This "moon sand" is killing me...need "other" cleaning ideas...

As my previous post in the past has mention my M1009 was full of this very fine sand.

I have done just about every thing short of setting it on fire to get ride of it. I am starting to win the war but it is getting costly in terms of consumables. I litteraly wash a few square inches and the cleaning cloth i have it black!

Basically I have this fine baked on film of sand all over the walls of my M1009. I tried power washing it out. No luck. Vacuuming. No luck. Washing it with a cloth and some kind of cleaner is yielding results, but the rough finish on the inside tears up the cleaning cloth leaving lots of lent pieces of the cloth imbeded into the finish.

I have tired scrubbing it off with the following:

Basic dish cloth - is filthy within minutes, parts of it get torn off and are now stuck in the finish.

Paper towels - gone through 3 rolls. Best at removing the dirt but leaves lots of pieces of it behind.

Shamwow - great at picking up the dirt, but leaves lots of pieces of it self behind and like the dishcloth gets dirty very quickly.

Cleaners I have used - dish soap, purple power, simple green, and windex. I like the windex the best because it doesnt stink as bad or leave behind a soapy film as the others do.

Looking for a solution I saw some microfiber clothes called zwipes that are supposidly lent free and you can wash them. Any one ever use these things?

No on the zwipes, but I get the cheap 10 packs of washcloths at walmart. they are a couple bucks, they seem to hold up nicely and I just throw them in the washer when dirty. Windex is my cleaner of choice.

Get some small brushes and use them to break the hold, then clean it off with a hose. Any cloth will tear up - gotta use stiff brushes!

what is the sand suspended in? Oil?, Grease? If you have tried pressure washing and it is still there, I gotta wonder what the sand is sticking to?

Brake parts cleaner? Might smell for awhile, but that stuff cuts through anything.

Carb/brake cleaner and a good brush. Be careful around any rubber stuff with the cleaner.

degreaser maybe? I use that to clean my motorcycle wheels and it works great

purple power (+ my 3 GPM pressure washer) worked on the inside of my M1009

If you get really desperate, oven cleaner and a hot water pressure cleaner. I'd have to be really desperate and I would remove all the plastic and remove the glass. I'd also pull the dash board. and try to keep the cleaner away from that area.

Say no to the brake cleaner. Unless you are in chemical resistant clothing and a respirator. Good luck.

Soft nylon brushes, windex or 409, wipe away the residue......

Need a degreaser. Even lemon joy will help. Joy has a degreaser agent in it for pans and such, and it is what we used as a preferred method to shampoo cows for show with due to the degreasing action with cleaning power as well. Used it in diesel cans and buckets to remove all grease or oils for refilling with another petreleoum product so as not to mix agents. It's really amazing and cheap cleaner.

Let it sit for fifteen-thirty minutes, then use a real pressure washer, with 3000 psi, not that little 1500 psi unit. It will come off. Might require a second coat of degreaser and redo to take off another layer.

I had the same problem with mine, mostly on the undercarriage. I figured mine was stuck in some very deep goo, & left underwater for quite a while. I had 1/2' thick hardened sand-mud mix on top of my frame rails & all the way to the top of the turn signal housings in the front. All four wheel seals failed, ruining all the wheel bearings & brake components along with the hubs. Luckily for me the axel seals all held up & there was no contamination to the diff.s . I used laquer thinner & a 1' extension on a cup type wire wheel in my cordless drill. BEWARE if going this rought... it's a DIRTY job. ear plugs & glasses are about mandatory. Anybody ever seen bearings look this bad?? John

Dawn soap, hot water in large quantities and a scrub brush. Finish by spraying it down.

I like Brakleen. It's good stuff, and will take anything off, including the skin off your hands...wait for the NAPA sale so you don't pay 5 bucks a can at wally world. Just spray a bunch on a rag and wipe. Or spray on the spot and wipe. You can't really let it sit becuase it will take the paint off, and evaporate too.

But some of these other ideas are pretty neat.

I'd prefer to use a light oil and nylon brush to break it lose and suspend it. Then wash it away with a basic degreaser like Blue dawn. I've heard a few folks rave about Murphys Oil soap ~ might be worth a try if you can find some around the house.

Step 1: Purchase, rent, borrow or "acquire" 5-ton wrecker, by whatever means available. Pick up CUCV by front tow shackles and suspend from air. Lower tailgate.

Step 2: Spray purple stuff, or similar degreaser product, over entirety of interior.

Step 3: Purchase, rent, borrow or "acquire" steam pressure washer, by whatever means available. Steam clean interior liberally.

Step 4: While vehicle is in air, repeat steps 2 and 3 for underside of vehicle.

Step 5: Repeat steps 2 and 3 as many times as necessary until lunar material is removed.

WIRE BRUSHES, toothbrush style and a large one for the open areas. Works like a charm and then you can use some of the other cleaners mentioned. AND, if you think the interior was loaded with sand, just wait till you crawl underneath and bang around a little bit. Eye protection and a dust mask are highly reccommended.

I think a good degreaser (like Purple Power in a very good concentration, don't cut the **** out of it) and time will be your friend. Let the degreaser do the work, maybe a little mechanical action with a medium bristle brush, then pressure wash off with warm water. Rent whatever equipment you need to accomplish this. I think this is pretty much what everyone here is recommending.

Stay away from brake clean or any other bad solvents. You will damage brain cells and other parts on your truck. That will take the paint off...way too aggressive.

granade?