Decontamination

Every contaminant on your paint is either organic (traffic film, oils, bugs — dissolved by alkaline chemistry), inorganic (water spots, limescale, mineral deposits — dissolved by acids) or ferrous (brake dust and industrial fallout — dissolved by iron-specific removers). No single product touches all three, which is why proper decontamination is staged: alkaline pre-wash, acid decon, de-ironing, then a clay pass for whatever's physically embedded. It's the foundation under every polish, coating and PPF install we do — and the most skipped step in car care.

The full framework: acid or alkaline — the exterior programs chart and the 3-pH wash system, decoded. Choosing an iron remover? We compared all nine we stock, from their safety data sheets.