Cleaning Stainless Steel

[AdriftAtSea]

This is essentially a copy of an article I wrote on my blog... but I thought it was well worth repeating here.

Every once in a while, I?ll run across a product that I think is well worth mentioning to other boaters.  One such product is Spotless Stainless.  It is a new product that has been developed to clean and help preserve stainless steel in a marine environment.  The citric acid-based liquid is designed to remove corrosion and passivate the surface of stainless steel, helping prevent future corrosion from occurring.

Here is a photo of my swim ladder before I applied the Spotless Stainless:



Now, the way you use Spotless Stainless is almost laughably easy. You shake the bottle vigorously, pour some out into a cup and then brush the Spotless Stainless onto the stainless steel you want to treat. Let the Spotless Stainless sit for 30 minutes or so, a bit longer if it is cooler than 65˚?swabbing it with more Spotless Stainless to keep it wet and active. After letting it sit, rinse the Spotless Stainless off. I scrubbed the Spotless Stainless off with a microfiber cloth that was soaked with water, since the water was turned off at the marina.

Here is a photo of my swim ladder after I applied the Spotless Stainless:



Here is a close up view of the swim ladder:



If you have a lot of stainless steel to treat on your boat, it is well worth getting. I would point out that it is recommended that you clean the stainless steel so that the Spotless Stainless can work on the stainless steel more effectively. In the case of the swim ladder, I did not do this.

Their website is located here.

BTW, since this is an acid-based cleaner, you really should not let it sit on bronze, aluminum, or galvanized steel, or painted surfaces.  It can damage them if not rinsed off fairly quickly.  It should not be applied to bottom paint, because it will damage the paint and destroy the paint?s biocide and prevent it from working.

[Delezynski]

THANKS!

And Grog to ya....

Greg

[AdriftAtSea]

Glad to help Greg.  This stuff makes cleaning up the stainless steel fittings on my boat a breeze.... :-) And there's a lot of stainless steel on my boat.

[s/v Faith]

Wow Dan, that looks like handy stuff.  Have you tried it on polished surfaces yet?

  Some of those acid based cleaners leave brass / bronze surfaces looking frosted rather then shiny... sure looks nice on that ladder bracket of yours.  That part would be tough to clean with Faith's preferred cleaner (the kind with the cotton batting soaked with mystery cleaner... 'Never Dull').  I let my bronze go 'au natural' of course since it likes to be that way and I like the look.... much less so for stainless. 

  Grog to you for taking /posting the pictures.  Thanks for sharing.

[Oldrig]

Thanks Dan,

I just ordered a pint of the stuff.

--Joe

[AdriftAtSea]

s/v Faith?

Will be trying it this weekend on the rest of the stainless on the boat. Will post photos and update the OP.

Haidan?

Yes, it probably is fairly similar to the pickling paste. 

One other source of rust on a boat is the steel that is left behind by using regular steel tools on fasteners and such. This probably fixes that too.

[Frank]

I really like anything that is simple,easy AND works. Great find...look forward to seeing more results. Not too expensive to boot.

[ggrizzard]

Dan,
Thanks for the post... I've been delaying the job on Intuition for months, dreading the labor intensive nature of the cleaning using household cleaners.

Saw the post and the link didn't work.  So, for others who follow and want to look at the product in detail, here's the web address:
http://www.spotlessstainless.com/

Oh, and if any of you have a similarly easy was to refinish teak, for God's sake post it quickly...  It's next on my list!

[Oldrig]

Yes, this stuff really does work.

Based on Dan's recommendation, I used it last spring to clean the stanchions on my boat. And I'll use it again!

--Joe

[bobnlesley]

The stuff is very likely to be based on 'Oxalic Acid' here in the UK, we can buy this stuff in crystal form (about ?5.00/kg) and you mix it with water - preferably warm - paint it on, wait a few minutes then rinse off with clean water. A 1 kilo bag would probably last you for at least 20 years, so share it with a friend.