job from washing cars. Diesel smoke and road film do not come off with car soap and a garden hose, and the wrong degreaser can do more harm than good. Fleets that wash with us run one of two setups, plus a few problem solvers for aluminum, concrete and tar.
SC 675 Brown Soap is our number one seller for washing trucks and trailers. It takes diesel smoke and road film off over-the-road trailers, and you run it at 50:1 to 70:1.
One product, one dilution. If you want a simple truck wash that the whole crew can mix the same way every time, this is where most people start.
The other setup is a two-step system for cold water. Chem 1 Hard Water Film Remover goes on first, applied under high pressure. It is mixed 3:1 ready to use, so one drum of concentrate makes four drums.
Chem 2 follows to lift the road film, and it rinses instantly. You run it at 25:1 to 100:1. Chem 2 also works on its own as a one-step cleaner for almost any surface.
Both are on the shelf because fleets wash differently. The right one depends on what your trucks look like when they come in, what your water is like and what machine you run.
The easy way to find out: buy a small container of each, wash a few units, and buy the drum of the one that works. Plenty of our biggest accounts started as one person with a quart.
Aluminum trailers, tanks and wheels are a separate job. AB 50 is a hydrofluoric and sulfuric acid blend for the problem aluminum jobs, and AB 100 is the same blend run at 100:1. Wheel and Grill is for chrome and mag wheels.
Acid on the wrong aluminum is one of the expensive mistakes in this business. Tell us what the surface is before you spray it, read the label, and ask us for the safety data sheet.
Mixers, dump trucks and paving equipment carry their own problems. X 88 Concrete Cleaner takes concrete off vehicles: brush it on, let it stand five to ten minutes, brush again and rinse. SC 712 Cement Remover takes cement off trucks.
SC 101 Tar and Asphalt Remover goes on with a mop or brush. Let it penetrate, then rinse it off with the pressure washer. Heavy build-up can take a few passes.
SC 10 is our extra heavy-duty hot water degreaser, and it is the wrong product for this job. It is made for off-road and mining equipment and forklifts, and it is not for cars, pickups, trucks or trailers. If grease on a truck is the problem, ask us what to use instead.
Everything here comes in small containers to try and 55-gallon drums once it works, and we deliver across our service area, from Sulphur to the Mississippi line. Dilutions on this page are where to start. The label has the full directions, and we will walk you through it at the counter.
One thing we do not do is wash trucks for you. We supply the chemicals and sell, service and rent the machines. If you are building a wash rig for your own fleet, see trailer builds.
SC 675 Brown Soap is our number one seller for trucks and trailers. It takes diesel smoke and road film off over-the-road trailers at 50:1 to 70:1.
A cold water system. Chem 1 Hard Water Film Remover goes on first under high pressure, then Chem 2 lifts the road film and rinses instantly.
Not SC 10. It is for off-road and mining equipment and forklifts, not cars, pickups, trucks or trailers. Ask us what fits your trucks.
X 88 Concrete Cleaner: brush it on, let it stand five to ten minutes, brush again and rinse. SC 712 Cement Remover is the other option for cement on trucks.
Yes, up to 55-gallon drums, across our service area.
No. We supply the chemicals and sell, service and rent the pressure washers. We do not take on washing jobs.
Call or stop by the counter and describe what you clean.
Mon–Fri 8:00 AM – 4:30 PM · 222 S. Academy St., Opelousas
Describe the surface and the mess. We will tell you the machine, the chemical, or both. No pressure and no runaround.