Soluble salts pull moisture from the air, causing protective coatings to fail.
They can also cause degradation of the substrate, including ferrous and non-ferrous metals, concrete, foam, plastics and others. Left unchecked, the surface contamination can corrode into deep pockets in the substrate, making decontamination more important and challenging. Protective coating failures are costly due to repair and lost productivity, and can be hazardous. Removing soluble salts from surfaces prior to applying a protective coating is obviously desirable and important. Then protective coatings can be applied.