About Oxidation and How to Remove It

What is Oxidation?

Oxidation, according to the the english dictionary, is the process in which something is oxidizing or is becoming oxidized (i.e. rusting, tarnishing, etc.). A good example of this would be a metallic substance like iron becoming an orange color called rust. This happens over time if if the object is used in the elements. Many things can become oxidized, this is a natural process for many different types of materials (mainly metals). Oxidation occurs most of the time in tandem with a process called reduction. Reduction is the process of gaining one or more electrons. In oxidation reduction, also known as a redox reaction, one atom or compound will steal an electron from another atom or compound. For example, rust happens when oxygen atoms steal electrons from iron.

How Can Oxidation be Removed?

Thankfully, oxidation can be removed as long as you have the right products to do so. Light oxidation can normally be removed with the use of polishing compounds such as the Sheen Genie Metal Polish Cleaner. This is a product that uses a set of compounds that take away the Oxidation with little to no effort. Once the oxidation is gone, the surface of the car looks good as new. With heavier oxidation, there will have to be a bit more work involved as this will require a rubbing compound. These types of compounds can also be purchased from Sheen Genie in the form of their Severe Metal Corrosion & Rust Remover.

It is one thing to remove oxidation from a solid piece of metal with nothing on it other than the surface oxidation. When it comes to removing paint, this requires a different approach. Paint is the piece of a car that people tend to notice first and it is generally more fragile than just a piece of metal. They will see that super nice paint job and say that that is the color of vehicle they want. If the car has a nice paint job, but a big spot of oxidized paint on it, that just needs to be dealt with as soon as possible. With a similar technique to using the products on metal, Sheen genie has all of the products you will need to help remove that pesky oxidation from your car paint, making the paint job look good as new.

The process for making sure that your car looks good as new with no oxidation to be found revolves around the following:

1. Make sure your car is in a warm area between 70-75 degrees fahrenheit. If the car is to hot or too cold, you may risk the products working inefficiently.
2. Clean the exterior of the car completely using your prefered washing method. Washing your car and prepping it for the polish and oxidation removal products is essential for the removal of the oxidation.
3. Use the Polishing tools from Sheen Genie, these include
   1. Metal Polish Cleaner
   2. Metal Polish Sealer & Repellent
   3. If necessary, the Severe Metal & Corrosion Rust Remover
   4. Liquid Spray Metal Cleaner
   5. Rubber, Tire & Vinyl Shine Spray
4. Finish your car with the Wax Detailer. This provides an extra layer of protection and will help prevent future oxidation.
5. For those Foggy headlights make sure you use the Headlight Lens Restorer in order to clear them right up.

Removing Oxidation from Jewelry and Other Metals

Rust is not only a pain for car owners. For anyone who has owned a jewelry for a long period of time, you may notice that your shiny necklace isn’t as shiny as you remember. It may even have a dull greyish tone to it that makes it seem less beautiful. This is a common occurrence with many different metals most notably in silver and copper. With silver, the oxidation appears in the form of tarnish which makes the silver take on a dull greytone or sometimes even black. Thankfully though this can also be cleaned and restored through the use of metal cleaning products. Although with high value metals such as silver it may be best to take it in to a professional just so you can have the peace of mind knowing that your jewelry is in the right hands. Copper has a very noticeable type of oxidation. It goes from the shiny bronze color to a light green matte color. The most well known example of this would be the Statue of Liberty from New York’s Ellis Island. Back when it was built in 1886, it sported a beautiful bronze color, but over many years of withstanding the elements she has now turned to a green matte color, but thankfully without losing any of her beauty.

Oxidation can even occur on plastic objects, this happens due to being exposed to the elements. But not to worry, there is a solution for that and it is an easy fix. The most common place you will find oxidized plastic will be on vehicles. This is due to driving them around constantly and having them get wet, to cold, to hot, biological exposure (i.e. being touched by people and animals regularly) the list goes on, but the solution stays the same. There are products for cleaning plastic similarly to products used for cleaning oxidation from metal and car paint. It typically starts with a polishing or rubbing product that is then used to remove the oxidation. Then that is followed up with a cleaning agent to make sure that the surface is clean.

If you plan on cleaning your own jewelry, there are products for that. Cleaning sterling silver is generally a personal decision as some people enjoy the look of oxidized sterling and some prefer the shiny look. Here is what to do if you want your oxidized silver to be clean and good as new:

1. Pour warm water into the bowl you are going to use with dishwashing liquid and make sure it is big enough to submerge your silver. Stir it gently and make sure the water is warm. Hot can ruin the oxidation.
2. Put your silver into the bowl with your polishing solution.
3. Wait for 10-20 minutes until there is visible dirt or residue on your silver is softened.
4. Remove the silver from the bowl and dry it gently with a soft towel.

Why Use Sheen Genie?

Sheen Genie is an excellent company that has many excellent and competitively priced products that are second to none. If you need that oxidation on your car to be gone, then look no further than Sheengenie.com. They will get you the products you need, at the price you want. And delivery will happen in just a matter of days from the purchase date. For further questions, feel free to call the number on the Sheen Genie home page to get all the answers about the products.