-Safe for Wash Racks-
-Safe for Oil/Water Separators-
-Safe for the Environment-
-Safe for Personnel-

MILSPRAY Safe Soap™ offers the latest in detergent technology for cleaning today’s military vehicles and protecting against corrosion. While it is very effective, it is also very environmentally friendly.

Soaps and detergents can create serious problems for both wash rack equipment and the environment. Detergents and soaps create an emulsion, or one fluid, out of two. The soapy water “absorbs” oils and grease on a vehicle and then gets rinsed down a drain. This drain, which is part of a wash rack system, typically leads to an oil/water separator. Since the oil and soapy water are now one fluid (emulsion) there is no oil to skim and the emulsion is allowed to pass through the system and into a main drain that leads to a treatment facility or even a waterway. For this reason, many military environmental representatives prohibit the use of soaps and detergents on wash racks.

The other problem caused by soaps is a result of the typical pH of most detergents. Most are alkalines and in the 12.0 pH range. This is rather caustic and not considered “sewerable” by most treatment facilities in the country. The average acceptable pH for sewer disposable, for all municipalities nationwide, is 10.3 pH.

It is this same alkalinity that also poses a serious problem for the wash rack equipment itself and another subsequent problem for the environment. Many oil/water separators contain a “pond” or holding tank where the oil, or other hydrocarbons, and the water are held until discharge. Enzymes and bacteria are added into these ponds to assist with the breakdown of hydrocarbons and oils. These micro organisms actually eat or digest the hyrdrocarbons and convert them to pure carbon, a natural and biodegradable byproduct. The enzymes or bacteria cannot survive in the ponds and holding tanks if the pH is above 10. Since most soaps are above this pH level they will “kill off” the helpful bacteria and the stagnant pond retains the oil and creates an offensive odor.

MILSPRAY Safe Soap™ has a pH of 9.5


The issue of emulsions and the potential environmental impact is completely and thoroughly addressed by MILSPRAY Safe Soap™. Safe Soap™ has been specifically engineered to work with all oil/water separators.

The first photo shows a leading vehicle wash soap and motor oil before agitation next to MILSPRAY Safe Soap™ and motor oil.

The second photo shows both immediately after mixing. Both are effective detergents as is shown by the thorough emulsion of motor oil and soapy water. If a detergent is ineffective, the result would be more like homemade salad dressing with the salad oil and vinegar never fully emulsifying.

The next photo shows an elapsed time of 10 seconds. Notice how the leading detergent is still in a state of emulsion and would pass through an oil/water separator and onto a treatment facility or waterway. The MILSPRAY Safe Soap™ is completely “de-emulsified” and could be separated by the wash rack oil and water separator. The next photo shows several minutes later, and the leading detergent is still not completely separated.