All Purpose Cleaner

Meguiars APC @10:1 for me.

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Assuming GENERAL auto detailing use, what PH level should we be looking at in an APC?

And how many of us use a separate INTERIOR and EXTERIOR APC and if so, do they have different PH levels?

I'm probably not the best data point since my APC experience is pretty limited. Other than the Simple Green event I mentioned, and my use of Poorboys APC, the only other product I've used was Purple Power and I only used it in the engine bay...and other places like my grill or smoker.

Honestly, I never looked at pH levels. When mixing up my APC bottles I go with the rations Poorboys listed on the lable. I use their "general use" ratio and their mild "leather" ratio. I normally don't use an APC on exteriors. The "general" ratio is mild enough for plastic/vinyl and most other interior hard surfaces.
 
Lets take this one step further

Assuming GENERAL auto detailing use, what PH level should we be looking at in an APC?

And how many of us use a separate INTERIOR and EXTERIOR APC and if so, do they have different PH levels?

Unless they are a citrus based product, are they truly any different or just a different color/scent with a different dilution from the factory

Is there really a single all purpose APC that does it all, any more than there is a single car shampoo that ticks all the boxes?

Discuss

As far as I know, there’s really no such thing as a PH neutral or near PH neutral APC, so generally they’re all be expected to be somewhat alkaline.

I think McKee’s used to say something was different or special about theirs, I can’t remember whether it was the PH level or something that supposedly made it different from the rest, however I bought a gallon and I didn’t like it. The scent was bad, the cleaning ability wasn’t as good as I was used to and it left a slight film on surfaces that you could almost feel afterwards.

I guess technically I do use 2 different APC’s nowadays.. Megs D101 @ 10:1 [Green label] for just about everything, I keep 2 bottles full and there’s many times when even having those 2 bottles isn’t enough, that’s how much of it I tend to use sometimes because it’s just so good at just about everything. For example, if I’m cleaning a really dirty interior and use a Magic Eraser for the vinyl door panels, the Megs APC is used as lube for the Magic Eraser and gives it the perfect amount of punch to clean perfectly.

And that same dilution is gentle enough for regular maintenance on my own car when paired with a Costco towel. Leaves every surface clean, matte, and best of all with no residue feel whatever. The scent is fine and dissipates almost immediately, which is a good thing because there’s more ideal scents to be had i.e. leather conditioners etc.

As crazy as it may sound, that same 10:1 dilution can clean even the nastiest carpets and also be sprayed to clean the grimiest leather seats when paired with a steamer for when you need to get nuclear on it. These next pics are of my Cadillac when I 1st bought it. Megs APC is all I used to clean it.

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And while I’ve always used the Megs APC for wheel wells, I never really liked it for wheels & tires. I used to use Megs D143 Non Acid Wheel & Tire Cleaner and thought it did much better than the APC. But things changed once I got the pressure washer and by accident found out that the Megs Citrus APC at a high dilution [like 60-70% concentrate 30-40% water in a 32oz. bottle] can actually clean wheels & tires scrub free with just the 15 degree nozzle on the pressure washer. D143 could never do that.

I haven’t scrubbed a wheel or tire during a maintenance wash since I bought the pressure washer. That citrus really does make a difference. I even told Nick at Meguiars when I was there in person that that APC works way better than their D143 at cleaning wheels & tires and he was surprised and said he never really tried it for that yet. I no longer use D143 or scrub wheels & tires unless they’re either super dirty or it’s a full detail.
 
I had a small table top parts washer years back that I used for greasy ugly bike parts and I ran straight Zep Citrus degreasing APC in it and it would definitely get stuff clean but I always felt like the parts needed a separate high temp wash with Dawn to get the citrus residue off

I wish the Megs APC products were available locally
 
I had a small table top parts washer years back that I used for greasy ugly bike parts and I ran straight Zep Citrus degreasing APC in it and it would definitely get stuff clean but I always felt like the parts needed a separate high temp wash with Dawn to get the citrus residue off

I wish the Megs APC products were available locally

Yes! That’s why I initially hated that Megs Citrus APC when I was trying to use it the way I use the Green one, for interior stuff.

The reason I say I found out by accident that it was great for wheels & tires @60-70% strength is because at that point I was actually trying to purposely waste it because I rendered it useless but I had bought like 2 gallons of it and didn’t have the stomach to throw it away but I almost wanted to. Lol.

