Splat SPLAT-AC-3J Orange Auto-Clean Cleaning Putty – 3 oz. Reviews

It is orange and kind of “icky”- seems like something a 5 year old would think is cool. If you stepped on it in the dark, you’d scream.

But the purpose of the stuff is to get dust and dirt out of small places. It seems to do that well. I tried it on a couple spots on my car that always seem to gather dirt but resist cleaning- such as radio buttons, the lips around buttons and controls, crevices in the trim panels, etc. In every case it seemed to get most of the dust out, although it seemed to have trouble with larger pieces of dirt. It does not work very well on anything that is “stuck”, since it doesn’t seem to have a whole lot of sticky attraction.

It never seemed to leave any residue on any of the surfaces in the car-although I never tried it on glass or clear plastic where a residue might be more visible.

I also tried it on my cell phone-which seems to have all sorts of places to collect dust. It did a reasonable job on the dust, but I did notice small pieces of the goo breaking off, especially around the buttons. These came off pretty easy, but you would hope this wouldn’t happen. Based on that, I was afraid to try it on my laptop keyboard-something I was hoping it would be suited for.

Is it the cure-all solution to all your tight-space cleaning needs? No, I don’t think so. But in 5 minutes it did make a noticeable improvement on my “just cleaned” dashboard. It works great on dust, not quite as good on larger particles. It did “refresh” my cell phone and got rid of some dust that has been there for quite a while.

It does come in a jar with a tight seal, so it should last between uses…unless your 5-year-old finds it. I do hope it is as non-toxic as advertised, because it certainly will be attractive to kids.

While I don’t see a residue, I would certainly not trust it on photo lenses or sensors.

Andy in Washington
Splat SPLAT-AC-3J Orange Auto-Clean Cleaning Putty – 3 oz.

Splat SPLAT-AC-3J Orange Auto-Clean Cleaning Putty – 3 oz. Reviews

Summary: Ingenious cleaning product for anywhere dust gets into nooks and crannies. A decent add to your detailing tool kit, but with definite limitations

Upon opening the container I was greeted by a bright orange lump of goo. I was expecting something more like silly putty, this is exactly like a thicker version of “slime” with an orange color and slight citrus / chemical smell.

I immediately started to clean the center console of my car. There’s dust, crumbs, spilled coffee, etc here and all sorts of nooks and crannies. I was immediately disappointed by what it didn’t pick up and it did nothing to the drops of dried coffee. I was thinking that I’d much rather have a damp microfiber washcloth.

After a few more days and lots of experimentation on lots of other things I have a higher opinion. After watching the video I realized they were pressing the goo and holding it for a few seconds. This really helps SPLAT pick up more stuff, though it’s still so-so on larger crumbs and debris (I’m talking about stuff the size of a fingernail clipping.)

There are definitely situations that SPLAT works is better – they all involve dust instead of crumbs, and very intricate detail. For example, on my office seat there are narrow creases in the fabric that trap dust. This stuff is a champ for pulling it out. I immediately used it on my nylon briefcase and TV remotes and cordless phones. It also did a nice job removing the dust on my keyboard.

On the other hand it’s not so good on cleaning screens and chrome. It leaves a filmy residue that you have to wipe off. Also, the consistency has changed just in a couple of days – there’s condensation on the lid of the container which suggests that what I am seeing is drying out during use. I added a few drops of water to the container and it re-hydrated so the consistency is back to original. At the same time, I noticed that the slime re-hydrated some bread crumbs from the console. Yuck. I picked them out – I hope this has some antibacterial properties or I could see this getting moldy before too long. Finally, seven bucks for 3 ounces seems pricey. I’d give it 4 stars if it was a couple of bucks cheaper.

TIP – knead the putty as you use it, otherwise the dust anc crumbs you just picked up will probably end up somewhere else in the interior.

There are recipes on the web for making slime. It’s just borax, water, and white glue. Cut the water and add a few drops of citrus cleaner and you might have a reasonable substitute!

>>Plus

Great for dust in hard to reach crevices.

Great for getting dust, etc out of fabrics.

>>Minus

Does not pick up crumbs

Leaves filmy residue -

Seems quite pricey for the amount they provide

If you have questions, comments, or if you found this review helpful, please let me know!
Y. R. Wu
Splat SPLAT-AC-3J Orange Auto-Clean Cleaning Putty – 3 oz.

Splat SPLAT-AC-3J Orange Auto-Clean Cleaning Putty – 3 oz. Reviews

If you were a kid in the 1970s, you will remember the useless toy called “Slime” – a bright green concoction that while cool-to-the-touch, felt like holding the world’s largest ball of snot. It was packaged in a plastic trash can and lid that kept the product moist and fresh. While the color has changed, the smell has not. I had an immediate flashback to the 1970s when opening the container, and a tactile flashback when handling the bright orange goo.

Like the green slime of the 70s, it doesn’t keep its looks for long. Back when your slime went bad, you threw it out and hoped mom would buy you more. The genius of Splat is that you take that gunk-acquiring goo to pick up stuff you can’t.

It will pick up gunk on its own, but it shouldn’t be the only thing you use to clean your car, or you will do a mediocre job and exhaust all uses of the Splat. The description of “50 uses” is a bit vague, but it does underscore that its useful lifespan is not ‘forever.’

I live out in the country and my car gets dusty – fast. I’ve got two dogs that shed and I’ve been known to eat in my car on more than one occasion. Yesterday, I did a long-overdue detailing on the inside of my car. I took out the floor mats, vacuumed the entire car and cleaned the dash with an all-purpose cleaner and paper towels. Once everything was all spic-n-span, the nooks and crannies still gave my car the ‘yuck’ look with the stray dog hairs, road grit and crumbs sticking in places that were visible, but inaccessible to mere mortals. I grabbed the ball of splat and pushed it into the crannies and rolled it out and voila! All the debris was gone! In short order, the bright orange splat was mostly grey after I ran the ball of goo through the louvres of the air conditioner vents, all the buttons around the radio and the slot-loading area of the CD player. Now I understand how dealerships get a used car looking showroom fresh… because my 4 year old car looks brand new inside… and smells fresh, too. All the gunk in those nooks & crannies holds bacteria and hence, odor. Getting rid of all that junk makes my car look as good as it did when I drove it off the lot years ago.

I discovered that pushing and pulling and/or rolling is the best way to go. You don’t want to use a ‘scrubbing’ motion or grind the Splat, or pieces will break off instead of grabbing the gunk – the gunk will grab the splat. After I got the knack of it – cleaning when by in short order. If you like a well detailed car and are eager to get to the crumbs and dust particles in your floor shift area, around your hand brake, around your window controls, etc., this is the stuff for you. I highly recommend Splat.
Shelley Gammon
Splat SPLAT-AC-3J Orange Auto-Clean Cleaning Putty – 3 oz.

Splat SPLAT-AC-3J Orange Auto-Clean Cleaning Putty – 3 oz. Reviews