A New Era... The Waterless Wash

I think a rinseless wash is as eco friendly as a waterless. The difference is the amount of water can be as little as what is used to flush a toilet one time.
 
I can add to the conversation on the WW and RW. I recently bought a 2009 Infiniti G37x (with the self healing clear coat) and have only ever washed it the ONR one bucket mehod (w/grit in place of course.) If the car is well covered in dirt I have dedicated an extra MF to getting the lower areas out (and if the MF picks up and holds any particles I just swap it out with a fresh MF.) I've had it under halogen to really get an idea if there was any swirling or marring and so far it has come out perfect every time.



I did also get a bottle of Chemical Guys Waterless Wash and tested it out this morning on a somewhat dirty area of my rear bumper. I basically sprayed the area I wanted to test, let it sit for about 10-15 seconds and then wiped with a Plush MF. Then I waited another 10-15 seconds and buffed out the haze that the WW left. It did get the area clean and it was very smooth to the touch so it did do its job. The problem I have with the WW is that you will run out of clean MF area on your towels a lot more quickly than if you went with ONR.



I'm in the Northeast so I've been driving the new ride in bad weather for a majority of this month and every time I can pull it back in the garage and really give it a good quality wash without breaking out the hose is a great thing. ONR followed by a waffle weave to dry one panel at a time is a great way to go.
 
I am glad ther is a forum for this process and I wonder if anyone is using the process in earnest for the environment and truly know that it is GREEN and if there is anyone that has a business for dry detailing in florida thank you all for truly making a stand for our kids future.
 
drywashmaster said:
I am glad ther is a forum for this process and I wonder if anyone is using the process in earnest for the environment and truly know that it is GREEN and if there is anyone that has a business for dry detailing in florida thank you all for truly making a stand for our kids future.



Their are a number of businesses using this model. An international franchise operation that uses it is Prontowash. See www.prontowash.com.
 
I tried CG ONE when it came out...it seems they've relabeled it and pushed it harder now calling it a waterless wash...hopefully it is actually a better formula now.



The old CG ONE wasn't too bad, but I still wouldn't ditch ONR for it.



ONR is still my 'minimal water' wash for winter time and when the car just isn't *that*dirty...which is a lot of the time. Plus, it's great on trips since I can take two small, short, plastic garbage cans with me and do a two-bucket wash in a parking lot. Get some weird looks, but it works and I have a clean car for the duration of the trip.



Tried the Dri-WashNGuard products back in 1993-4 or so...really really didn't like it then at ALL. Kinda can't believe they're still around, so hopefully they've had some formula advancements as well.
 
My winter wash procedure for use in my unheated garage in Toledo, Ohio:



1. Mix ONR with warm water in 5 gal. bucket.

2. Transfer some of the mix to a good pump-up garden sprayer and move to the cold garage with both sprayer and bucket solution.

3. Spray a good size area with the warm ONRand follow with gentle agitation from the bucket with MF covered sponge.

4. Dry with clean MF.

5. Dirtiest areas last.

6. QD optional if not too cold. I use DG AW but it freezes if too cold.



I love that ONR.
 
Just my opinion I have been in the car wash business for 16 years or better i do not think my higher end cars would like me dry washing there cars becaus any way you won't to word it is still a dry wash you can not convince me spraying a product on a dirty car and using friction will not harm paint.I would love to see u clean farmer jon's truck with out soap or rinsing. just curious how in the world can u clean the wheels fender wells and tires without a pressure washer or water hose. By the way 2 shops located side by side one called Dry wash and detaling. The outher called Car wash and detaling I know witch one I am going to.
 
mblgjr said:
Tried the Dri-WashNGuard products back in 1993-4 or so...really really didn't like it then at ALL. Kinda can't believe they're still around,







One of the first waterless I tried must be 20yrs ago was some stuff called Zoig, maybe before its time eh?

Its a porn site now ! :grinno:
 
sparklescarwash said:
Just my opinion I have been in the car wash business for 16 years or better i do not think my higher end cars would like me dry washing there cars becaus any way you won't to word it is still a dry wash you can not convince me spraying a product on a dirty car and using friction will not harm paint.I would love to see u clean farmer jon's truck with out soap or rinsing. just curious how in the world can u clean the wheels fender wells and tires without a pressure washer or water hose. By the way 2 shops located side by side one called Dry wash and detaling. The outher called Car wash and detaling I know witch one I am going to.



Whether we like waterless washing (dry washing sounds like you are using a dry microfiber to wash) or not, we better get used to it. More and more area's environmental laws are banning hose washes and I believe some on here have said some areas don't even allow hose free washes like ONR. I don't see this movement changing any time soon.