I think that 1st time I used it nearly straight undiluted and it cleaned the wheel & tire touch free and I was nearly in shock as I went around to the rest of the wheels & tires wondering if it was a fluke. From there I went from trying to waste it to toning down the dilution to 60% because suddenly I didn’t want to waste it anymore but still wanted it to work as a touchless wheel & tire cleaner. Lol
 
I’ve used up my LA’s totally awesome. Great price… easy to get… normally wouldn’t need anything else did everything I need.

Believe [mention]Eldorado2k [/mention] put me on when he cleaned some nasty seatbelts.

Haven’t used yet but moved to BH Surfex I’ll use 10:1 as adding a gallon to cart was basically free as it qualified for free shipping and nothing else I needed (wanted?)


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I don't really use much APC, just the occasional use for engine bays or as a pre-treat for cleaning polishing pads.

First I tried was the pre-diluted Meguiar's Multi-Purpose Cleaner. Worked great on my lawn mowers too.



Next was Auto Finesse Verso, totally useless.



Since then, I've been using KCx Green Star.



I've also been using Bilt Hamber Surfex HD on machinery.





 
I don't really use much APC, just the occasional use for engine bays or as a pre-treat for cleaning polishing pads.

First I tried was the pre-diluted Meguiar's Multi-Purpose Cleaner. Worked great on my lawn mowers too.



Next was Auto Finesse Verso, totally useless.



Since then, I've been using KCx Green Star.



I've also been using Bilt Hamber Surfex HD on machinery.






Preference on GreenStar or Surfex?


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Preference on GreenStar or Surfex?


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To be honest, I've been using them for different tasks. The Green Star for cars, the Surfex for small engine equipment. As such, I can't compare them back to back in terms of car detailing. I do like how Green Star lathers up, but again, its not a product I use a lot of.
 
To be honest, I've been using them for different tasks. The Green Star for cars, the Surfex for small engine equipment. As such, I can't compare them back to back in terms of car detailing. I do like how Green Star lathers up, but again, its not a product I use a lot of.

Doesn’t Coch Chemie also have Polestar? I can’t remember what the difference between that and Greenstar is.
 
Doesn’t Coch Chemie also have Polestar? I can’t remember what the difference between that and Greenstar is.
Green Star is alkaline at pH 12.0, best used for exterior cleaning.

Pol Star is pH neutral, best used for interior cleaning, carpets and leather in particular but can be used as a general interior cleaner too.
 
Green Star is alkaline at pH 12.0, best used for exterior cleaning.

Pol Star is pH neutral, best used for interior cleaning, carpets and leather in particular but can be used as a general interior cleaner too.

Nice. Thanks for the clarification. I think I’ve seen someone review the Pol Star in a video and they were talking about how they like the way it foams and how it leaves a bit of protection without leaving a film after cleaning. Sounds good, I wonder how it compares to Megs D101.

Iirc the dilution ratios were all over the place with that product. Some people say to dilute it light while others say dilute it heavy and they all had their reasons. Hearing that kind of turned me off.
 
Nice. Thanks for the clarification. I think I’ve seen someone review the Pol Star in a video and they were talking about how they like the way it foams and how it leaves a bit of protection without leaving a film after cleaning. Sounds good, I wonder how it compares to Megs D101.

Iirc the dilution ratios were all over the place with that product. Some people say to dilute it light while others say dilute it heavy and they all had their reasons. Hearing that kind of turned me off.
Pol Star lathers up very nicely under agitation, KCx also sell a bottle with a pump action foam applicator, much the same as the ColourLock leather cleaners, KCx and ColourLock are now under the same umbrella. I'm mostly using it for fabric or carpet cleaning, but its also great for leather.







Personally, if you were comparing D101 to Pol Star, you will probably be left wanting in terms of cleaning power. Having said that, I'm more than pleased with its ability, I use it at 8:1 and it deals with shiny leather no issue, likewise removing stains from cloth or carpet.


Koch Chemie Pol Star6:1429 ml71 ml500 mlStrong
10:1455 ml45 ml500 mlMid
 
Does anyone use an APC as a glass cleaner (know it is not safe for tinted windows)?
 
Does anyone use an APC as a glass cleaner (know it is not safe for tinted windows)?

Only on the glasstop tables in the backyard because they can wind up caked in dust after a while.. But while it cleans, it doesn’t finish well so a quick final wipe with Megs D120 leaves the glass sparkling clean after the APC cleans the dirt off.

As far as APC on automotive glass? No. Except for once in a great while if I decide to do an initial clean of the glass with a magic eraser I might use APC as the lube during the bucket wash.
 
Meguiars APC , P&S Express and lately been P&S Swift for interior maintenance.
 
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