Do you Dawn wash??

[Scottwax]

dternst-just FYI, at the retail level, the Mr. Clean Auto Dry, filter and soap are cheaper than the list. Still not nearly as cheap as Dawn though.



I would agree that once or twice washing with Dawn isn't going to hurt anything but there are some who begin every detailing session with it. That is what I don't get. :nixweiss

 

[Brad B]

Brad, you say that manufacturers "have more facts in their hands than we do".



I would surmise that the makers of Dawn have the most facts, wouldn't you? And why would they dissuade us from using their product on our cars? Manufacturers want us to pour it down the toilet; anything to use and buy more. But the Dawn website, in their Q&A section say (and it's been quoted before but I'll quote it again):



"Your car surface and the dirt that gets on it are a lot different from the food soils and dishes that dishwashing liquids clean effectively. We don't recommend them for cleaning your car."



Brad, I humbly and respectfully submit that if you followed your own logic, you wouldn't use Dawn, because the makers of Dawn would have the most knowledge of the limitations and applications of their own product, and "have more facts in their hands than we do."

They don't want people washing cars with it every day because it will strip their wax off.



That makes sense to me from their standpoint and mine.

 

[audio1der]

Because I apply carnauba WAYYYYYYYY too frequently during the summer months I use Dawn before applying my Zaino winter coat.

That's the only time.

Zaino is such a thorough system that works best together, I have learned to trust Sal's word, and do as told. He says Dawn wash prior to 1st application, so I do.

(and for the Zaino nay-sayers) If he decides to jump off a bridge, he's alone on that one though...

 

[RedondoV6]

... I would agree that once or twice washing with Dawn isn't going to hurt anything but there are some who begin every detailing session with it. That is what I don't get. :nixweiss

I agree with you on this Scott. After spending hours detailing, the last thing I am going to do with any newly applied LSP is to wash it regularly with Dawn! I will still use Dawn as a cheap, relatively gentle and effective degreaser, when I want to prepare the surface for a sealant and do not need to polish part or all of the vehicle, or as a quick "shampoo booster" when cleaning tires and wheels.

 

[redfish]

The Zaino instructions are the only reason I've ever used Dawn on my cars/trucks. But I've only used it prior to Zainoing and that's it. Now that I've found this website... I'm thinking differently about the whole Dawn step.

 

[Don]

Most of the cars I detail are the ones that never see a detail, let alone a good wash. Most of them also have tons of greasy/grime on the lower panels, near the fenderwells, between panels etc. In other words, these cars are extreme cases.



9 times out of 10, I will only use a DAWN wash on a vehicle that I'm detailing for the first time, to help break down the heavy build up. I used DAWN once on my own car this summer after driving on 5 miles a freshly tarred highway in a light rain for a week (my whole car was black & sticky from all the residue), but that's the exception. Otherwise it's strictly a dedicated car wash soap.

 

[kempie]

I used the dawn wash prior to Zaino two years ago.

As stated previously the ONLY time I have ever seen it suggested is before the first application of Zaino. Any other use is at your own risk as with all products that are not used per mfg.s specs. This would include layering different types of wax and sealers.

Sure would be a dull site without that expermintation.

 

[imported_Burlyq]

Not as a habit but in a pinch it isn't going to harm anything, it would better to use dawn to strip old junk than to seal over junk. But obviously there are better products out there. It has high ph but its not hydrocloric acid. You have to remember you are washing the product right off so it doesn't have time to hurt the paint. Now after you polish, seal, wax it would be a crime, probably a low felony, to use dawn.

 

[gto78]

I have no problems using dawn. I only use it if there's a lot of wax on the car, or if I just waxed and something happened to the car where I suddenly need to claybar it, and start all over, like paint overspray getting on it. It strips the wax off, suspends dirt, and dries nicely. From all the reading i did, yes i read all of the posts in this thread, i see that dawn has a ph of 8 when mixed very strong, and a ph of 9 when undiluted. That is not nearly as strong as acid rain.... i'm not worried, if my car is in such bad shape that i need to start checking the ph of everything that touches the car then I have a bigger problem somewhere else.

 

[sgo]

I never use Dawn. The claying, polishing, and cleaning processes will remove everything anyway.

 

[imported_memnuts]

I never use Dawn. The claying, polishing, and cleaning processes will remove everything anyway.

If and only if you are using water-based polishes.

 

[raymond_ho2002]

Sorry to be such a science ninny, but from what i remember, the dawn wash solution at typical working concentration read very closely to pH 7. Acids (acid rain, hydrochloric acid) bring pH lower than 7, but that's an irrelevant correction. Actually my entire point is that pH is irrelevant; dawn works well because it's a good detergent.