In Farmer Jon's truck example, Farmer Jon would need to take his truck down to the coin operating places and spray off his truck first. (The coin op's are generally not affected by the bans since their run off does not going into storm drains) After spraying off his truck he could then do a waterless wash fairly safely. Again, not as good as a bucket wash but the environmental regulators don't really care.
 
sparklescarwash said:
Just my opinion I have been in the car wash business for 16 years or better i do not think my higher end cars would like me dry washing there cars becaus any way you won't to word it is still a dry wash you can not convince me spraying a product on a dirty car and using friction will not harm paint.I would love to see u clean farmer jon's truck with out soap or rinsing. just curious how in the world can u clean the wheels fender wells and tires without a pressure washer or water hose. By the way 2 shops located side by side one called Dry wash and detaling. The outher called Car wash and detaling I know witch one I am going to.





I'd be embarrassed to admit I had been in car wash business for 16 years and had never taken advantage of the latest products and processes to get vehicles cleaner, faster, all the while putting more $$$$$ in my pocket. :bigups



You need to come out of the darkness and see the light brother.
 
Superior__Shine said:
I'd be embarrassed to admit I had been in car wash business for 16 years and had never taken advantage of the latest products and processes to get vehicles cleaner, faster, all the while putting more $$$$$ in my pocket. :bigups



You need to come out of the darkness and see the light brother.

While waterless and rinseless washes are what I use almost exclusively, it was not an easy concept to accept.

One thing that has been great for me is being able to clean the car up whenever I have the opportunity. Since I can do it in my garage, I don't have to worry about sun, snow, rain or any other outside weather conditions. To have shade for a conventional wash in my driveway, I had to wash at 6:00 AM or after 7:00 PM.

A few comments:

1. I often do a pre-rinse at the DIY spray wash when I have an accumulation of crud on the vehicle.

2. Wheels and wheel wells are a bit of a challenge, but they can be done. If they are really bad, they get the DIY spray wash treatment as well.

3. Technique is even more important when doing waterless or rinseless washes. After doing it a few times, you become more comfortable with the products and you learn how to use them properly.

4. A conventional wash is good therapy for me so I will do one occasionally just for the enjoyment. :)
 
CharlesW said:
While waterless and rinseless washes are what I use almost exclusively, it was not an easy concept to accept.

One thing that has been great for me is being able to clean the car up whenever I have the opportunity. Since I can do it in my garage, I don't have to worry about sun, snow, rain or any other outside weather conditions. To have shade for a conventional wash in my driveway, I had to wash at 6:00 AM or after 7:00 PM.

A few comments:

1. I often do a pre-rinse at the DIY spray wash when I have an accumulation of crud on the vehicle.

2. Wheels and wheel wells are a bit of a challenge, but they can be done. If they are really bad, they get the DIY spray wash treatment as well.

3. Technique is even more important when doing waterless or rinseless washes. After doing it a few times, you become more comfortable with the products and you learn how to use them properly.

4. A conventional wash is good therapy for me so I will do one occasionally just for the enjoyment. :)





I agree!! :hifive:
 
I am getting into the detailing business while my partner has been in it for years. We are doing nothing but waterless and we absolutely love it as do our clients. While our clients vehicles range from a honda civic to a 2010 BMW 750li we have had nothing but repeat business and satisfaction.



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From my point of view this is what I've witnessed in regards to waterless washes...



Pessimism and a lot of speculation before use, and optimism and a "holy cow it actually worked pretty dam good" sentiment after use. (Me included.)



I also felt the same way about grout sponges, but I also become a believer after trying one out as well.



I know some still disagree with that one though, too hard to part with your trusty wool mitt. It's not such an easy sale like ONR. That's ok though, you guys will see the light one day. :o



People do get rather alarmed when you recommend they utilize a grout sponge in their process. I've never seen so much objection to a single notion. Lol.
 
Products like ONR are the vanguard of present and future waterless washes in helping the general public learn to understand how they work, accept and trust them.
 
I have been using Dry-Washn-guard since 1991. That was the date of its inception. I use it for many things. Here in the east I wash cars on the grass if I can, to avoid any runoff. I use very little water to wash. I guess I am ahead of the curve. Thanks for the info Dave. Saving the planet...is not going away. If someone is unhappy with dry-wash perhaps its because they werent using it correctly. Just a thought.
 
AeroCleanse said:
I've been using Optimum No Rinse for a few years. I stared using it because where I live there is hard water, and the outside facets are generally not filtered in anyway. However I find using a water[less] product is less messy and faster as you don't have to pull out hoses and put them away again. The other great feature, at least of ONR, I can use it in the freezing weather (inside a garage) all you need to do it use hot water to make the solution. This is great for getting road salt of cars here in the snow belt. Then the waste water is either dumped on a grassy area where it will be naturally filtered, or I dump it in the sink where it gets treated as wastewater rather than going into storm drains.



I also have hard water! If I don't have tons of towels and dry things off fast enough I get the water spots. The problem is it takes more water to make sure things stay wet and when you wet things more to keep them wet they make neighboring dry panels slightly wet, causing you to use more towels. It's vicious cycle. I have yet to try ONR, mainly because I can't imagine paying the outrageous shipping some vendors want for a small bottle...



aside from that how has ONR helped the hard water problem?
 
Water spots should not be a problem if you are machine polishing to finish up. Polishing creates a whole NEW skin if you will, removing surface contaminants and water spots.
 
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