Salt-Away is the leading brand of saltwater removal solutions on the market today and has been available since 1994. Salt-Away is primarily marketed to remove saltwater from the exterior of your boat as well as the boat engine but honestly, it can be used to remove saltwater residue from any surface.
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$21.90
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$42.99
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As a fisherman, I use Salt-Away to wash the boat down, flush the engine and to clean my gear after every trip to saltwater. What I really like about this product is that it makes cleaning up after a hard day on the water so much easier.
So what is in this stuff? Well, that is a good question, according to the manufacturer, it is non-toxic, non-hazardous, biodegradable and environmentally safe. Other than that all I can tell you is that it works wonders when you are trying to remove saltwater crystals from anything.
The Bottom Line
- Yes, it works wonders.
- A small investment for your expensive fishing gear, boat, and motor.
- Makes quick work of cleaning your gear
Salt-Away is worth the investment, the two most popular sizes are 32 oz and Gallon.
Salt-Away Review
Salt-Away uses a proprietary blend of chemicals to clean your fishing gear, boat or motor safely without using any harsh chemicals such as chemical solvents or those that contain petroleum.
We all know that after a long day of fishing in saltwater that there is ample buildup of salt residue on the rod and the reel. If we do not address this situation every time after fishing, we will notice that our gear begins to corrode and if left unchecked, it will destroy your equipment.
I used to just rinse my fishing gear with fresh water after I got back from a trip but I began to notice that I was still getting some corrosion particularly around the guides.
I like to buy good quality gear and then take care of it so that it will last me for many years.
Applying Salt-Away to Fishing Gear
After I get back from a day of fishing I simply put my rods in an upright rod holder like the SeaSense single piece 3 rod holder and then I spray the rods with a 2% solution of Salt-Away mixed with water. I mix the solution in a spray bottle that I get from the dollar store.
When I apply the solution, I am careful to make sure that I cover the entire rod and I especially make sure that I soak the guides. I also spray the reel from all sides to make sure that it is evenly covered. After I have sprayed everything I let it sit for about 5 minutes to give the solution a chance to dissolve the salt that has built up.
After the Salt-Away has had a chance to do its magic, I then spray the rods and reels down with a very fine mist spray. You can use a higher pressure spray if you want on the rod itself, but you want to be careful to not spray the reel with high pressure as you do not want to force any of the Salt-Away and saltwater solution into the interior of the reel where it will be hard to get out. The good news is that if it does get in there it should not break down any of the lubricants according to the manufacturer.
After I am done rinsing the rods and reels, I usually just let them air dry but if it is a higher end reel I sometimes will wipe it down with a dry cloth.
Storage racks for a handy place to store your pliers and fillet knives. Made of white polypropylene that resists cracks and can be cleaned up with soap and water.
Salt-Away Features at a Glance
According to the Salt-Away website, the following features of Salt-Away have been standard since the product was introduced to the market in 1994.
- Non Hazardous. Contains no hazardous chemicals.
- Non-Toxic. Safe to use around plants, children, pets and all living things.
- Biodegradable. All ingredients biodegrade into the environment.
- Environmentally Safe. Has no deleterious effects on the environment. Safe to discharge into normal drainage outlets connected to filter systems.
- Water based.
- Contains no petroleum products.
- Contains no chemical solvents.
- Does not react chemically or physically as an emulsifier on lubricants and coatings.
- Inhibits rusting and corrosion.
- Completely removes fresh salt.
- Breaks down layers of salt accumulation.
- Is chemically dissimilar to any competitive product.
- Ingredients are the highest quality available.
- Tested to be safe to use on virtually all surfaces, including Magnesium, Aluminum, Iron, Copper, Steel, Stainless Steel, Chrome, Paint, Gel Coat, Nylon, Isinglass, Vinyl, Plastic, Glass, Wood, Leather, Rubber, Canvas, Concrete, Brick.
Salt-Away Engine Flush
If you have made the investment in a boat that you use in saltwater you know how quickly things can begin to build-up residue and start corroding.
Here is what salt buildup looks like inside of an engine’s cooling system. It should be noted that this engine was flushed with fresh water after each trip in saltwater and there was still this much build-up.
After I get back from each trip with my boat in saltwater I make sure that I give the engine a good flush to eliminate any saltwater that has gotten into and on the engine. As you know water is circulated through the engine to cool it when it is running, so this means that when you are in saltwater you are actually running saltwater through your engine’s cooling system and this can lead to corrosion if you do not take care of it.
Salt-Away Mixing Unit & Salt-Away Flush Kit
I have found that by flushing the engine using the Salt-Away mixing unit that I can nearly eliminate all of the saltwater build-up in my engine. The mixing unit can be purchased separately but it is much cheaper to purchase it as part of a kit when you buy your first bottle of Salt-Away. 
32 oz. Salt-Away Concentrate and Mixing Unit
The mixing unit makes flushing the engine so simple. I just fill the unit up with 2 oz of Salt-Away and then attach it to my motors flushing adapter and turn the water on. I then let it run for about 15 minutes and I am done. The mixing unit blends the Salt-Away with the water at a 1:500 ratio.
