Quagga mussels attach themselves to a number of surfaces including boat hulls, engine intakes, livewells, bilges, anchor lines, water intake valves, canals, pipes, aqueducts and dams. This causes increased maintenance costs. In the United States, Congressional researchers estimated that invasive mussels alone cost the power industry $3.1 billion from 1993-1999, while their impact on industries, businesses and communities totals more than 5 billion.

So how can us boaters help? Easy. Inspect and clean you water vessel (powerboat, sailboat, bassboat, jetski, zodiac, yes, all of ‘em) after removing it from every waterway. It is really very easy and takes little time and we’ve also recently discovered that some of our favorite boat cleaning products make this job even easier.

We were told recently the bio-kleen boat and trailer passed the mussel inspection at Lake Powell in Utah with flying colors. Not a single quagga mussel was found in spite of the fact that the boat originates from Michigan, a state that has a high population of the mussel in the waterways. Bio-Kleen credits the easy inspection to cleaning the bilge with the bilge cleaner after boating in every waterway. A quaternary sanitizer included in the product keeps the bilge and livewells free of invasive species eggs. Also cleaning the hull, props, exhaust pipes, trailers, anchor and dock lines with hull cleaner will kill the mussels and eggs due to the phosphoric blend in the cleaner. Not to mention it dissolves unsightly calcification and scum lines at the same time. Dual action – that’s what I’m talking about… Be sure to take a few minutes after pulling you boat from each waterway to protect your boat and the environment from these nasty invaders. Think of the alternative – mussel infestations will close your local waterway. Yeah, that’s what we thought.

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The report gives a lot of attention to a 58-year-old oil pipeline that travels under the Au Sable and two of its tributaries. The pipe is owned by Enbridge Energy, which also owns the pipeline that ruptured in July 2010 and spilled 800,000 gallons of oil into Talmadge Creek and the Kalamazoo River.

The report also covered the concern over a potential boom in northern Michigan of a controversial method of natural gas extraction called hydraulic fracturing, or fracking; a process that uses toxic materials and requires an immense amount of water

Read the entire article via Great Lakes Echo

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This video demonstrates how to polish and protect aluminum snowmobile tunnels with the SledBrite Metal Polish. Prior to polishing and protecting your aluminum snowmobile tunnels it is recommended to first remove any grease and surface build up and clean and deoxidize the snowmobile tunnel or metal surface. Cleaning and deoxidizing your tunnels prior to polishing is an important step. Using a snowmobile aluminum cleaner will remove oxidation and discoloration from tunnels, aluminum and metal on your snowmobile. This not only cleans the tunnel, removing rust and impurities in the aluminum, but it allows the metal polish to polish the tunnels faster and easier and helps the shine last longer. You can polish over oxidation, but the shine will tarnish faster and it may not apply as easy.

Start by shaking SledBrite Metal Polish well to activate before and during application. For best results, apply SledBrite Metal Polish with Biokleen Polishing Ball: not only will using the polishing ball take out most of the elbow grease needed to polish metal, but the speed of the revolutions and the ability to apply slight pressure without much force allows you to polish the metal faster, more efficiently and, in most cases, allows you to use less metal polish per application.

Always use Polishing Ball with drill in forward, or clockwise, direction. Place two to four dime-size drops of metal polish proportionally across the ball for initial application. Add one to two additional drops as needed for the application. Start by using the drill at slow speeds until polish is absorbed, then increase speed. Polish tunnel, in sections, until surface turns black. There may be some areas of the tunnel where hand application of the metal polish is needed.

Buff off aluminum tunnel with an additional Polishing Ball or a clean, dry terry cloth towel for a brilliant shine. Repeat this process across the entire tunnel (typically only 2-3 sections, sometimes even just one). Always use precaution when using hand tools. Always wear protective eyewear.

For polishing metals by hand: Place a clean, dry terry cloth towel over mouth of SledBrite Metal Polish bottle – flip bottle over; using that dime-sized spot, rub metal vigorously until surface turns black. Buff off metal surface with an additional clean, dry terry cloth towel for a brilliant shine.

Materials Needed:

* (1) Clean Shop Rag
* (1-2) Bio-Kleen Polishing Balls
* SledBrite Metal Polish

1. Clean and degrease tunnels first with SledBrite Belly Pan Cleaner
2. Clean and deoxidize tunnels SledBrite Aluma Kleen
3. Shake SledBrite Metal Polish well to activate before and during applications.
4. Always use Biokleen Polishing Ball with drill in forward, or clockwise, direction. Place two to four dime-size drops of metal polish proportionally across the ball for initial application. Add one to two additional drops as needed for the application.
5. Start by using the drill at slow speeds until polish is absorbed, then increase speed. Polish metal until entire section of tunnel turns black.
6. Buff off metal with an additional Biokleen Polishing Ball or a clean, dry terry cloth towel for a brilliant shine. Always use precaution when using hand tools. Always wear protective eyewear.

Related posts:

1. Cleaning & Brightening Snowmobile Tunnels: Sled Detailing Step 3 Snowmobile aluminum cleaner is used to clean, brighten and remove...
2. Cleaning & Removing Oxidation from Snowmobile Aluminum: Sled Detailing Step 2 Snowmobile aluminum cleaner is used to remove oxidation from aluminum...