 

[crobinso]

No Dawn, EVER, on my cars.



Charles

 

[TDMAN]

If and only if you are using water-based polishes.

I don't think so. I'm quite sure that AIO will take it all off. I use Dawn as a presoak to clean my MF's and my pads. Never would even consider washing my car with it, and quite frankly don't think that I would use someone's product that recommends that as a first time use. I don't care how good it would look using Zaino.

 

[togwt]

Quote: Sorry to be such a science ninny, but from what i remember, the dawn wash solution at typical working concentration read very closely to pH 7. Acids (acid rain, hydrochloric acid) bring pH lower than 7, but that's an irrelevant correction. Actually my entire point is that pH is irrelevant; dawn works well because it's a good detergent. EOQ raymond_ho2002





pH 101:

A scale of measurement of the relationship between hydrogen and hydroxyl ions, to determine if the material is neutral, basic (alkaline) or acidic (reactive), if there are more hydrogen than hydroxyl ions you have an acid the reverse will give you an alkali (another way to say basic) A substance that is neither acidic nor basic is neutral, pure water has a neutral pH of 7.0.



Each whole pH value below 7 is ten times more acidic than the next higher value. For example, a pH of 4 is ten times more acidic than a pH of 5 and 100 times (10 times 10) more acidic than a pH of 6. The same holds true for pH values above 7, each of which is ten times more alkaline than the next lower whole value. For example, a pH of 10 is ten times more alkaline than a pH of 9.



Acidic and basic are two extremes that describe chemicals, just like hot and cold are two extremes that describe temperature. Mixing acids and bases can cancel out their extreme effects, much like mixing hot and cold water can even out the water temperature.



Chemicals that are very basic or very acidic are called "reactive." These chemicals can cause severe burns. Automobile battery acid is an acidic chemical that is reactive. Automobile batteries contain a stronger form of some of the same acid that is in acid rain. Household drain cleaners often contain lye, a very alkaline chemical that is reactive



The pH scale

Range Reactive Component

0.0â€â€œ1.0 Strong acid Hydrochloric acid

1.0-2.9 Acidic Lemon juice

3.0-4.9 Weak Acid Vinegar (Acetic acid) Oxalic, Orange juice

5.0-6.5 Very weak acid Acid rain

6.6-7.3 Neutral Distilled water

Basic

7.3-9.0 Very weak alkali Car wash concentrate

9.1-10.9 Weak alkali Baking soda, Seawater

11.0-12.9 Alkaline Bleach, Ammonia

13.0-14.0 Strong alkali Sodium Hydroxide (Lye)



Leather cleaners, 7.5 â€â€œ 8.0, Fabric / carpet cleaners, 10.0 â€â€œ 12.0



Chemicals that are very basic (alkaline) or very acidic are called reactive. These chemicals can cause severe burns. Automobile battery acid is an acidic chemical that is reactive; batteries contain a stronger form of some of the same acid that is in acid rain. Household drain cleaners often contain lye, a very alkaline chemical that is reactive. When chemicals are mixed with water, the mixture can become either acidic or basic.



Your entire point that pH is irrelevant is incorrect; it makes a big difference in the way things are â€Ëœcleanedâ€â„¢. With car care products there is no such thing as a â€Ëœgood detergent.â€â„¢ (but thatâ€â„¢s the subject of another post)

 

[imported_memnuts]

Quote: Your entire point that pH is irrelevant is incorrect; it makes a big difference in the way things are â€Ëœcleanedâ€â„¢. With car care products there is no such thing as a â€Ëœgood detergent.â€â„¢ (but thatâ€â„¢s the subject of another post)

It is nice that you are quoting from a science book that I probably help edit. :bow



The point of my post was that the pH myth has no bearing on this discussion unless one is using a detergent or cleaning soap straight from the bottle. After dilution (water and Dawn in wash bucket) the pH of the Dawn washing solution is quite within even your pH scale differentiation and quite within your dedicated car washing product perimeters.



A vehicle's paint or rubber components can NOT differentiate the pH from a car wash or Dawn. As you stated pH is just a log scale of active ions (H+ and -OH) which are the same in both washing agents. So a pH solution of Dawn, important point is solution, and a car wash with the same pH will have the same effect on the paint in terms of active pH determining components.

Until someone can show the real differing factors (surfactants and / or other components) in a detergent (Dawn) and a dedictated car wash product and the mythical paint/trim problem, the pH myth hold no credence.



This Dawn myth has been a backdoor smack at Zaino for years. Otherwise, there is no reason that this point of pre-cleaning draws soooooooo much unwarranted attention.



raymond_ho2002 you were correct in your statement. :xyxthumbs