Here’s a list of necessary items and procedures to achieve great results on your next wash / detail job.

1. COMPOSICLEAN™ Bucket-Wash™ , a neutral pH concentrated detergent, which is effective & safe when diluted with neutral pH water. Has Carnauba Wax & UV protection. Try it with the Super Sudzer.
2.  COMPOSICLEAN™ Multi Purpose Alkaline Cleaner™ Great for exhaust stain removal, carbon deposits, engines & wheels. MPC is not Neutral pH.
3. Composiclean Haze Glaze A neutral pH mild abrasive cleaner & polish in one. Removes oxidation haze, surface-stains, swirl marks and paint over-spray and more.
4. COMPOSICLEAN™ Super Spray-Wax™ , an easy to use product that utilizes today’s high tech polymers in a ready to use “all in one” cleaner, detailer with Carnauba Wax. Try it with a MicroFiber towel, incredible!
5. COMPOSICLEAN™ Power Sprayer, 42oz - powered by 4 AA batteries - Adjustable nozzle, NO MORE SORE TRIGGER FINGER !
6. A Soft Chenille wash mitt that holds a lot of soap & water.
7. a Soft Chenille washing mop with long handle.
8. COMPOSICLEAN™ Tire-Dressing™ , a protective shield to help block out elements that deteriorate rubber while providing an ultra black shine.
9. COMPOSICLEAN™ Buff Ball with compound, the 6” buff ball has received praise’s from all users as the easiest way to buff. Comes with 5.2oz of Flitz Polish, a paste type polish.
10. COMPOSICLEAN™ View-Polish™ , a simply and safe foaming aerosol product for all window and windscreen materials. Also works GREAT on the leading edges for those old hard bugs.
11. COMPOSICLEAN™ Leather Cleaner & Conditioner. To keep your interior looking new.
12. COMPOSICLEAN™ Vinyl Clean™ , for vinyl and plastic parts.
13. COMPOSICLEAN™ Vinyl Dressing™ , to condition vinyl & plastic parts.
14. COMPOSICLEAN™ Carpet & Upholstery Cleaner™ , foaming aerosol for spot cleaning.
15. Four (or more) clean Cotton Terry Washcloths.
16. Three (or more) MicroFiber towels. If you haven’t tried MicroFiber yet, you owe it to yourself! They’re GREAT!
17. A few throw away rags / towels for the greasy areas and tires.
18. Two clean buckets, one 3.5-gallon for the suds and a 2 -gallon for rinsing the wash towels. The rinse bucket is very important.
19. A quality, non-leaky hose long enough to get all around the plane with out throwing it under or over.
20. A source of clean, neutral pH water.
21. A quality spray nozzle with a good rubber washer. The Super Sudzer is a great time saver when used with COMPOSICLEAN™ Bucket-Wash™ A Flow Through wash brush with long handle is another great time saver.
22. COMPOSICLEAN™ Super Squeegee Get a quick start on drying with this double bladed silicone squeegee. 
23. A WaterSprite synthetic chamois makes quick work of streak-free drying and works incredibly well with COMPOSICLEAN™ Super Spray-Wax™.
24. A vacuum with interior, upholstery and crevice tools.
25. An extension cord rated for the tools to be used and a GFCI outlet close by.
26. A cabinet or locker to keep all items neat, clean and accessible.

CAUTION: Before beginning any cleaning or detailing work on or around an airplane, be sure the fuel switch is in the OFF position, the throttle is pulled back (or off), the magnetos and master switch are in the OFF position and the key’s are OUT!

If you are going to wash and detail your plane after doing some owner maintenance and your hands are greasy or to dirty to touch your cleaning products & accessories, use Composiclean™ Pumis-Power™ Hand Cleaner. Pumis Power™ leaves hands clean & smooth with a fresh citrus scent. The skin conditioners in Pumis-Power™ make it great for every day use.

First things first:

To prepare for a Bucket-Wash™ job it is best to take care of the worst or dirtiest parts first. Composiclean™ Multi Purpose Cleaner (MPC) is an alkaline cleaning product that works incredibly well on exhaust stains & acid rain streaks as well as oil, grease & grime. This is an alkaline solution with a pH of 12.8, it can be harmful to some surfaces and materials.