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This video demonstrates how to clean, remove oxidation and discoloration and brighten aluminum snowmobile tunnels with the SledBrite Aluma Kleen aluminum cleaner. Prior to cleaning, brightening and removing oxidation from your aluminum snowmobile tunnels you must first remove any grease and surface build up. This is important as the aluminum tunnel cleaner needs to come into contact with the actual surface of the aluminum without any barriers which would prohibit the deoxidizing action.

Aluminum naturally oxidizes and will begin to look dingy, splotchy and discolored if not maintained properly. Snowmobile aluminum and snowmobile tunnels have a tendency to oxidize much faster because of the exposure to the elements, moisture and road salt.

Simply spray SledBrite Aluma Kleen on starting from the bottom and working your way upward, wait for it to foam up (taking anywhere from 15 seconds to a few minutes, depending on the severity of oxidation) and wipe or rinse off. It is also recommended to use a brush, not to scrub with pressure, but to spread the product around to ensure even coverage. The nice thing about the SledBrite Aluma Kleen is it also contains corrosion inhibitors to help prevent rust and protect your sleds tunnel, aluminum and metals.

Materials Needed:

* (1) Clean Shop Rag
* (1) Cleaning Brush
* SledBrite Aluma Kleen Aluminum Cleaner
* SledBrite Belly Pan Snowmobile Cleaner Degreaser

1. Clean and degrease surface first with SledBrite Belly Pan Cleaner
2. Spray SledBrite Aluma Kleen across surface of aluminum starting at the bottom and working upward
3. Allow dwell time of 15 seconds to a few minutes depending on severity of oxidation
4. Lightly agitate areas with brush to ensure even coverage of cleaner
5. Wipe clean with shop rag or Microfiber Towel

Related posts:

1. Cleaning & Removing Oxidation from Snowmobile Aluminum: Sled Detailing Step 2 Snowmobile aluminum cleaner is used to remove oxidation from aluminum...

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This next video in our Snowmobile Detailing Series demonstrates how to clean, remove oxidation and discoloration and brighten aluminum parts, including ski attachments, on a snowmobile with the Aluma Kleen aluminum cleaner by SledBrite. Prior to removing oxidation from your aluminum you must first remove any grease and surface build up. This is important as the aluminum cleaner needs to come into contact with the actual surface of the aluminum without any barriers which would prohibit the deoxidizing action.

Aluminum naturally oxidizes and will begin to look dingy, splotchy and discolored if not maintained properly. Snowmobile aluminum has a tendency to oxidize much faster because of it’s exposure to the elements, moisture and road salt. The SledBrite Aluma Kleen proved to be a very safe, easy to use product to clean and brighten aluminum and metal surfaces on the sled (it can also be used on your trailer and accessories).

So here’s the process of cleaning your aluminum. Spray SledBrite Aluma Kleen on, wait for it to foam up (taking anywhere from 15 seconds to a few minutes, depending on the severity of oxidation) and wipe or rinse off. The makers of SledBrite also recommended to use a brush, not to scrub with pressure, but to spread the product around to ensure even coverage. Not only is the SledBrite Aluma Kleen a fast acting, biodegradable formula that wipes or rinses away clean, but it also contains corrosion inhibitors to help prevent rust and protect your sleds metal and aluminum. Bonus!

Materials Needed:

* (1) Clean Shop Rag
* (1) Small Cleaning Brush or Toothbrush
* SledBrite Aluma Kleen Aluminum Cleaner
* SledBrite Belly Pan Snowmobile Cleaner Degreaser

1. Clean and degrease surface first with SledBrite Belly Pan Cleaner
2. Spray SledBrite Aluma Kleen across surface of aluminum
3. Allow dwell time of 15 seconds to a few minutes depending on severity of oxidation
4. Agitate areas with brush to ensure even coverage of cleaner
5. Wipe clean with shop rag or Microfiber Towel

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This video demonstrates how to remove heavy build up and grease from snowmobile skis and attachments with the SledBrite Belly Pan Snowmobile Cleaner Degreaser. This is an important step in the snowmobile cleaning and detailing process and should be one of the first steps taken. You want to be sure to clean and degrease the entire sled prior to cleaning and brightening any aluminum or metals, including these ski attachments, snowmobile tunnels and engine parts.

This is especially important in an area such as this where there is heavy grease or build up. If the build up is not removed prior to applying an aluminum cleaner, the aluminum cleaner will not be able to come in contact with the actual surface of the aluminum, therefore preventing it from cleaning and deoxidizing the aluminum.

Materials Needed:

* (2) Clean Shop Rags
* (1) Small Cleaning Brush or Toothbrush
* SledBrite Belly Pan Snowmobile Cleaner

1. Remove heavy contact grease from surface with shop rag
2. Spray SledBrite Belly Pan Snowmobile Cleaner across surface, including ski and attachments
3. Allow dwell time of 30 seconds to a few minutes depending on severity of grease build up
4. Agitate areas with brush to break up build up
5. Wipe clean with second shop rag or Microfiber Towel

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Read the “Belle Isle: Fighting the silent siege” Detroit Free Press article

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