Shampoo for Pressure Washing

P

PAW

New member
I just got a new pressure washer. :bounce Any recommendations for what shampoo to use to clean cars? I only plan on using it when the car is filthy after a snow storm, too dirty to use QEW but still too cold for a bucket wash. It's my understanding that you need to use specific pressure washer solutions. Normal car wash shampoos will clog up the pump.
 
Why not use the pressure washer w/ just plain water to get the surface wet and remove some lose dirt from the surface, then use a bucket and normal car soap to wash, and then rinse w/ the pressure washer. It is what I do whenever I use my pressure washer to wash vehicles.
 
Some times it's too cold or I just don't plain have enough time. :( I was hoping to find a milder solution that what the U-Spray-It places use. Plus, I know my water is not recycled. :eek:
 
Why not use normal car soap but mix it up in some water and then feed that solution through your pressure washer? It'll make it thinner.



You'll have to mess around some to figure out the best mix to get the right concentration of soap.
 
I ask the Sears salesman. Who seemed knowable for a Sears salesman. :) He said it would still clog the pump. Maybe, I can take my pH test kits (hot tub and aquarium) and test various pressure washer cleaners. I wonder what what a good pH range would be? Perhaps I could call the various manufacturers and ask if their auto wash strips wax and or sealants.
 
I don't see how it could clog the pump if it was diluted. What does car wash soap have in it that any other kind of soap doesn't? Maybe he was just trying to sell you the "special" soap so they could make more money.
 
I usually use a bucket and sponge as well but the 4-5 times last year that I used soap in my home pressure washer I used regular car soap (Meg's I believe). Used it in approx. 1 oz soap to 15 oz water. My washer has a container that attaches to the side of the "wand", sort of like the fertilizer containers that you attach to your hose for doing the lawn. Abslolutely no problem. Can't see how it would pose a problem unless you let the soap cake and dry for a few hours, and even then it should dissolve in water. To make sure, just disconnect the soap container as you rinse the car.

Doc
 
I have a type of injection that use a small suction tube. U can place the tube in a bucket and on low pressure, not the high pressure stream will spray the soap. Ive also been experimenting by just putting a high concentration of normal car wash soap in the bucket with a little water. works fairly well. I ndont know if there is a soap u can use that u can spray on then high pressure it off and the vehicle come out looking very very clean. Must be something out there to give close to a hand wash appearence. Any ideas.....must be something for like tractors, buses and things.



Dave
 
First, figure out if your PW has an upstream or downstream chemical injector on it. If it is downstream, you have a bit more flexibility in your choices, but an upstream injector greatly limits your options. Downstream injectors inject the chemical after the pump, so the pump never sees the chemical. Upstream injectors run the chemical through the pump (common on consumer power washers).



The seals and such inside the pump are very sensitive to some chemicals and you can easily damage them with the wrong one. Most of the car wash chemicals for power washers are harsh. Joe Blow is not going to be happy if his power washer doesn't get the job done so manufactures formulate their chemicals to suit him. For you, this means a shortened lifespan for your wax or sealant if you are using Zep (Home Depot) or Sears washes.



Finally, a power washer is not going to completely clean the paint. You must always break the film with an old fashioned hand wash. If you only wash with the PW and then dry by hand, you will wind up pushing dirt around and creating scratches. I use my PW to remove loose dirt and debris, then wash by hand, and finally rinse with the PW.
 
laynlow said:
Finally, a power washer is not going to completely clean the paint. You must always break the film with an old fashioned hand wash. If you only wash with the PW and then dry by hand, you will wind up pushing dirt around and creating scratches. I use my PW to remove loose dirt and debris, then wash by hand, and finally rinse with the PW.
Click to expand...



laynlow we're on the same wave length. I want to use the PW when the car is filthy from driving on snowy roads. I've done enough U-Spray-It washes to know they don't really clean the car. I just want to get the chunks and salt / mag chloride off.



My PW has a upstream injection system. So, I agree with having to be care with the chemicals passing through the pump. I called Sears customer service. They repeated "don't use non PW specific solutions" statement. They did say Simple Green was OK. Not that I'm going to wash the car with SG! :nono Perhaps I can dilute the regular PW car wash solutions and reduce it's harshness?
 
Paw,



I think the real cleaning power lies with the volume of water the power washer will flow and the pressure at which it is delivered. Really, the only time I use chemicals is when cleaning siding. I buy my chemicals from Envirospec, and they carry a fairly complete line of professional stuff.



I did try some Zep car wash concentrate from Home Depot one time for cleaning the undercarriage. I mixed it according to the instructions in a 5 gal container. I can't say it made much of a difference with regard to cleaning, but I felt better about trying to get the salt/sand mixture off of things.



If you use a polymer like Z it probably won't hurt your finish much, but if you rely on wax to get through winter, I wouldn't use any harsh cleaner on the paint.
 
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