I found this out after much trial and error, as I have Atlas 1 1/2″ wide white walls on my ’38 Pontiac and even just sitting in the shed, the tyres ‘bleed’ a dirty brown edge right around the trims.

I just wish there was a way of keeping them from getting this ‘dirty’ stain in the first place!

Brett (South Australia)

No I have not used them on whitewalls. Thank you for your thoughts. I’ve used the bathroom cleaners on regular tires to remove oil on them without problems. I just did not think that it might have a different reaction on whitewalls. I’m grateful you pointed this out.

No I do not have documented proof that Simple Green will cause blowouts. However I talk to the tire manufacturer reps at the RV rallies I attend. Everyone of them has said repeatedly over the years not to use strong degreasing agents to clean tires because the chemicals in them are hard on the tires and can cause tires to blow out.

I have told people in my seminars over the years to use mild cleaners like organic powdered laundry detergent to clean their tires.

Thank you again for your insights about the tub and tile cleaners.

Mary

Have you actually use those caustic agents on whitewalls before? It is predictable that they will kill the whitewalls. Never heard of a tire blow-out due to Simple Green. Do you have a documented example? How was it determined the cleaner caused a blow out? There are many reasons why a tire can blow out besides using a mild cleaner on the whitewalls.

I work with the RV industry and have had great success with having RVers and boaters remove oxidation from decals and stripping with Lysol Tub and Tile Cleaner or Dow Tub and Tile cleaner. It’s very toxic which I do not like but it does work. Might be worth a try on the yellow tires. Keep the Simple Green and other heavy cleaners off the tires. They will eventually dry and crack. It takes time but it’s going to happen.

PS: I’ve passed this info to other car nuts and it brought out lots of many thanks to me. I live in Brazil, and we are not served by many of your good products, but simple green is here and doing a good job.

Simple Green and the rest of these liquid cleaners all get washed into the storm systems, which usually end up in a stream and eventually a river. Please don’t use this stuff as it’s very toxic to marine life.

Use an SOS pad or the Mr. Clean Eraser. Clean the tire then wipe it off with a shop towel and dispose of the shop towel. After you have wiped the tire then rinse it off. This way most of the toxic chemicals are kept out of the streams.

The SOS pads actually do double duty as they remove the naturally occurring oxidation of rubber to keep them looking good so a tire treatment (not recommended) is not necessary.

If you do use a cleaner, spray it on, let it set a few minutes then wipe off and dispose of the cloth. And keep your spare tire aired as these cleaners can dry and crack a tire over time making it susceptible to blowing out!

Please be kind to Mother Earth when you are cleaning your car. Very little if any cleaner is needed to wash your vehicle. Generally food grade distilled white vinegar is sufficient. The natural but mild acid neutralizes the alkaline in the water to help prevent water spots from forming.

I live in the Netherlands, so I use the product: Oxy stain remover.

Just rub in on the white (straight out of the bottle), then take a scrub sponge (not metal) and clean it with warm water.

Does anybody out there have any ideas on how to remove these BAD stains?
I have tried Comet, Lacquer thinner, Westley Wite, Bleach, Lemon juice, Wax and grease remover, and Baking soda.

PLEASE HELP if you had this problem. COKER TIRES says they have a lot of calls about this problem, and there only reply is YOU SHOULD READ THEIR label. Its in BIG letters? Does anybody have any ideas?

Any type of degreaser and a brass brush works well. Comet or Ajax works but is harder to work with. Hope this helps.