Why use anything besides Pledge?

JHZR2

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Maybe an oversimplified title... I’m talking for cleaning plastic stuff, blow molded cases, painted/powdercoated metal, etc. Not cars, guns, sensitive stuff.

I’m finishing up a pretty substantial refurbishment of a 120’ long building. A lot of my power tools are dusty and grimy, the cases have a lot of grit and grime on them, etc. I dont need things to be as-new, or eat off of them clean, but I don’t want a lot of grit a s grime.

Ice been wiping a lot of non metal stuff down with either water, an all purpose cleaner (fantastik), or pledge, depending upon how dirty it is. For items just a little dirty, going straight to pledge seems to work very well, especially if the dirtinesss is just fine dust.

Pledge is water, pareafin, and dimethicone (poly dimethylsikoxane, or PDMS). Same stuff as in silicone spray it seems

A while back, someone on here talked about it working well on batteries. I recall sometime back, @qwertydude indicated that Armor All and 303 were just PDMS, too. I don’t care about UAV for cleaning hard and blown plastic items too much, I just think it works pretty well. What’s the need for something else?

Anyone else use much of the stuff? I never have, personally, but bought a can to try and like it pretty much.
 
Excellent stuff......works wonders on carbon fiber. I use it on a few carbon fiber bike frames. I'm older and I admit I avoid the mud on my mountain bikes. Just a hassle to really clean up well. But I do get muddy often on regular riding and I road bike in the rain. Nothing like a hot summer rain to ride in shirtless. You feel like a teenager again.
 
I was told a long time ago to use it as a protectant like that, tools, top of your batteries (keeps shorts from happening, etc.)

I buy cheap generic furniture polish in discount stores to save a few bucks and use it liberally (fancier stuff like Pledge for the house/furniture, but cheap stuff for the garage, etc.)

I have been applying 303 to the inside of my cars for about a year and it's good stuff. I'll have to try some pledge next time and see how it compares! had not thought of that.
 
I was told a long time ago to use it as a protectant like that, tools, top of your batteries (keeps shorts from happening, etc.)

I buy cheap generic furniture polish in discount stores to save a few bucks and use it liberally (fancier stuff like Pledge for the house/furniture, but cheap stuff for the garage, etc.)

I have been applying 303 to the inside of my cars for about a year and it's good stuff. I'll have to try some pledge next time and see how it compares! had not thought of that.

I too use 303. The difference and why I’d probably stick with it for at least soft touch automotive components, is because 303 is water based while pledge seems to use a paraffin as a carrier. Not sure if that makes a difference. But I’d hate to run into a variant of the armor all petroleum distillates issues from years ago...
 
I use Pledge on my engine bay rubbers and plastics. Funny thing when I'm spraying it, honey bees suddenly show up!!
 
I too use 303. The difference and why I’d probably stick with it for at least soft touch automotive components, is because 303 is water based while pledge seems to use a paraffin as a carrier. Not sure if that makes a difference. But I’d hate to run into a variant of the armor all petroleum distillates issues from years ago...

I am inclined to think the same. I would rather have a water based material around my dash area so it doesn't off-gas nastier stuff onto my windshield.

But I’d hate to run into a variant of the armor all petroleum distillates issues from years ago...

Funny you say that because my dad (in his 70s) still won't use Armor-All because of that issue in the late '60s and '70s and what it did to his muscle cars and later cars. I've tried to explain it's not the same - but hey, bad memories...
 
^ off-gassing nasty stuff onto your windshield? The solution for that is psychological rather than chemical changes. What you wrote doesn't even make sense except from a paranoia angle. Keep in mind the context of what I wrote, paraffin is not at all a carrier, that is impossible. Petroleum distillates, yes you would want to air out the vehicle then problem solved. It would evaporate off the winshield as much as it deposted onto it in "most" situations. If you have a unique one then that's that.

The real question is why ever use pledge, instead of the most appropriate treatment for the situation, at a lower cost per application. If what you're doing needs wax, use wax. If it needs silicone, use silicone. You can get MUCH more of either of those in cost per oz buying what the application needs, rather than a combination of silicone and wax (in a messy wasteful spray??), both of which are practically never needed for the same situation. It tries to be a one product cures all, which is fine if you live in a van down by the river and only have storage space for one can of goop.

On the other hand, sometimes anything is better than nothing and if you have pledge lying around, it may beat nothing, but here we delve into particulars, and there is nothing that pledge is optimal for except storage space conservation.
 
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^ off-gassing nasty stuff onto your windshield? The solution for that is psychological rather than chemical changes. What you wrote doesn't even make sense except from a paranoia angle.

The real question is why ever use pledge, instead of the most appropriate treatment for the situation, at a lower cost per application. If what you're doing needs wax, use wax. If it needs silicone, use silicone. You can get MUCH more of either of those in cost per oz buying what the application needs, rather than a combination of silicone and wax (in a messy wasteful spray??), both of which are practically never needed for the same situation. It tries to be a one product cures all, which is fine if you live in a van down by the river and only have storage space for one can of goop.

One size fits all, is only best if you happen to have the right size.

On the other hand, sometimes anything is better than nothing and if you have pledge lying around, it may beat nothing.

As a 303 user, I’ll say even that displaces and migrates to the windshield.

If you read my original question, it’s related to use on other stuff. Not automotive. Automotive came up because this is an automotive oriented site. I was really wiping down tools and batteries.

Pray tell what the official rules are for when one needs wax, or silicone? And you’re implying that the paraffin is actually a waxy coating, which isn’t necessarily true per the manufacturer:

37395AE2-F363-4028-9079-4605D6B690F6.jpg


So when you say “wax”, I’m not sure your context is even correct.

