Cleaning question: That was dumb now what?

[Green RT]

I have some Turtle Wax brand paste wax that I really like. You wipe it on. It dries to a haze. You wipe off the haze and it produces a really nice shiny surface that repels dirt.

 

A couple of days ago I thought, what is good for the tupperware and windshield would be good for the bags and top box, right? Wrong. It dried to its usual white haze, but of course the bags and box have a nubbly surface. So far I have had little success in wiping the white haze out of all the little depressions in the surface, so the bags have an ugly white haze to them. I tried a tooth brush. I tried another cleaner. Both helped some, but neither got all the haze off. Any suggestions?

[Tony_K]

Yes that was dumb

Pressure washer and you might need a grease cutter like Castrol super clean or Simple Green which is less harsh.

[smiller]

If you find something that works reliably for stripping wax of of those kinds of surfaces let us know because I sure haven't yet...

[Ken H.]

Well... Here's one thing I might try... Go over the whole thing with "Black Back" It's a black rubber trim dressing. It might dissolve the existing wax as it goes along and/or hide it. And it's <ta-da!> black.

 

OTOH you could just say the cases are the latest in corduroy look!

[OoPEZoO]

I would try Dawn dish soap, a sponge, and a little elbow grease. Dawn will murder a nice wax job on a car.....I assume it would do the same on plastic side cases.

[KLC]

Try wd 40 as i did the same thing and it restored the finish .only problem is it attracts the dirt

[allikanbe]

I have some Turtle Wax brand paste wax that I really like. You wipe it on. It dries to a haze. You wipe off the haze and it produces a really nice shiny surface that repels dirt.

A couple of days ago I thought, what is good for the tupperware and windshield would be good for the bags and top box, right? Wrong. It dried to its usual white haze, but of course the bags and box have a nubbly surface. So far I have had little success in wiping the white haze out of all the little depressions in the surface, so the bags have an ugly white haze to them. I tried a tooth brush. I tried another cleaner. Both helped some, but neither got all the haze off. Any suggestions?

 

 

I googled Turtle Wax. The FAQ said :

How do I remove the wax residue from black trim?

 

A: Mineral Spirits work best with a toothbrush. Follow with an application of our F-21 Protection.

[OoPEZoO]

I googled Turtle Wax. The FAQ said :

How do I remove the wax residue from black trim?

 

A: Mineral Spirits work best with a toothbrush. Follow with an application of our F-21 Protection.

 

Who would have thought to check their website.......

DUH

 

Good thinking

[Joe Frickin' Friday]

I would try Dawn dish soap, a sponge, and a little elbow grease. Dawn will murder a nice wax job on a car.....I assume it would do the same on plastic side cases.

 

Dawn is what I use to clean my car or bike just before I put on a new coat of wax; not only does it remove the old wax, but it does a better job of attacking bugs and grease than standard car-washing soap.

[Mark_Turner]

Mr clean magic eraser will do it.

[E30TECH]

I googled Turtle Wax. The FAQ said :

How do I remove the wax residue from black trim?

 

A: Mineral Spirits work best with a toothbrush. Follow with an application of our F-21 Protection.

 

Who would have thought to check their website.......

DUH

 

Good thinking

 

+1

[kcscout]

I dunno, I think if something like that happened to my bike, I'd use it as an excuse to buy a new bike.

 

Glad you got an answer.

[JayW]

I think Griots Garage now has a product specifically designed to remove wax from such surfaces.

 

Jay

[Wyn]

Sounds like you have the cure. Next time use "Ice".

Great stuff and it works like ArmorAll on the black stuff.

 

 

 

ISHYTRAH

[Green RT]

Lots of good ideas here. I will post the results after I see which works best.

[GrumpyOldMan]

I'll second the WD-40 (better at removing wax from textured plastic than mineral spirits)

[drzep]

Liquid dish washing detergent works well for this problem. You may need to use a firm-bristle scrub brush on the textured surfaces.

[kcscout]

Lots of good ideas here. I will post the results after I see which works best.

Sweeeeeetttt. Will's getting a new bike!

[s3steve]

Mark wrote "Mr clean magic eraser will do it."

 

Mark does the Magic Eraser dull the surface at all?

 

On some other bike I've had I used WD-40 and found you get an oily spot where it was used. I also find Armor All type products tend to dull the finish after it drys out after some time.

 

Anyone else tried the Mr Clean Magic Eraser?

[Drew]

Sounds like a great time to sand 'em down and take them to the painter for a color-matched paint job

[EffBee]

You have a wax problem. Very hot water (almost boiling, but not quite), poured over the surface, should melt the wax and let it roll off onto the ground. A soft-bristle brush may help. Using solvents or degreasers or other chemicals may work or they may compound the problem. Hot water melts the wax, leaves the surface clean, and leaves nothing behind. It worked for me when I made the same mistake 7 years ago. Still had the same bags on the bike when I sold it earlier this year.

 

We live in a high-tech world. Yet sometimes the simplest solutions work best. Give it a try. It can't hurt anything. If it doesn't remove the wax, then you can try something else.

[skyskier]

Mother's has a product called "Back to Black". It will take the wax right off and leave your bags looking like new. It's made for car trim but works great for what you need. Turtle Wax use to make a similar product but I couldn't find it last time I was at the auto parts store so I got the Mother's.

[steve.foote]

Mother's has a product called "Back to Black". It will take the wax right off and leave your bags looking like new.

 

+1

[tomk99r11]

You suggestion should do the trick. I see lots of bikes wher the owner has used ArmorAll and the result is almost always the same - the black dash/bags/whatever turns a milkey color. If guys would look at the ArmorAll, they would see that it is milkey white in color. It can't help but turn milkey. That's why I always use only warm/hot water and a dry towel to clean any black plastic on my mikes.

[Green RT]

So far Dawn is winning. I tried the paint thinner recommendation and tooth brush from the Turtle Wax web site. It was a complete bust. Just made the cases stink of paint thinner and did nothing to the wax. The Mother's Back to Black sounds interesting. I may pick up some of that. But the Dawn and elbow grease seems to work pretty well. The detergent has to be pretty much undiluted. It doesn't seem to work in soapy water, but a sponge with straight detergent on it is pretty effective.

 

I liked the idea of replacing the bike. That would be a great solution. If it had an ash tray it would be full by now. (Full of what I'm not sure, since smoking I don't.) That used to be the test for when to replace a car.

[Wyn]

Ice, Ice, Baby!!

 

 

 

ISYHTRAH

[wolcott]

Mother's has a product called "Back to Black". It will take the wax right off and leave your bags looking like new.

 

+1

 

Just saw some at Wally World the either day. Think it was under $6. worth a try. Mothers makes some good stuff.

[BluesTraveler]

I'd try the hot water. When I use to surf you could strip the board in a matter of minutes with a garden hose hooked up to the hot water faucet at the sink in the garage. Your board never looked cleaner.

 

Simple Green has always been the magic liquid for stripping wax off my cars and trucks and just about everything else.

 

If all fails you could try a wax and greese remover. Sold at paint supply stores. A car is usually wipped down with this just before wipping off with a tack rag before paint. Its a very unplesant supprise if you didn't get everything off before applying a first coat.