Traditional Washing, the sudsless way

[DetailZeus]

TBH...

I don`t really know the chemistry part of these soaps all that well. But for someone that is worried about going to a rinse-less method of washing you can use almost all of these products just like a normal was soap and even rinse them after washing. I personally have done this many times in my transition into a more conventional rinse-less wash. For ultimate safety I use the multiple towel method so I don`t ever bring a dirty mitt back to the surface.

I thought about introducing him to the "bucket of towels method" but I figured one thing at a time, yeah? The poor guy is already on the verge of Autopian-level OCD (mostly my fault) so I didn`t want to push him over the edge...yet :blink:

*Supposedly* The staining on the mitt is just oils and such, and actual "grit" comes off and falls to the bottom of the bucket. We didn`t see any marring so at the end of the day that`s what matters, right?

Personally it sorta bothers me, I mean my eyes are telling me there`s *something* built up on the mitt and it`s time to grab a new one. So yeah, when I did more rinseless washing I mostly used the gdwm. Ironically enough the rinseless wash mitt sold here is my go-to for shampoo washing.

 

[DetailZeus]

This is only my OPINION. I am not telling people how to or how not to use their foam cannon/foam gun.

A lot of people misunderstand foam. Foam shouldn`t be used to "clean" a vehicle. It should be used as a lubricating agent when washing the vehicle. What alot of people do is this:

Rinse
Foam
Rinse
2 Bucket wash
Rinse

What I do is this :

Rinse
Foam
2 bucket wash
Rinse

I always use the foam as a lubricating agent when washing. It makes the vehicle crazy slick and it really helps with swirl prevention because of all the lubrication.

I have washed every car this way and have not put any swirls into the paint what so ever. As always, make sure you rinse your wash mitt often.

Mostly agree. The only caveat I see doing rinse - foam - rinse is if you`re not using a shampoo in your foam cannon. This is a technique I think we picked up from European detailers and we need to understand that the stuff in their foam cannon is not same shampoo they`re using in their bucket. Their foam cannon chems are more like our APC`s and designed to actually be rinsed off (credit goes to that chemist guy`s posts for helping me figure this out). I`m kinda replicating that in my method spraying diluted power clean on the super gross stuff but it`s not as "cool" cuz there`s not foam dripping down the car.

But yeah, I agree that the primary use for shampoo is lubrication for your mitt (as obvious as that seems)

 

[Accumulator]

Regulars here know that I`m *all* about foam contributing (constant flushing and) lubrication.

What I don`t understand is how people avoid marring once the wash medium gets soiled...between that time and when it gets rinsed/etc. it has potentially abrasive stuff on it that I don`t want to rub against the paint. Hence the "constant flushing" bit...

But hey, as long as folks aren`t getting wash-induced marring it`s all good.

And !oh, man! would that HOA interference bug me (though my runoff goes down the floor drain into the sewer system).

 

[DetailZeus]

Regulars here know that I`m *all* about foam contributing (constant flushing and) lubrication.

What I don`t understand is how people avoid marring once the wash medium gets soiled...between that time and when it gets rinsed/etc. it has potentially abrasive stuff on it that I don`t want to rub against the paint. Hence the "constant flushing" bit...

But hey, as long as folks aren`t getting wash-induced marring it`s all good.

And !oh, man! would that HOA interference bug me (though my runoff goes down the floor drain into the sewer system).

One thing you`ve posted Accumulator that took a bit to digest, but on further thought makes sense is how you never want to see much (any) dirt in your rinse bucket. My first impression was "Isn`t that where you want your dirt to go?" But later I realized that if your rinse bucket is super filthy it`s too late! You`ve already rubbed that dirt across your paint.

For me a thorough pressure washing with liberal use of (properly diluted) APC gets enough stuff off *for me* to be comfortable following up with the basic 2bm using shampoo. And my rinse bucket stays "pretty clean."

If you couldn`t use your foam gun anymore, would you just stop washing cars? Or maybe lease and polish away knowing the next ignorant soul will just put it through the tunnel wash anyways? :blink:

 

[Accumulator]

..For me a thorough pressure washing with liberal use of (properly diluted) APC gets enough stuff off *for me* to be comfortable following up with the basic 2bm using shampoo. And my rinse bucket stays "pretty clean."

That makes sense. I`m too paranoid about LSP stripping to use potent stuff though. And I suspect I let our vehicles get a *LOT* dirtier between washes than the average Autopian.

If you couldn`t use your foam gun anymore, would you just stop washing cars? Or maybe lease and polish away knowing the next ignorant soul will just put it through the tunnel wash anyways? :blink:

Heh heh, I`ve wondered about that myself! My current facilities and other factors (good health, etc.) make the foamgun use feasible, but if [something critical] should change I`m not sure what I`d do. I`d probably just pressure wash; wash with BHB; rewash with mitts (~2BM); and wrap it up with the GDWM, and then just accept whatever marring occurs. Then I`d still have to figure out how to do the undercarriages though..I`m just *so* spoiled and have been for so long that it`s hard to imagine things being different!

The whole "just lease it and don`t care" could well come to pass some day, time will tell. As I used to tell my students- "things change", and I gotta admit that includes my priorities. And while I *am* pretty extreme about this stuff, I really do believe my quip that "Life is not a Car Show".

 

[DetailZeus]

I`m too paranoid about LSP stripping to use potent stuff though. And I suspect I let our vehicles get a *LOT* dirtier between washes than the average Autopian.

I`m working through a half gallon of H2O guard and gloss (a spray as you dry sealant) that I could reapply every wash if I wanted and still probably have some left after 2 years. Adding more fk1000p I`m sure isn`t so quick.

My HOA friend is mostly using "leave stuff behind" QD`s as his lsp (like ultimate quick wax) so reapplication is no problem either.

 

[Accumulator]

DetailZeus- Yeah, the choice of Drying Aid can make a big diff! Between OCW, UQW, and even IUDJ it seems like I hardly ever have to reapply conventional LSPs on anything.

I`m *still* astounded by how well the (~QD-strength) IUDJ works as a Drying Aid, and whatever it leaves behind is usually enough to last between washes as a sacrificial layer over stuff like the FK1000P. It`s no Spray-Wax, but it`s Accumulator-proof and cheap.

But then my FK1000P is always good for at least a year anyhow...but heh heh you`re right, it`s sure *not* as quick as just drying the vehicle!