When cleaning airplanes, the majority of people don’t know how to properly maintain their TKS panels. TKS panels provide wing leading edge, horizontal stabilizer leading edge, and, in the case of FIKI airplanes, vertical stabilizer leading edge de-icing protection. For those not familiar with them, they are metal strips that have thousands of holes drilled into them where the TKS fluid seeps out. They have become quite prevalent on Cirrus aircraft, the Cessna TTx, and Mooney aircraft manufactured in the last decade or so. The system is also known as a weeping wing system.
Being on the leading edges, these panels pick up bugs very easily. For the uninitiated, it would make sense to just use normal airplane cleaner to spray the panels and scrub the bugs. Don’t!
Using anything that contains Methyl Ethyl Ketone (MEK) as that can harm the TKS bladders behind the panels. Any aircraft cleaner containing wax could cause the pores to clog, preventing the TKS fluid from properly seeping onto the wing.
What’s the best thing to do? Soap and water with a soft cloth is a good start (again, make sure it doesn’t have wax in it. Dish soap would be suitable). No hose available? Just simply turn the TKS system on, let it run till you start to see fluid drip off the wings onto the ground, and use the fluid to clean the panels.
A soft cloth would work fine, but, if the panels are really buggy, take a green scouring pad to do some scrubbing. Just make sure the scrubbing motion is up and down with the grain, not side to side. You can find the green scouring sponges on the dishwashing aisle in the grocery store. Just leave one in the hangar for when you need it.