There is no need to flush with fresh water as you can leave the Salt-Away solution in the engine until you go out next time. If your engine does not have a separate flushing adapter then you would just place the mixing unit between the hose and the muffs when getting ready to flush.
By using Salt-Away, I am confident that my cooling system is going to perform at its optimum and I run less of a chance fo having expensive engine repairs from overheating.
32 oz. Concentrate is available W/mixing unit or purchase mixing unit separately. Recommended as the Starter kit for many applications. Mixing unit connects to garden Hose and its receptacle holds 4 oz and withstands water pressure up to 60 psi.
Salt-Away Boat Washing
The last thing I use Salt-Away for is to wash down the exterior of the engine and my boat. I have found that a quick rinse with Salt-Away does a much better job of getting any salt residue broken down and eliminated from my boat than just soap and water.
First, to rinse the boat I use the same mixing unit I used for flushing the engine and give the entire boat a quick once-over especially paying attention to the exterior of the outboard motor.
Then, just as with the fishing rods, I am careful to make sure that I do a very thorough job of spraying all of the stainless steel on the boat to assure that I am doing everything possible to eliminate the saltwater from taking its toll on my investment. I let all of this sit for about 5-10 minutes and then I give the entire boat a final rinse with fresh water.
I have found that doing this on a regular basis makes the boat keep its shine and I do not have any issues with corrosion on any of my stainless steel. Remember they call it Stain Less not Stain None.
Also, remember that if you trailer your boat to saltwater, that you will want to make sure to spray the trailer down with the Salt-Away mixing unit as well.
Where to Purchase Salt-Away
We have looked around for the best prices for you and while typically purchasing a liquid product from a traditional brick and mortar is cheaper, this is not the case here.
A search for Salt-Away Walmart returned a result that looked promising, however, they do not stock Salt-Away and they do not sell it online. Just for the record, the price that came back was still not the least expensive.
When looking for Salt-Away West Marine we got what we would expect an expensive option.
The winner was Salt-Away Amazon.
Pros
- Effectively removes salt and salt residue
- Inhibits rusting and corrosion
- Non-Toxic
- Protects your investment
Cons
- Higher price than competitors.
Alternatives
Salt-Away vs Salt Terminator
So is there really a difference between Salt-Away and Salt Terminator? From what I have been able to determine from my personal use of both products Salt-Away seems to do a better job of removing salt from the exterior surfaces of the boat and my fishing gear. I have never used Salt Terminator in my engine as the minimal cost savings is not worth the risk to me when we are talking about something as expensive as a 200 HP Yamaha engine.
Salt-Terminator is about 25% less than Salt-Away when you purchase it by the gallon. I boat about 2-3 times a month and fish several times a week. With that said a gallon of Salt-Away will usually last me a year. So what does this really mean? The “savings” is only about $10 per year.
CRC Salt Terminator - Cleans & protects anything exposed to salt (saltwater, salt air, road salt). Dissolves salt & leaves a protective coating to inhibit corrosion. Essential as a motor flush for marine engines in both saltwater and freshwater environments. 
For the minimal “savings”, I am going to stick with Salt-Away which is the leading brand in this space and has been around for years. The bottom line is that I want my gear to last so I am going to buy good gear and take care of it with good products.
In Conclusion
Overall in my humble opinion making the small investment in Salt-Away to keep your fishing rods, fishing reels, boats and other recreational equipment free from the harshness of saltwater just makes sense.
I know a number of people will say use vinegar or some other brand like Salt Terminator – but when I see the results I get with Salt-Away and the actual cost, which is minimal I kind of say to myself, Why Mess With Success?
Salt-Away has always done a good job for me and I am a customer for life at this point.
I hope this helped you to decide if Salt-Away is worth the investment to protect your investment in gear that gets exposed to saltwater.
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$21.90
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$42.99
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Lenora Meister
Saturday 13th of July 2019
Hello David,
I happen to run across your amazing article (2017 Review) dedicated to our product, Salt-Away. I will be ever grateful for your kind and positive comments based on your experience of the product. No advertising could match the value of the essence of your message to your readers. Thank you so very much!
While I don't like seeing anything listed under your 'Con' category, what you stated is true. Salt-Away's price is higher than our competitors.
I would like to give you additional information that changes the picture. Salt-Away works, and is advertised to work at a dilution ratio of 1:500 (1 part Salt-Away to 500 parts water). The closest high dilution ratio of any of our competitors is 1:100. The end result is customers who purchase a competitor's product is purchasing 5 times more water for the same volume of product. So, the price of Salt-Away is higher, but the cost is much lower. The practical way to view this, is the customer needs to purchase 5 more bottles of the competitor's product while purchasing only 1 bottle of Salt-Away. We choose to sell a salt removing product, not water.
Thank you again, so much, for writing an intelligent, accurate and glowing article about Salt-Away.
Kind regards, Lenora Meister, President & CEO Salt-Away Products, Inc.
Salted Angler
Tuesday 16th of July 2019
Thank you for clarifying this information for our readers. I love your product.