A Honest Review of Cleano from JAARS

The Cleano team would like to thank Ken Bailey for an in depth and honest review of our product! Keep on flying!

Following is a summary of Cleano use reports I have gathered since last September.  Some of this I may have reported to you previously.  Most comments I’ve received have been positive.  This is not an exhaustive report but I believe it is representative of our total experience.

• I cleaned 2000 miles and two weeks’ worth of bugs and grime from my motorcycle, a BMW R1100RTP.  This is a fully faired bike with an adjustable windscreen.  I realized what I thought was diluted Cleano wasn’t diluted at all so I simply dunked the soapy paper towel in water, wiped the windscreen and then wiped again with a dry blue paper towel.  It worked.  Cleaned the entire motorcycle except the wheels with just four blue paper towels.

Serendipity:  Over the following two weeks I noticed the bike was not dusty.  I wondered if there might be anti-static properties from the soap residue.  You confirmed other operators had similar experience.

• You claim it is a good firearms cleaner.  I tried it at home using a 7:1 mix in a spritz bottle and keeping it wet while I worked it over with a tooth brush.  It worked.  Cleano appeals to me for this purpose because it works and is benign toward alloy frames, epoxy finishes, and plastic parts common on many modern firearms.
• One of our helicopter pilots received a four ounce spritz bottle and instructions for 7:1 dilution.  Over the weekend he reported a very clean motorcycle and Plexiglas windscreen.  I’ve instructed him to meet with the other helicopter pilots to decide how to carry the small spritz bottle onboard the R-44 for post flight cleanup and where they will store and how they will use the larger spritz bottle of Cleano.
• On a Friday evening, I wiped down the aft engine fairing of the R-44 with Cleano and a microfiber towel.  It had just returned from a trip and was thoroughly dirty.  The exhaust residue was wiped off in about one minute.  When I checked it Tuesday morning there was an oily film.  Apparently, the microfiber picked up a lot of dirt and evenly distributed the remaining dirt.  The helicopter is painted black so it was hard to tell if it was clean while it was wet.  It dried after I left Friday night.  So, I wiped it down with Cleano a second time Tuesday using a blue paper towel and it is now nice and clean.
• Wednesday September 9, I mixed up Cleano in four 32 ounce spritz bottles at a ratio of 7:1 and distributed those around the hangar so they are readily available for use.
• There are presently five each four ounce spritz bottles with 7:1 mix circulating.  Our initial thought is to have them carried in each aircraft kit for post flight cleanup.
• Using the 7:1 mix I cleaned a large section of the PC-6 left wing underside and the top of the left stabilizer.  The results were impressive and speedy.  Used a few blue paper towels.
• This morning I cleaned the bugs off one slat on a Helio Courier.  The slats are 8 ½ ft. long.  It took 2 minutes and one blue paper towel.

• Common comments, “That’s really fast.” Or, “That’s faster and easier than what we’ve been using.”
• “Is it cheaper than what we’re using?”  Properly diluted Cleano for use with bucket and broom washing is about double the price per gallon compared to Aero Magnolia.  However, if it is faster, easier, and less hazardous to use, it will be well worth reconsideration in the future.
• “We need to get this to our overseas operators. In one country in particular the stuff they are using is hazardous and not good for the finish on the planes and it doesn’t work well either.”  Non-hazardous shipping is a big deal with this particular operation.  I can see where they might want to use Cleano exclusively.  We’ll continue to experiment with it here before we recommend it to them.  I have received this comment from at least two of our personnel.
• The differential pressure housing on the helipad gas pit had a leak that has since been repaired.  There were Avgas 100LL stains on the housing.  One of our pilot-mechanics tried to wash the stain off with Avgas then mineral spirits.  It didn’t work.  He tried MEK.  It smeared the stain and softened the paint.  He sprayed Cleano 3:1 and let it soak, came back later, sprayed again to get it wet and wiped.  It looked promising so he sprayed again and used a Scotch Brite pad and the stain (and a small amount of oxidized paint) came off except where he’d initially tried the MEK.  The MEK melted the stain into the paint.  He then applied automotive wax to the housing for additional protection.         
• Cleaned eyeglasses with 7:1, rinsed off, wiped with Dacron cloth.  Results comparable to Windex and commercial eyeglasses cleaner.
• Pilot mechanic did an overdue post flight cleanup on Cessna 206.  He wiped very dry bugs from leading edges, nose bowl, and front and sides of the cargo pod.  It took about 30 minutes and about 12 ounces of 7:1.
• Washed customer aircraft fuselage that had heavily oxidized paint.  Half was washed with Arrow Magnolia Mach I and the other half with Cleano.  This was a bucket and broom wash technique.  Personnel reported that the Cleano did not work well.  I found the bottle of Cleano Concentrate and suspect the dilution was too weak.  I tried to get further information on the mix ratio but was not successful.
• Helicopter supervisor pilot reported:  “We have used Cleano some on helicopter cleaning but have elected not to use it on the windshield.  Our reasoning?  Our current method has served us well on both Hiller and R44 and we do not see a good reason for launching into something different.”
• R-44 mechanic reported using 7:1 dilution with bucket and broom to wash R-44.  He reported that it worked OK but thought the Aero Magnolia was easier (distilled water not required) and cheaper to use.
• Pilot mechanic has used 7:1 dilution with a spritz bottle for post flight cleanup on the Pilatus PC-6.  Results were satisfactory but he wondered about using so much product.  Was he wasting it?  I assured him he was not wasting it.  After some discussion we decided to have him try a 3:1 dilution to see if that works any better with fewer spritzes.  I would imagine the amount of concentrate used for a given job will end up being about the same.  It comes down to whether you have it thin and runny or thicker and more tenacious.
• R-44 mechanic reported that when working on a black R44, he did not like the appearance of the soapy residue, even after spritzing and wiping twice.  The third time he wiped it with rubbing alcohol and he reported the shine was stunning.

Final comments.  January 6, 2016.  It is time to wrap up this report.

• Cleano continues to be used in the spritz bottles of 7:1 that are positioned in various places around the hangar. 
• Crews with our Missions At The Airport program (itinerant public relations) have reported that it works well in the airshow environment where running water is not readily available but there is a great need to have the aircraft sparkling clean all the time.
• I will be passing on the results of this report to our overseas operators for their consideration.
• Because we had just purchased about a three year supply (one barrel) of Aero Magnolia when I first inquired about Cleano, it may be a few years before we consider using Cleano for bucket and broom washing of aircraft.  However, the situation might be quite different for our overseas operators once they do their own evaluations.
• Personal note: I like it and plan to order a bottle for myself to use at home.

Thank you again for your generosity in providing the sample product.  I’m fairly certain we’ll be ordering small quantities (quarts and gallons) in the near future.

Ken Bailey

Chief Inspector, JAARS Aviation

FAA CRS EVGR735D

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