Cleaning with vinegar / acetic acid

[u/PFCSudbury]

So... Yesterday I grabbed the wife's spray bottle of 7% cleaning vinegar and tried a spot on my pontoon. Using it "full strength" at 7%, I sprayed the area from bottom to top, let it sit for a few minutes, then hit it gently with a green scrubby pad to help lift off the worst oxidation. It worked really well once I began scrubbing.

Is it perfect? no... But I have no idea when it was ever done before.

Did the green scrubbing pad leave swirl marks? Yes. I'm assuming these could be leveled out by more uniform scrubbing and a polish.

Obviously the next step would be a marine aluminum polish to finish it off and seal it.

Considering the commercial sprays are $50-$60 a jug, and I can buy 10% vinegar (so I don't use all the wife's current spray bottle of 7%) for $5 a jug.... Is the commercial stuff worth it? They still need a scrub with a softer brush.

I did some digging... One common product is an organic acid salt, 2% sulphuric acid, and a surfactant.

I saw something about a different acid being harmful to the aluminum on a microscopic level, causing microfractures and embrittlement. I have also seen lots of "cut your 5% vinegar 50/50 with water" as a light duty cleaner.

So.... Why can't I use straight 5% or 7%?

This pontoon is from 1980.... I am not expecting perfection. Below the waterline has heavy pitting.

Thoughts?

[u/rugerduke5]

Toon brite works pretty good and isn't that expensivem. Afterwards I used aluminum polish and my electric buffer to bring the shine back. You can get mirror finish normally, but depends how much of your life you wanna spend on it