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How to Clean Polished Aluminum Diamond Plate

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    Polished aluminum diamond-plate is often found on cars, trucks, recreational vehicles – RV’s, steps and fire engines. The plating is made from a aluminum that has been stamped with a diamond pattern and finish with a high shine. Stepping on the diamond-plate leaves dirty marks and completely detracts from the beauty of the shiny metal. Driving down the road leaves dirt, dust and grime on RV’s, in truck beds and on decorative areas. Leaving an RV, truck bed or diamond-plate steps exposed to all types of weather conditions, not to mention birds who leave their droppings wherever they may fall, makes the aluminum diamond-plate less than attractive.

    Typically, mud, bird droppings and road grime settle in between the diamonds which makes a thorough cleaning a bit more difficult than if the surface was flat. The beauty of diamond-plate makes the cleaning well worth the effort. Polish diamond-plate will dress up any plain truck, RV, toolbox or bed liner. Polished aluminum diamond-plate has many uses and can be found in a wide variety of applications ranging from industrial uses to consumer uses. Cleaning the diamond-plate will take some time and elbow grease, but the results are well worth the effort.


     
    Before Cleaning Your Polished Aluminum diamond-plate

    Closely examine the plating to determine if the aluminum has any type of protective film or coating. If your diamond-plate has a layer of protection, some cleaning methods can strip the film layer off the surface of the aluminum and leave you with a step, bed liner or RV that not look fuzzy and uneven.

    If you aren’t sure if the diamond-plate has a protective film covering, test all cleaners in a hidden spot, rinse, dry and let the aluminum sit overnight. In the morning closely re examine the surface. If the surface you’ve tested looks fine, chances are the diamond-plate does not have a protective film. If you know who the manufacturer or installer is, contact them to determine if it is safe to clean the plating.

     Washing Your Polished Aluminum Diamond Plating

    Fill a bucket with warm water and add a generous squirt of liquid, grease fighting, dish washing soap.

    Stir the water to thoroughly blend the soap and water with a wood stir stick.

    Wet the diamond plating with plain water from a garden hose.

    Dip a soft, nylon bristle scrub brush into the soapy water and scrub the surface of the aluminum plating to loosen any dirt that is lying on the surface.

    Rinse the diamond-plate with the spray from a garden hose until all of the soapy residue is gone.

    Dry the plating with a microfiber rag or chamois cloth.

    Examine the diamond plating and look for any stains. If you do not see any stains on the aluminum, dip a well worn rag into BlueMagic Wax which is made for wheels and rims. Spread a coat of wax on the surface and let it dry until it appears ahzy and white.

    Buff the dry wax off the surface with a chamois cloth until the polished diamond plating shines and you can see yourself in the reflection.

    If You Have Some Deeper Stains on Your Diamond Plating

    Fill a spray bottle with white vinegar.

    Spray the polish diamond-plate surround with the white vinegar. Work in small sections to prevent the white vinegar from drying on the aluminum surface.

    Dip a nylon scrubbing pad or soft bristle nylon scrub brush into white vinegar and scrub the diamond-plated surface. Use an old toothbrush to get into the areas in between the diamond pattern and remove any stains or corrosion.

    Continue to spray the diamond-plate with white vinegar and scrub section by section until you have revealed the shine under the layers of dirt, grime and corrosion.

    Apply a coat of BlueMagic Wax for Aluminum with a soft rag, let it dry and buff to a high shine.

    If You Still Have Stains on The diamond-plate

    Buy NevrDull which is a commercially available polish aluminum diamond-plate cleaner.

    Rub a soft rag through the NevrDull and rub it into the surface of the aluminum plating.

    Test NevrDull on a hidden area before applying it all over the surface of the bed liner, RV step or tool box because depending on the diamond-plate, any product may leave fine scratches on the surface. You cannot determine if the product will leave fine scratches until you try it because it does depend on the aluminum plating used by the manufacturer.

    If You Don’t Want to Chance Scratching Your Polish diamond-plate

    Twist a high pressure nozzle onto a garden hose or use a power washer.

    Stand back from the diamond plating, turn on the water and move in closer step by step to blast the dirt and road gunk off the surface.

    If Your Aluminum Diamond Plating is Still Dirty

    If you haven’t had success with the easier methods, it is probably time for a professional cleaning. Some do it yourselfers may choose to try a nitric acid based product. Nitric acid based protects require the user to wear chemical approved goggles, rubber gloves, rubber boots and a protective rubber apron. You cannot clean polish aluminum diamond-plate on a concrete surface or allow the nitric acid to come in contact with concrete because it will eat through it, which is just one of the reasons nitric acid is best left to the professionals. Professional metal cleaners and restoration specialists have the knowledge and resources to use these products safely and correctly.

    Some polished aluminum diamond-plate won’t clean up as you expected, but there are metal restorers that can get the diamond plating to shine and sparkle just like when it was new.

    Polished diamond-plate Quick Tip

    If you are out and a bird decides to target your RV, toolbox or bed liner – don’t despair.

    Grab a bottle of salt free club soda or seltzer water.

    Open the cap and put your thumb over the top of the bottle.

    Shake the bottle with the open top pointed at the bird droppings, remove your thumb and spray off the bird droppings.

    If left bird dropping can leave difficult to remove stains and even damage the plating.