You're sitting in your truck eating your lunch, or perhaps you're at the fuel island, and someone will approach you and try to sell you some metal polish. They'll claim it's an excellent product and cleans aluminum with ease - just wipe it on, let it dry, and wipe it off.
They'll take a paper towel, and pour just a little bit of this milky white polish on it, and begin wiping a small piece of aluminum on your truck - probably no bigger than a pack of cigarettes. The peddler will wipe the area for about 20-30 seconds, and then tell you it needs to dry. In about another 30 seconds a white residue will form, and the peddler will take another clean paper towel, wipe off the residue, and lo and behold... your aluminum is bright and shiny!
Simple as that - wipe it on, let it dry, and wipe it off. What could be simpler? And, you have the opportunity to buy a 20-ounce bottle of this metal polish for only $20 (or thereabouts - depending on how bad they need money, and how stupid you look...).
So you give the peddler $20 for a bottle - you've just seen it work with your own eyes, and it does polish your aluminum to a nice bright shine, you saw the dirty paper towel with your own eyes.
If you buy a bottle, join the crowd - you've just fallen victim to one of the oldest scams in the industry. And it's so remarkably simple!
No trick paper towels loaded with metal polish, no "bait and switch" tactics - they'll sell you the bottle that they use to prove that you are getting the exact same metal polish that they used on your truck.
"So, what's the scam?" you ask. Let me tell you a little more about this metal polish.
It's enviromentally friendly - it won't harm the enviroment if it gets into the sewer system or the water supply. It's non-toxic - it contains no harmful chemicals or petroleum distallates that will harm your skin, you can literally bathe in it and not be harmed. It's also non-poisonous - in fact, it's so non-poisonous that should you have heartburn from eating a greasyburger or two, you can take a couple of sips of this metal polish and relieve your acid indigestion.
"Bull***t!" you scream. "Ain't no way you can drink metal polish!"
Trust me, everything the peddler tells you, and all I've told you is the absolute, 100% truth - just not all the truth.
For this miracle metal polish that you'll pay $20 a bottle for is a chemical compound known as "sodium bicarbonate in an aqueous solution" - or as it's known in plain English: "baking soda in tap water".
Yup - plain old Arm & Hammer baking soda in tap water. The same baking soda that you stick a box of in your refrigerator at home to keep odors down. The same baking soda that is the primary ingredient of carpet deodorizer. The stuff they sell at WalMart for .79 per box - plain old, everyday household baking soda.
Take about 5-6 tablespoonfulls of baking soda, mix it in about 16-20 ounces of water, shake it up, and BINGO! - instant metal polish. Just wipe it on, let it dry, and wipe it off.
Far be it for me to try to tell you how to spend your money. If you want to spend $20 for about .10 worth of baking soda and water... be my guest. As a matter of fact, if you're willing to spend $20 on this metal polish, send me an E-mail, I'll make you a heck of a deal on a half-gallon of the stuff!
And, I've got some oceanfront property in Kansas you might be interested in buying also...
