The best fallout removers for pristine wheels and paintwork
Iron and industrial fallout can be tricky to shift from a car's paintwork using simple shampoo. One of these fallout removers will make things a lot easier.
Of all the contaminants that get smeared across your paintwork, iron and industrial fallout are the hardest to remove. It clings to wheels and bodywork stubbornly and worst of all, part of it comes from your car itself, via tiny particles being shedded from brake discs. Most iron fallout removers are geared towards wheels, as that’s where the bulk of iron fallout gets embedded, but they can equally be used on paintwork too. It’s also important to note that these often won’t clean the wheels too, you’ll still need a proper wheel cleaner to do the rest.
It’s possible to clay bar these contaminants out, but that’ll leave tiny marring in the paintwork that’ll need polishing out. It’ll also speed up the wearing of the clay bar, which means a stand-alone spray fallout remover can save you a bit of cash on extra clay and stop any need to polish the paint afterwards.
Safety notice
Fallout removers are probably the nastiest and harshest domestic car cleaning product you’ll use and there are a few considerations you should make to keep yourself safe. Our first bit of advice is to wear a set of nitrile gloves for protection. Most fallout removers contain acids (even if pH balanced) and so will irritate skin if exposed.
They also reek of sulphur which means it might be a good idea to wear a face mask. And while several options have been designed to mask this scent, there’s currently no escaping just how bad it smells.
The best fallout removers
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Our current favourite fallout remover is Fallout from 26JPN. What impressed us about this fallout remover is the fact it’s biodegradable without compromising its cleaning abilities. 26JPN claim it’s pH balanced and non-toxic too, although we’d still recommend wearing gloves to avoid any chance of skin irritation.
We also like that it has a gel-like consistency, so it clings to surfaces (much like a thick snow foam) does for better coverage and less wasted product. Like other fallout removers, it changes colour as it reacts with the metal particles and it’s safe for use on all types of paintwork. It also has chemically cherry scent, not the best smell admittedly, but far nicer than the smell emitted by other fallout removers
This fallout remover bucks the trends as it also works as both a fallout remover and a conventional wheel cleaner, speeding up the wheel cleaning process while still delivering top-quality results. Like 26JPN, it’s more of a gel than a straight up liquid, and its genuinely pH neutral which makes it safe for all car surfaces, including chrome and glass. For a timesaving left-field option, Zirconite is definitely worth considering.
One extra feature that’s really clever is a trigger lock that means there’s no chance of accidentally spraying product when you don’t want to.
Gtechniq is a premium car cleaning company that’s often at the forefront of innovation and this fallout remover is no different. Not only is it clingy and really effective against brake dust and other fallout, its also packed with clever tech to keep wheels in good shape. It includes rust inhibitors which will add an extra layer of protection as you clean. It also helps protect your car from the effects of acid rain, all while being safe to use on waxes and sealants.
We’re championing the smaller 250ml option because it comes with a spray top for easy application, the larger sizes require you to supply your own spray bottle.
Worthy of looking into for its name only, Dragon’s Blood can walk the walk, and does so without using any acidic or alkali chemicals. This means it’s incredibly gentle on wheels – comforting news to anyone with older alloys or know their wheels to be fragile. The fact Pro-Kleen don’t try and sugar-coat how awful it smells is certainly admirable too.
Will fallout remover work on all contaminants?
Sadly not. Fallout sprays are specially designed to lift metal particles from paintwork and nothing else. This means they won’t be effective on other common paint contaminants like splattered insects, overspray or bird poo (even if the guilty bird had a particularly metallic lunch).
If you’re only wanting a quick clean then we say combine a fallout spray with a good tar remover. If you’re intending to polish your car, use a fallout spray before clay barring the paintwork to ensure the paintwork is free of embedded debris.
