Maintaining suds?

[zmcnulty]

Hey, guys,

Just wrapped up my weekly wash, and I’m left a clean car and a question.

Why doesn’t my wash soap seem to maintain suds? When I get started on the two-bucket wash, I’ve got plenty of suds, but, as I progress over the car, my mitt seems to carry mostly water.

Any tips for keeping the sudsiness up throughout the wash?

[Sizzle Chest]

Soap Suds separating from water - Hard water or old soap? (https://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/auto-detailing-101-a/96870-soap-suds-separating-water-hard-water-old-soap.html)

Car wash soap not sudsy (https://www.autopia.org/forums/car-detailing/61470-car-wash-soap-sudsy.html)

Hard/soft water.
Too little/too much soap.

I have had this happen and I will just blast my wash bucket with additional water to sudz it back up!

[zmcnulty]

Thanks for the reply. Maybe I’ll try a few gallons of purified water, as suggested in the first thread, to see if that makes a difference. Reblasting with the pressure washer may do the trick too

[Bruno Soares]

Throughout the wash I hit the bucket 3 times really quick with the power washer and the suds come right back. Usually do roof and hood, create suds again, do both sides, suds one more time, then lastly clean front and back.

[boosteddub69]

I live in San Antonio and our water is pretty hard. I use softened water to mostly fill the bucket and then a hard jet of water to make all the suds. I only have to hit it once (not all the time) to get the suds back. I use Mequiars Hyper Wash. I absolutely love that stuff. 1 oz is good for 5 gallons of water.

[zmcnulty]

Throughout the wash I hit the bucket 3 times really quick with the power washer and the suds come right back. Usually do roof and hood, create suds again, do both sides, suds one more time, then lastly clean front and back.

Thing is, I usually have suds at the top of the bucket. It’s just like they don’t stick to the mitt.

[Bruno Soares]

Thing is, I usually have suds at the top of the bucket. It’s just like they don’t stick to the mitt.

I see. Like mentioned above, hard water can “kill” suds. What soap are you using? Do you ever feel like your mitt is not gliding well, lacking lubrication? Suds aren’t necessary, what you need is just the cleaning abilities and the lubricity provided by the soap.

[zmcnulty]

I see. Like mentioned above, hard water can “kill” suds. What soap are you using? Do you ever feel like your mitt is not gliding well, lacking lubrication? Suds aren’t necessary, what you need is just the cleaning abilities and the lubricity provided by the soap.

I’m using Griot’s Brilliant Finish, but I’ve had the same trouble with Chemical Guys Citrus (not the actual name, but I can’t remember it right now). I may grab a few gallons of purified water and see if that makes a difference.

[Desertnate]

Suds aren’t necessary, what you need is just the cleaning abilities and the lubricity provided by the soap.

This is the important part. As long as the soap is working, I wouldn't get too wrapped up in suds behavior to the point you're buying purified water just to wash your car!

Another soap with really good suds is Poorboys World Super Slick & Suds soap. I've noticed Optimum Car Wash suds really well too, but I really use it because it provides great lubrication and cleaning ability.

[DUBL0WS6]

Are you assuming that suds are needed? Most rinseless washes don't suds at all and provide lubrication to wash the paint.

[zmcnulty]

Are you assuming that suds are needed? Most rinseless washes don't suds at all and provide lubrication to wash the paint.

Yes, I was under the impression that suds=lubrication... like they created a barrier between the mitt and the paint...


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[Bill D]

If you really want both suds and lubrication, wash with a foam gun and let the soapy solution constantly flow over the paint while you wisk with the mitt. Yes, this is a lot of soap and water but it will lead to marring free results

[Desertnate]

Yes, I was under the impression that suds=lubrication... like they created a barrier between the mitt and the paint...

The lubrication properties of the soap are in the soap/water solution and have nothing to do with the suds. If you dip you hand below the suds of any quality car wash soap, pull it out, and then rub your fingers lightly together you will feel the lubrication it provides.

I always mix in the soap while my bucket is filling and will do it such that it doesn't foam until it's almost fill. As the bucket fills I can feel the wash solution long before I give it a blast at the very end to generate suds. I could very easily not do the little sudsing blast at the end and very safely wash my car. Now that I think about it, I'm not sure why I do it at all...

[Eldorado2k]

Now that I think about it, I'm not sure why I do it at all...

To ensure the soap mixes with all of the water.

[Desertnate]

To ensure the soap mixes with all of the water.

Maybe that is why I did it.

Something I do now may negate that need. Right now I have one of those pistol grip fireman's nozzles with a lever handle to control water flow. I'll put it on a medium spray at full flow and drop it in the bottom of bucket. This causes the water to swirl around pretty quickly. As soon as the water level gets above the nozzle a bit I'll pour/pump in the soap. Because the water is still swirling around in the bucket pretty heavily below the surface, the solution mixes itself as the bucket fills. By the time the bucket is full, the suds blast is really not needed.

Since the Optimum soap I'm using is a bright blue it's pretty easy to watch the process play out.