Help! Friend washes her IS250 with Tide Powder Laundry Detergent!

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mrgoochio

New member
My friend washes her IS250 with Tide Laundry Detergent.. the powder kind. Don't ask me why, but she does. Diluted in a 5gal bucket.. What kind of potential damage has she done?
 
I am not an expert chemist but I am sure laundry soap is partly designed to remove some amount of grease and the like similar to dish soap. What happens is after you wash you have no protection left if you had waxed. If you don't wax you are letting everything directly attack the paint.



Another thing if they actually care about their paint the powder can not be completely dissolved and rubbing it across the paint surface is like rubbing sand paper across it. It would even be better to at least use the liquid if they are going to continue using Tide although I would HIGHLY recommend switching to a junk car wash than using Tide.
 
Get up from the computer right now and go over there and slap her up side the head!

Jeez, I'll bet she throws like a girl too!

lol



There's probably no more damage than if it had been washed with dawn (oh no, did he say D.A.W.N.?) The most likely 'problem' (as the cowboy trucker pointed out) is there is little remaining (LSP) surface protectant.



You just need to educate her that she should use a soap formulated for automotive paint to ensure the best amount of cleaning without stripping waxes or sealants. Then make sure she gets a good LSP on there and treats it right.
 
I work for a chemical manufacterer. The high ph is whats gonna harm the finish. You want to use a nuetral ph(at dilution) chemical to remove dirt. Anything over a ph of 8 will do long term damage to a finish. next time your at a coin op car wash take some ph test strips & see what your washing your car with. You might be in for a shock!!!!
 
Out of curiosity, does she wash her clothes with car wash soap? :lol



Go educate her buddy! Get her some car wash soap while you're at it and explain the 2-bucket method to her, hehe.
 
Poordude said:
I work for a chemical manufacterer. The high ph is whats gonna harm the finish. You want to use a nuetral ph(at dilution) chemical to remove dirt. Anything over a ph of 8 will do long term damage to a finish. next time your at a coin op car wash take some ph test strips & see what your washing your car with. You might be in for a shock!!!!
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Had no idea, thanks for the great advice!
 
Poordude said:
I work for a chemical manufacterer. The high ph is whats gonna harm the finish. You want to use a nuetral ph(at dilution) chemical to remove dirt. Anything over a ph of 8 will do long term damage to a finish. next time your at a coin op car wash take some ph test strips & see what your washing your car with. You might be in for a shock!!!!
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I'm interested in this. What kind of damage does a high PH cleaner do over the long run? What is the best way to spot/repair this damage on client cars? Do you recommend against repeated touchless washes?



Thanks,

Tim
 
I'm not sure touchless washes have anything to with the problem.. It's not the media on the car thats doing long term damage.. its the ph levels of the water in whatever solution of touchless wash youre using. Maybe I'm not quite understanding what youre talking about timmah
 
mrgoochio said:
I'm not sure touchless washes have anything to with the problem.. It's not the media on the car thats doing long term damage.. its the ph levels of the water in whatever solution of touchless wash youre using. Maybe I'm not quite understanding what youre talking about timmah
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Touchless washes do not use any wash media from what I understand. :nana:
 
mrgoochio said:
I'm not sure touchless washes have anything to with the problem.. It's not the media on the car thats doing long term damage.. its the ph levels of the water in whatever solution of touchless wash youre using. Maybe I'm not quite understanding what youre talking about timmah
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I was thinking that touchless washes must have to use some pretty heavy duty soap to remove road grime without agitation, and that if what Poordude said was true, the soap from them might cause long term damage. They might also be diluting it enough to not cause problems.



Never heard of it happening before, but I'd be interested in hearing from someone with experience on the chemistry side of things.
 
Touchless washes do use chemicals. We(my company) sell it to them. The dilution ratios are usually way out to lunch & your either getting too much soap or not enuff.
 
Denzil said:
Touchless washes do not use any wash media from what I understand. :nana:
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I understand that, but there is water in a touchless wash, no? The damage occurs from the water, therefore touchless has nothing to do with the problem.. That being said, why did Timmah ask if he does not recommend touchless washes?
 
themightytimmah said:
I was thinking that touchless washes must have to use some pretty heavy duty soap to remove road grime without agitation, and that if what Poordude said was true, the soap from them might cause long term damage. They might also be diluting it enough to not cause problems.



Never heard of it happening before, but I'd be interested in hearing from someone with experience on the chemistry side of things.
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Ah, ok understood. I think typically the chemicals used in dedicated car soaps should be paint/cc friendly.
 
mrgoochio said:
What kind of potential damage has she done?
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themightytimmah said:
What kind of damage does a high PH cleaner do over the long run?
Click to expand...



Poordude said:
The high ph is whats gonna harm the finish. You want to use a nuetral ph(at dilution) chemical to remove dirt. Anything over a ph of 8 will do long term damage to a finish.
Click to expand...



The question remains. Whats the damage?



Obviously, the wax is likely gone and marring may increase. But beyond that? If she was applying the powder directly to the finish or in some type of thick paste.......



This is essentially the Great Dawn Debate, is it not?



:ignore
 
Well the powder could be considered an abrassive, coupled with direct clear coat scrubbing depending on type of media used.. premature wear on the clearcoat/paint is in store, in addition to the acid rain, dirt, and road grime tacked on top.



Bottom line, premature wear and tear on the clearcoat/paint?
 
The issues that happen with incorrectly measured cleaners (Too high dilution) is that when the soap hits the dirt it changes the chemistry of the product. As the chemical drips down the side of the vehicle & comes in contact with the dirt/road grime you get a chemical reaction. You need an alkaline product to clean an low ph residue & vice versa. In cleaning you must have an opposite ph to clean the soil your trying to eliminate. The ph changes as it comes into contact with the soil & will leave streaks in the cars finish that can,t be removed. A good quality car soap is BUFFERED. This means it will quickly turn into a harmless nuetral ph as soon as it comes into contact with any opposite ph soil.Allways use a product at recommended dilutions. Using more then the recommended dilution is a waste & could potentially harm your vehicles finish.
 
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