I totally agree in many tools in the toolbox. I am not one to use a hammer and screwdriver when I need pliers. But for wiping stuff down, and cleaning stuff, it does pretty well... it makes stuff like extension cords, plastic cases, batteries, hard plastic on tools, painted metal surfaces like tool chests, etc. all look pretty darn good and like new.
 
Maybe an oversimplified title... I’m talking for cleaning plastic stuff, blow molded cases, painted/powdercoated metal, etc. Not cars, guns, sensitive stuff.

I’m finishing up a pretty substantial refurbishment of a 120’ long building. A lot of my power tools are dusty and grimy, the cases have a lot of grit and grime on them, etc. I dont need things to be as-new, or eat off of them clean, but I don’t want a lot of grit a s grime.

Ice been wiping a lot of non metal stuff down with either water, an all purpose cleaner (fantastik), or pledge, depending upon how dirty it is. For items just a little dirty, going straight to pledge seems to work very well, especially if the dirtinesss is just fine dust.

Pledge is water, pareafin, and dimethicone (poly dimethylsikoxane, or PDMS). Same stuff as in silicone spray it seems

A while back, someone on here talked about it working well on batteries. I recall sometime back, @qwertydude indicated that Armor All and 303 were just PDMS, too. I don’t care about UAV for cleaning hard and blown plastic items too much, I just think it works pretty well. What’s the need for something else?

Anyone else use much of the stuff? I never have, personally, but bought a can to try and like it pretty much.

I used pledge pledge on my car windows once... Streaked like crazy afterwards when the wipers were on. The silicone explains that. I had figured it was more of a spray on wax. Must say the streaking lasted for a looooong time, so good stuff as far as silicone sprays go. Could be very good on rubbers
 
It’s all we use around the house for dusting stuff. Smells good! Just be very careful about spraying it if you have tile or laminate/wood flooring... when I was little I thought I’d be helpful and started cleaning my parents Pergo kitchen flooring with it. I got about half way when my dad walked into the kitchen, fell flat on his bad and was like “buddy.... thank you, but don’t use that on the floor please!” just as my siblings came running in to also fall flat on their backs!
 
Excellent stuff......works wonders on carbon fiber. I use it on a few carbon fiber bike frames. I'm older and I admit I avoid the mud on my mountain bikes. Just a hassle to really clean up well. But I do get muddy often on regular riding and I road bike in the rain. Nothing like a hot summer rain to ride in shirtless. You feel like a teenager again.
Only thing I use on my carbon road bikes.
 
As a 303 user, I’ll say even that displaces and migrates to the windshield.

If you read my original question, it’s related to use on other stuff. Not automotive. Automotive came up because this is an automotive oriented site. I was really wiping down tools and batteries.

Pray tell what the official rules are for when one needs wax, or silicone? And you’re implying that the paraffin is actually a waxy coating, which isn’t necessarily true per the manufacturer:


So when you say “wax”, I’m not sure your context is even correct.

I totally agree in many tools in the toolbox. I am not one to use a hammer and screwdriver when I need pliers. But for wiping stuff down, and cleaning stuff, it does pretty well... it makes stuff like extension cords, plastic cases, batteries, hard plastic on tools, painted metal surfaces like tool chests, etc. all look pretty darn good and like new.
Manufacturers love to take simple ingredients and pretend they have some advanced formula that you couldn't duplicate at lower cost. Instead of reading their marketing, try researching what isoparaffin is. It falls somewhere between an oil and wax and to pretend it is a mere carrier is madness, depending on your concept of what a carrier is. Is water in kool aid, merely a carrier for the sugar and dye, or a primary constituent of a beverage?

It's not about "official" rules, since there is no official to make them, and as already stated it is an all in one product that like anything else in life, is not going to be as good as using the most appropriate substance for the situation. If you prefer to pay a premium for a concoction instead, it is your option to do so, but we shouldn't still pretend that paraffin, oil, wax, whatever you want to call a petroleum oil derivative, is ideal where silicone is called for, and vice versa. Both types of protectants and lubricants exist for their own merits and just mixing the two together, will be suboptimal compared to using only one or the other.

I am a bit confused with your intentions, to merely make something shiny "like new". It is good to provide a protective film coating, against moisture, oxygen, even a little UV, but so would using only the petroleum (or other natural wax) OR silicone based product instead. Fascination with shiny things, is an arguable goal but at least it can still be combined with optimal preservation of that widget too. In some cases, you'd instead want a clear or color coat paint. Every application potentially has its own unique needs, and substances applied, their own merits.

If you want a "rule", how about this: Silicone for low density plastic or rubber-like materials, except silicone rubber itself. Wax for high density plastic, metal, paint, etc. Oil, just no, except as a high speed, thin film lubricant that seeps into hard to reach areas or where the application ease trumps everything else.

I'm not going to send the Pledge Police to try to stop you, carry on doing whatever works well for you, but you can achieve better protection at lower cost. Similarly, a lot of people like to WD-40 anything while it is best at it's original purpose, water displacement. There are so many products out there today, it is not as though you are riding 10 miles to a local hardware store in a horse and buggy and stuck buying whatever they have on the shelf. If for whatever reason, pledge is all you have and can get, sure it may be better than nothing at shine and protection.

There is one counter argument I appreciate, that if using a single product and having it easy to apply, results in using it rather than doing nothing, that's something beneficial, unless the goal is only to make everything shiny, lol.
 
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