Washing the car in the winter

M

mohamedmaark

New member
Hey guys sorry to remind you bout the winter but i had to ask the question just so i could prepare myself for the upcoming winter. So the problem is how do i wash a car during the winter when the weather is below freezing? The garage im working out of has heat but there is no floor drain so i cant wash the car inside.... unless someone has a idea. Also im not a big fan of waterless washes either i feel like it scratches the paint up bad and takes to much towels.. So whats the solution?
 
mohamedmaark said:
Hey guys sorry to remind you bout the winter but i had to ask the question just so i could prepare myself for the upcoming winter. So the problem is how do i wash a car during the winter when the weather is below freezing? The garage im working out of has heat but there is no floor drain so i cant wash the car inside.... unless someone has a idea. Also im not a big fan of waterless washes either i feel like it scratches the paint up bad and takes to much towels.. So whats the solution?
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:hmmm:

Are you in another part of the world? Here Winter just ended
 
Hit the coin op car wash to flush all of the salt and mud off, then go home and do a good ONR wash. You won't scratch your paint with ONR.
 
No real solution. I managed to keep mine clean this brutal PA winter best i could. I just wait till it gets above freezing, and do a proper driveway wash. Other than that, i rely on the pre winter prep i did to get it thru.
 
Like mrclean81 said. Goto the local coin wash and blast off the big stuff. Head home to your garage and go with a rinseless wash with a bucket of warm/hot water (to keep your hands warm). It can be done with one microfiber, just use the 2 bucket method and do a panel at a time, drying as you go
 
You guys are saying to take the car to the carwash then bring it back to the garage and finish up, but this is for business purposes so i dont think that would work with customer cars.
 
Bottom line is that water freezes at 32 degrees. If the temp outside is below 32 you will have to relocate the vehicle to an inside spot that is warmer. You said that you did not have a drain inside. My garage doesn't have a drain inside and I still wash cars inside by using the rinseless wash method. What little water that makes it to the floor is easily soaked up with a few shop towels.

I run a mobile detailing business and there are just certain times when I have down time because of the weather. Thats just the nature of the beast. I do have access to a heated garage and can still operate for the customers that are willing to bring their cars to my garage but I still will lose some business.
 
bswombaugh said:
Bottom line is that water freezes at 32 degrees. If the temp outside is below 32 you will have to relocate the vehicle to an inside spot that is warmer. You said that you did not have a drain inside. My garage doesn't have a drain inside and I still wash cars inside by using the rinseless wash method. What little water that makes it to the floor is easily soaked up with a few shop towels.

I run a mobile detailing business and there are just certain times when I have down time because of the weather. Thats just the nature of the beast. I do have access to a heated garage and can still operate for the customers that are willing to bring their cars to my garage but I still will lose some business.
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I hear you, well here is my solution, im working in a heated garage so ill have the water reclamation mat in there wash the car then just vac up the water and take it out, i hope it works.
 
PA DETAILER said:
No real solution. I managed to keep mine clean this brutal PA winter best i could. I just wait till it gets above freezing, and do a proper driveway wash. Other than that, i rely on the pre winter prep i did to get it thru.
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I admire your dedication.
 
mohamedmaark said:
I hear you, well here is my solution, im working in a heated garage so ill have the water reclamation mat in there wash the car then just vac up the water and take it out, i hope it works.
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If you already knew this then why make the thread. Sounds like you already had it figured out, but wanted a way to push a water reclamation system
 
If you own your home an outside spigot connected to your hot water line is a highly recommended thing from me. The house I moved in in December already had one and I will never go without one in the winter again. Just use it to fill up your buckets, not rinse the car (unless you have a large WH or don't mind the extra electricity or gas. MS power and Centergy Gas here is ridiculously high...). Although I always waited till it got above freezing and wore long rubber gloves. I guess you could do it below freezing, but expect stuff to get frozen...
 
Trouble said:
If you already knew this then why make the thread. Sounds like you already had it figured out, but wanted a way to push a water reclamation system
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Yea i had an idea of what i was going to do, but i thought maybe you professionals knew something better lol. But hopefully ill put up a post and pics of how the idea works maybe it will help others in the future.
 
Nizmo said:
If you own your home an outside spigot connected to your hot water line is a highly recommended thing from me. The house I moved in in December already had one and I will never go without one in the winter again. Just use it to fill up your buckets, not rinse the car (unless you have a large WH or don't mind the extra electricity or gas. MS power and Centergy Gas here is ridiculously high...). Although I always waited till it got above freezing and wore long rubber gloves. I guess you could do it below freezing, but expect stuff to get frozen...
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Good point. Thanks
 
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