Then, you may want to hit it with our newest product, Composiclean Haze Glaze. A neutral pH mild abrasive cleaner & polish in one. Removes oxidation haze, surface-stains, swirl marks and paint over-spray. Haze Glaze also removes minor acid rain contamination, light scratches & increases gloss on base coat & clear coat finishes. A great one-step or first step product in the detailing process. Use Composiclean Haze Glaze by hand or with orbital/random style buffers.

Use Composiclean Haze Glaze on clean dry surface. Apply Haze Glaze to buffing cloth/ pad or directly to surface. Rub or buff in circular motion then flip cloth or change to dry pad for finish buff.

Follow up with Composiclean Super Spray-Wax for the ultimate in protection and shine

For Best Results On A Super Spray-Wax™ Job:

You’ve decided your plane doesn’t need the full on wash job but it looks like it could use a detailing to put on a fresh shine. COMPOSICLEAN™ Super Spray-Wax™ is the right stuff for the job. Use Super Spray-Wax™ in the 1 quart spray bottle with a commercial quality trigger sprayer, or go for the 42oz Power Sprayer. Super Spray-Wax™ is a ready to use “all in one” cleaner, detailer with the same UV protection additives and Carnauba wax that Bucket-Wash™ uses to sheet water and leave a streak free, deep shine. Just spray Super Spray-Wax™ on surfaces from 60° to 80°F or 15° to 26° C then wipe it off and buff rapidly with a MicroFiber towel. In areas where over-spray in undesirable, spray onto cloth, then apply. Super Spray-Wax WILL NOT coagulate even when used on a dark surface out in the sun. Great on glass and plastics too.

For Best Results On A Bucket-Wash™ Job:

The Super Sudzer makes quick work of covering an airplane with Bucket-Wash™ sudz. Just follow direction on package.

If you don't have the Super Sudzer, mix COMPOSICLEAN™ Bucket-Wash™ in a clean 3.5 gallon bucket with pre-tested neutral pH water using the ratio on label. Use extreme caution around aircraft, remember to treat it as if it where fragile like a giant egg. Use on surfaces from 60° to 80°F or 15° to 26° C. Be sure to follow the aircraft manufacturers instructions for washing. Take time to do a walk around inspection to be sure all cowl & vent openings, doors & windows are closed.  Give the aircraft a quick rinse to wash away any light dirt that can scratch the surface when towel, mop or brush washing. It is of course best to wash from top to bottom. Use a clean, soft Terry towel, Wash mitt or, to stay off the ladder, the extend-a-handle Big soft wash mop is great. Completely soaking your preferred wash accessory  in the Bucket-Wash™ solution,  wash in a gentle circular motion.  IMPORTANT step - If you are not using the Flow-Through brush, rinse wash cloth, wash mitt, or wash mop  often in separate 2-gallon bucket of clean water. When the rinse bucket looks dirty, empty and refill with clean water. If your wash accessory doesn’t rinse clean, grab a fresh clean one. Wash 1/4 of the aircraft at a time, rinse thoroughly with clean neutral pH water. Though drying is not always necessary to achieve a streak-free shine, it may be important on your particular aircraft. Try the Super Squeegee on any clean surface, its a double bladed soft silicone squeegee that makes quick work of drying. Please read the “pH information” page. If you are washing a composite aircraft, know that most foam core products MUST be completely encapsulated in proper resin or at least proper paint to avoid contact with liquids having potentially harmful levels of high or low pH. If you decide to dry the aircraft, The WaterSprite synthetic chamois works great. Get the WaterSprite wet with clean water then give it a good twist to wring it out. On any smooth surface, a chamois or even a soft towel will work best when laid out flat and pulled across the surface "slowly". When you see water behind your chamois, its time to wring it out or you are pulling to fast.

You’re done! The job can be finished or you can go on to do some detailing. Take a look at the “Details” page.

Detailing:

Sometimes a bit more time spent can make the job look a lot more finished. Waxing, cleaning the windows, treating the tires and maybe some prop polish will always get you points on an exterior review. For the inside, cleaning and treating the leather or vinyl and running a vacuum through the interior and spot cleaning the carpets doesn’t take to long but the results make for a much more comfortable and enjoyable flight.

