ESCANABA, Mich. (WZMQ) – Many U.P. residents walked outside Wednesday and Thursday mornings to find ash on top of their vehicles. One Escanaba auto detailer warns that removing that ash improperly can be damaging.
According to Brendan Lambert, owner of GreenTree Auto Styling and President of GreenTree Automotive Incorporated, wildfire ash often contains debris like metal, silica, carbon, and other minerals. He says simply wiping the ash off with a dry towel can scratch a vehicle’s top coat.
“Even though it looks light, soft, and fluffy, if you’re going to wipe the ash off your vehicle, you’re dragging those particulates across your clear coat,” he said. “Your clear coat’s a lot softer than people might think. By dry-wiping this ash, you’re basically taking gravel and wiping it off your vehicle on a microscopic level.”
Lambert says the best method is to rinse off as much of the ash as possible. A pressure washer is preferable, but a garden hose will also work. Then, he says to use a pH-neutral shampoo to foam down the vehicle and hand-wash it.
“Make sure to use plenty of lubrication during this hand-wash process,” said Lambert. “Then, rinse off all soap and any residue or particulates that you may have picked up during the wash.”
However, it is important to limit the amount of time the ash is exposed to water.
“[Ash] is an alkaline compound that, when it gets wet, that moisture can leach more alkaline compounds out of this ash,” Lambert explained. “If it’s left there to sit and dry on the surface, that alkaline residue that’s left behind can easily cause etching or staining in your paint. Depending on how many heat cycles your paint goes through, it can sometimes become a permanent damage that goes all the way down into your base coat.”
Lambert has posted a video on the GreenTree Auto Styling Facebook page explaining this process step by step and answering community questions. Click here to view that video.
