QEW Users! Gotta question for ya!

M

MongooseGA

New member
When you use QEW, you try to minimize the amount of water you use. This is handy when you're mobile, but what what do you use to rinse the wheels and tires off? Wheel wells?



I don't know of any wheel cleaners that are 'spray on, wipe off', so wheels need water to clean. What is your method?
 
Glenn, That would be real difficult with QEW. Its really just meant for surface cleaning, and light cleaning at that. For wheels and wheel wells, you'd be better off with a garden variety pump sprayer (Hudson), and several gl's of water/soap, and a brush.
 
Oops, I must not have worded it right. I wouldn't use the QEW to clean the wheels. Just curious about different methods for rinsing wheels cleaned with wheel cleaner when you only plan to use 'x' amount for QEW anyway.

And the garden sprayer is a good idea! :D



Do you just fill up gallon jugs and pour them into the sprayer when needed?
 
this is what I have been doing so far:



1) clean the car with QEW

2) spray cleaner on one tire, rim, wheel well set and agitate

3) splash water out of my bucket with a brush to rinse off everything off.

4) and so on...



this method has worked for me so far.... hope it helps!
 
Thanks.



Do you ever find yourself needing pressurized water like the mentioned garden sprayer?



About how much water do you use doing the wheel areas? Is it easy getting up into the top part of the wheel well?
 
I wouldnt mind using a pressurized water sprayer of some sort... I havent used one yet though.... too lazy to go out and buy one I guess. lol



The top part of the wheel well would be the hardest... but it would really depend on the brush your using and how your trying to get it up there. I usually just do a quick wheel well clean so I dont need to worry about it too much. If I was going to do a real extensive job, then I would want the pressurized sprayer.



When washing a Honda Accord for example, I usually fill up with 2 gallons of a QEW mix and wash the car, wheels, tires, wheel wells and ill still have a bit of water left.



Hope this helps...





MongooseGA said:
Thanks.



Do you ever find yourself needing pressurized water like the mentioned garden sprayer?



About how much water do you use doing the wheel areas? Is it easy getting up into the top part of the wheel well?
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When I mobile detail, and since it's winter, I bring along a 5 gallon jug of water with spout. Then I set it on a table (at the client's site) and fill water spray bottles as needed, buckets as needed, etc. It's very efficient. For tires, I spray Westley's Bleche White dilluted about 1 parts Bleche White to 3 parts water and cover the wheel as best as I can with a rag while spraying. Then I use my spray bottle (of water) to thoroughly rinse (as best as I can) the cleaner off and wipe with a rag. I know Westley's can be dangerous but I dillute and where rubber gloves. The results are pretty awesome, although I've never used another tire cleaner (which I'll be buying with my next order online).



For wheel, I use Sonus Rim Bright and Spray the wheels, let sit, then thorough rinse (as best as I can) and wipe away solution, repeating until the water I wipe rinses clean without any Wheel Cleaner in it. If the wheel has grooves (by lug nuts), I aim the water bottle right up and spray. This would probably where you'd want a pressure washer...but it works for me for now until I break even and have money to buy more goodies:xyxthumbs
 
I can probably pick up a pressurized garden sprayer (one or two gallons about average?) for what, 20 bucks?



Carl,



Is 5 gallons enough for you to do the whole car? Do you use QEW to wash the paint?



I think the best idea yet was the garden sprayer. I might get one when I go to get some more painter's tape this week :)
 
5 galllons is plenty. 1.5 gallons for washing (QEW Paint), another 2 gallons for a rinse bucket, the rest for misc (soaking pads, filling spray bottles/dilutions, etc)
 
Cool.



I might have to start with a little more, then work my way down and teach myself when/where to conserve what I'm using.
 
I've never needed any kind of wheel cleaner, I have a seperate mitt I use to clean the wheels and tires and a brush for the wheel wells. I just wash the car, then go around and wash each wheel/tire with the mitt then use the brush to get the wheel wells and I'm done.
 
GoodnClean said:
I've never needed any kind of wheel cleaner, I have a seperate mitt I use to clean the wheels and tires and a brush for the wheel wells. I just wash the car, then go around and wash each wheel/tire with the mitt then use the brush to get the wheel wells and I'm done.
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I do this to my own car, but with many customer cars it just isn't enough. :(
 
MongooseGA said:
So you just use the leftover QEW mix?



What if you get a car with baked on brake dust?
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QEW does a suprisingly good job on baked on brake dust. I have several brushes I use on wheels and fenderwells. If they are bad, I have a separate rinse bucket but normally I don't need it, especially on cars I clean weekly.



You might want to try one of those garden sprayers used to put down fertilizer for rinsing.
 
GoodnClean said:
I've never needed any kind of wheel cleaner, I have a seperate mitt I use to clean the wheels and tires and a brush for the wheel wells. I just wash the car, then go around and wash each wheel/tire with the mitt then use the brush to get the wheel wells and I'm done.
Click to expand...



me too
 
Scottwax said:
QEW does a suprisingly good job on baked on brake dust. I have several brushes I use on wheels and fenderwells. If they are bad, I have a separate rinse bucket but normally I don't need it, especially on cars I clean weekly.



You might want to try one of those garden sprayers used to put down fertilizer for rinsing.
Click to expand...



Glenn - I usually make a QD with QEW and spray liberally on wheels/tires and as Scott says above it does an excellent job



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FYI, the pressure on those pump-up garden sprayers is not very good. It sprays a nice pattern, but it's not a hard spray or a large volume of water. I'd be worried it wouldn't rinse away all of a harsh wheel cleaner.



I only do this at home as I don't make money detailing, but in winter, I clean the wheels outside, hose them down with the garden hose, hose out wheelwells and the undercarriage, and hose down side panels if they are really gross, then I pull the car into the garage where it's warm and wash it with QEW. :)
 
to rinse I use a high volume sprayer. I have one of those garden pump sprayers, so Ill use that one (i hate pumping the bottle sprayer).



I use regular car wash soap on a bucket filled with warm water from the house. Rinse the bucket and then fill with 1-2 gals for QEW and do the exterior.

Only in winter.
 
I use one of those garden sprayers to pre-soak paint and wheels. I've been having great results with a chenille wash pad on the paint and a boar's hair brush on the wheels. My wheels usually don't get that dirty.
 
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