See the “Products” page for the full list of interior & exterior cleaning, treating, detailing & convenience products.  

Waxing:

With the technology advancements, waxing a plane is no longer an all day job (unless you have a 707). COMPOSICLEAN™ Super Spray-Wax™ is an easy to use product that utilizes today’s high tech polymers. Super Spray-Wax™ looks as good and stands up to the elements as well as the past wax in a fraction of the time and work. Use Super Spray-Wax™ on surfaces from 60° to 80°F or 15° to 26° C. Simply spray it on to an area of about 4 – 5 square feet and wipe it off with a MicroFiber towel to a great UV protected shine. In areas where over-spray in undesirable, spray onto cloth, then apply.

Window Cleaning / Bug Removal:

Inside and out, having clean windows on an airplane is important for safe, clear vision as well as longevity. COMPOSICLEAN™ View-Polish™ is a simple and safe super-foaming aerosol product for all window and windscreen materials. Before using COMPOSICLEAN™ View-Polish™ be sure to rinse away heavy dirt and grime. Scratches and swirl marks will be the unfortunate result of rubbing dirt into your glass, Plexi or Lexan. When prepared for cleaning, on surfaces from 60° to 80°F or 15° to 26° C  spray View-Polish™ onto area to be cleaned, using a  MicroFiber towel (Paper towels will cause scratches) gently but quickly wipe area to assist the drying process, wipe until clean, dry and streak-free. For bugs removal, spray View-Polish™ onto the leading edges, wheel pants or effected area. Let the foam hang there and work for 2 - 4 minutes then wipe clean. Reapply Composiclean™ Super Spray-Wax™ to protect and shine area and make it much easier to clean next time.

Tire Treatment:

Though the tires of an airplane are often covered by wheel pants or fairings, they too can benefit from a little extra attention. They are already clean from your wash job so why not give them a quick COMPOSICLEAN™ Tire-Dressing™ treatment to make them shiny, more black and have a protective shield to help block out elements that deteriorate rubber. Simply spray Tire-Dress™ onto towel or rag and wipe onto sidewall ONLY.

Prop Polish:

If your propeller is unpainted aluminum, you can make it look new again by using the Buff Ball kit, “MBB 6kit”. A mirror finish can be obtained with minimal effort. CAUTION: Be sure the magnetos and master switch are in the OFF position before touching or getting close to the propeller. The Buff Ball comes with 5.2oz of high quality paste type polish. Just apply a dab on the surface and run the Buff Ball with your drill motor until you see that mirror-like shine come through.

Leather Cleaning & Conditioning:

COMPOSICLEAN™ Leather Cleaner & Conditioner is another truly excellent product. Simple rub it in with a Terry or MicroFiber towel to clean and condition leather. Helps avoid cracking and drying out.

Vinyl Cleaning & Conditioning:

COMPOSICLEAN™ Vinyl Cleaner™ is an effective cleaner that is simple to use. Spray directly onto towel or cloth to avoid over spray.

COMPOSICLEAN™ Vinyl Dressing™ is an effective conditioner of vinyl & most plastics. Again, spray directly onto towel or cloth to avoid over spray.

Vacuuming:

Vacuuming a plane may seem unnecessary but after you’ve done it you’ll be glad you did. It only takes a few minutes and can give the interior that completely detailed look. Get down into those small areas with the crevice attachment. Having a dust and dirt free carpet also makes spot cleaning it much easier. Take the time to set the vacuum, hoses and cords (USE ONLY GFCI POWER OUTLET) in a manor to not cause any damage to them or the plane. Having an assistant to hold the hose off is a great way to go.

Carpet Spot Cleaning:

COMPOSICLEAN™ Carpet & Upholstery Cleaner™ is a great foaming aerosol. Spray enough to foam up about ½ inch, let sit for a minute then give the area a little scrub with a brush. Allow to air dry.

CAUTION: Before beginning any cleaning or detailing work on or around an airplane, be sure the fuel switch is in the OFF position, the throttle is pulled back (or off) and the magnetos and master switch are in the OFF position and the key’s are OUT!