Electricity is not a problem. I don't use a buffer, and most businesses and homes have available outlets, and like sunnydaze said, the trade-off in convienence for the customer makes it worth letting you use their electricity. Besides, if they ever have a maid service, I highly doubt they would expect the maid to have a generater with her. I also have a small vacuum that runs off the 12V outlet in my car. It is made by Campbell-Hausen, and it is similar to the Dirt Devil-a small hand held vacuum with rotating brushes. I also got an attachment kit so I have a crevice tool to use with it. Not as good as my big wet/dry vac, but it gets the job done. I got mine at Wal-Mart.
Water is also not a problem-I wash the cars with Protect All Quick and Easy Wash. You just add a couple capful to a gallon of water and just wash and dry. No hose is needed.
www.protectall.com
A bit of technical info on the product from one of their reps:
<strong class='bbc'>Where does the dirt go?[/b]
The best answer I can give you is "into the towel or wash mitt and then into the bucket." The agents in Quick & Easy Wash are a blend of Surfactants, surface active agents in lay persons terms. These agents are already in use, and have been, in traditional car washing products used in both, hand wash and line wash systems. So the science is not new or unique, just the application. What sets our product apart from the crowd is mostly the lack of SUDS, amongst other and various and sundry other subtleties.
Suds are an unnecessary byproduct of soap. When Quick & Easy Wash is used in the washing process the suds are eliminated and the surfactants do the work. Part of the work they do is to envelope or suffocate the surface. Two things happen, the electrostatic or chemical bond between the dirt solids and or hydrocarbon solids (this covers most of the soils found on cars) is broken. Next, these soils are enveloped or wrapped and trapped into the surfactant and then into the washing media such as a towel or wash mitt. At rinse time, the towel is plunged into either a clean bucket of water ( using the two bucket method ) or back into the Quick & Easy Wash. In either case the same is true, the dirt solids succumb to the rinsing motion and use gravity to fall out of the washing media and fall to the bottom of the bucket. You can see this if you look into your bucket after doing a wash job.
<strong class='bbc'>Why doesn't it scratch the cars?[/b]
In order to address potential scratching, the product contains a element that crosses the lines between polymers, lubricants, and waxes. It is true that if you bear down on a wet cloth over a dirty surface you will get scratches. However, our products make up will help to minimize the occurrence. So don't press down hard, with any washing product. Let's face it, scratching can occur even on a totally clean surface with a poor selection of washing media. Chose and dedicate washing cloths or mitts to a specific task and use them for nothing else. My current best pick for washing media is material called Microfiber, it is easy to find and we are working presently with an importer/manufacturer to bring it to our line of products, but that's another topic for another time.
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The stuff works great-I've been using it nearly since it came out (almost 9 years now).
I do have a customer with a bus. He has a pressure sprayer and a water ionizer at his warehouse, and I use that to wash the bus-since I don't have to dry the bus off, I can knock it out in about 2.5-3 hours, including spraying off the engine, cleaning the windows and dressing the tires.
I made a deal with a local car wash which is where I have to take most of my cars in order to get the water. They let me use thier power too. I just have to arrange it in advance if I need the power.
let's just say this board certainly fills its niche. And it does a nice job, in my opinion. I don't see myself not coming here a couple times a week to see what new products have been discovered, good deals on group buys for MFs or other products that a mobile detailer would need to bulk. I also enjoy the photos of all ya'lls nice rides. 