At 8:32 AM -0700 7/19/04, Rob Campbell wrote: >I'm curious about how you prepare and clean your van after >burningman. I wouldnt want to take mine there, yet I would love to >take mine there. > >Are you worried about the caustic effects of the alkali? How do you >clean the interior? I've seen a ton of vanagons out there, so I >know people are doing it, but I just cant imagine what my engine and >oil would be like afterwards. Ahh, the infamous alkali dust of the Black Rock desert. It's weird stuff. Last year I had this great idea. After finding my camp-site, I duct-taped a home furnace filter to the open driver's side window, so I could get airflow w/o having dust enter. At home depot earlier that week, I had a choice between the $3 no-name brand home furnace filter and the $25 3M HEPA filter. I chose to spend $3. The dust didn't blink twice and came right through it. I'm not sure if the HEPA would have helped or not. The dust is small. It's more like talcum powerder than sand, and it has this weird magnetic quality -- you can't rinse it off with just water. It requires some wiping too. As for cleaning the inside of the van, you basically just clean as normal (vacuum, soapy rag, etc.) and it's not a big deal. Of course, your van will never be the same again (you fill find new pockets of dust in strange places until the end of time). But it's a van, right? Not a show car. As for the alkali hurting oil or engine? It depends what conditions are like when you drive in. It's usually about 2-3 miles from the road to your campsite, so if wind is low and you drive slowly, you can avoid kicking up much dust. There is a rumor that the dust is especially corrosive: I find this not to be the case. I've taken my mountain bike there 5 years in a row, and so long as I clean it and oil it afterwards it's not a problem. |
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