Dawn Wash Power

Scott P

Scott P

New member
The Dawn Wash has been referenced for years for removing wax. Popularized by Sal Zaino, it is suppossed to remove all prior wax. The Dawn Wash debate has gone back and forth over previous discussions regardiing if it is necessary or not.. That is not the subject of this thread. I am curios as to it's effectiveness.



I've often seen people refer to a Dawn Wash to remove all prior wax, oils and fillers. However, just how much does it remove? Will it take off a fresh layer of wax and the glaze beneath it in just one washing? Is it really that powerful or is it just a placebo effect?
 
...but I don't feel it's quite as effective and thorough as some make it out to be. How much of a concern is this in the real world of detailing? I don't know. I think your best routine would be a DAWN (P21S Total Auto Wash, for example) or citrus-based de-greaser wash (or both) and then it's most likely you will move on to a polish (with mechanical cleaning action) which should remove any remaining wax that wasn't removed with your Dawn.



FYI: I have noticed a product sold at Griot's that appears to be a spray (probably heavy on the IPA) intended to remove wax.



hth.
 
~One man’s opinion / observations ~

tom p: Griot’s Paint Prep is an effective product at removing wax etc, as is Dupont’s PrepSol.



IMO the Dawn wash thing is very overstated, its for washing dishes not detailing vehicles (OK I sop my rant now)





~ Hope this helps ~



Experience unshared; is knowledge wasted…/

justadumbarchitect * so i question everything*
 
I too think Dawn's effectiveness is over-rated. Compared to a product like AutoInt's "A", it's not really very strong. I had it NOT remove wax plenty of times (back when I was using it). It didn't do much to a month old coat of Meg's #16, that's for sure. It's not really INeffective, it's still stronger than just mixing up a stiff wash solution. It DOES clean "looks only" waxes like Souveran off pretty well, and glazes/fillers too.



Kinda interesting, we (myself included) say "Don't use Dawn, too harsh for rubber, dries out paint, etc." but it's just NOT all that strong compared to some products that are MADE for cleaning cars.
 
Scott P said:
The Dawn Wash has been referenced for years for removing wax. Popularized by Sal Zaino, it is suppossed to remove all prior wax. The Dawn Wash debate has gone back and forth over previous discussions regardiing if it is necessary or not.. That is not the subject of this thread. I am curios as to it's effectiveness.
Click to expand...



In my experience, one Dawn will not completely remove all the polish and wax from your paint. Two immediate back to back washes would probably do that though.
 
I've read several threads and posts describing how Dawn (or whatever dish detergent) has trouble or is ineffective at removing a lot of waxes.



One that sticks out in my mind is Megs #26. People said it was not capapble of stripping that. Also most sealants seem resistant or impervious (Klasse, Zaino) to it.



I think with all the "blending" of carnauba and synthetic waxes that goes on with many waxes these days (#26 for instance), I think attempting a Dawn wash to strip something is a hit-and-miss thing to do. The only time I can see it having value is in prepping a car in bad need of an overhaul.
 
Poorboy's product this past Fall, I did a HOT water wash with some ZEP citrus-based degreaser in a garden sprayer and let it sit for a few minutes prior to rinsing. I then did a follow up wash with Duragloss.. It did a pretty good job at removing the many layers of carnauba but there was certainly some wax remaining.





Has anyone tried misting the paint with IPA in an attempt to remove wax?
 
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