no I am not, but I'd rather have scale which is unlikely to form from adding a bit of baking soda to a soap dispenser than a salt solution eating at my undercarriage; if I was concerned water wasn't hitting certain areas. Actually the idea that deposits from such a solution would even build up (and then be harmful) is pretty far fetched...
Well I'm not particularly skilled in chemistry either (beyond two college level courses). The reason I asked whether you were skilled in chemistry is because the various reactions involved with road salts, automotive metals, water and oxygen are many and varied. Corrosion chemistry is very complex even before taking into account the many other contaminants found in road spray that can accelerate this corrosion. I'm concerned that not only will baking soda and water not "neutralize" the road salts deposited on our CX-5's, it could actually increase the rate of corrosion while simultaneously making the salts more difficult to remove.
Baking soda mixed with water is an alkaline substance. A number of commercial products designed to neutralize road salts on road vehicles are available. The MSDS's of these effective products all report a low pH that is acidic (not high pH or alkaline like baking soda). None of these products even contain baking soda regardless of how cheap bicarbonate of soda is.
There are two strategies for reducing corrosion of vehicles which are used on roads that have been treated with de-icers:
1) Protective oils, waxes and other coatings applied before exposure to the salts.
2) Frequent washing with solutions that can remove and/or neutralize the salts after they have been deposited on the vehicle.
Most scientific literature attempts to assess the effectiveness of products in both categories but the subject is so complex I'm going to limit my comments to products in the second category. The most comprehensive study I found was commissioned by the Ohio DOT and completed in Feb. 2014:
http://www.dot.state.oh.us/Division...andplans/Reports/2014/Materials/134718_FR.pdf
A few interesting excerpts:
2.4. Commercially Available Salt Neutralizing Products
Currently there are several commercially available salt neutralizing products. Salt neutralizers act by solubilizing hard scales that can cause corrosion of a metal surface and are typically composed of either sulfamic or hydrochloric acid. Sulfamic acid is the monoamide of sulfuric acid and acts as a strong acid in aqueous solution; however, the corrosivity of sulfamic acid is considerably lower than other strong acids (Malik, 2011). Another key advantage of sulfamic acid is that it can be used to clean metal surfaces without causing chloride induced stress corrosion cracking (SCC).
Commercially available salt neutralizers
BioKleen Proprietary
ConSALT Hydrochloric Acid
Eastwood Sulfamic Acid
Neutro-wash Sulfamic Acid
Salt Away Sulfamic Acid
Winter Rinse Sulfamic Acid
Then there is this article from a mass transit industry rag:
http://www.masstransitmag.com/article/10454360/protecting-your-vehicles-from-corrosion
The industry is using a multi-faceted approach to combat transit vehicle corrosion related to winter deicers. One of the most effective ways to prevent this corrosion is to use a new three-step cleaning process in your transit washes. The first is the replacement of neutral and alkaline exterior detergents that have little or no effect on salt neutralization and removal, with a low pH detergent designed to neutralize and remove salt. The second is the application of this product concept in the interior bus cleaning. The third and most critical is the process design of an underbody wash system that should include an initial high-pressure water flush to break up compacted soil deposits, followed by the low pH detergent “neutralizer” wash. Adopting this three-step approach is a simple, economical solution that can easily be integrated into existing vehicle wash practices. Using the products with the right chemistry and thoroughly cleaning transit vehicles can lower the maintenance costs associated with road deicer corrosion and extend the useful life of a transit vehicle. MT
Do you really think the scientists that work for companies that market salt neutralizing products didn't know about cheap and readily available sodium bicarbonate? My rudimentary chemical knowledge leads me to believe it will make the problem worse, not better. Besides, solutions of sodium bicarbonate strip the protective layer of oxidation from aluminum wheels and components.
One thing I learned while researching how to best protect my CX-5 from corrosion is that although salts are water soluble, the dried residues do not rinse away as readily as one might assume when using plain water. I recommend a soap with a pH below 7 applied with as much pressure as practical followed by a rinsing of clear water. Cold water will reduce the effectiveness of any cleaning. Unfortunately, most wand style car washes (including no-contact drive through washes) use soap that is somewhat alkaline because that's what works best to remove normal road grime. While anything that makes suds will be more effective than plain water at rinsing off dried salt residues, it will not neutralize the salts, only assist in their removal. Acids neutralize salts but are corrosive themselves. Either way, rinse well.
