Another "why is there air?" question

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oldgeek

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Every time I wash the car I wonder why the dirt doesn't just fall off?

I hit it with a powerful burst of water from the hose. Dirt doesn't move...

I foam it up good with a foam gun. Dirt doesn't move...
One would think that all that lubricious soap would lift the dirt off the paint.

I blast it again with the hose. Nothing...

The dirt just sits there until you rub it with a sponge. It comes off easy then...

It's like the dirt wants to make sure that you are gonna work for it...
and give yourself yet another chance to scratch your paint. :(
 
It's just that survival instinct that the dirt has, the sense of self-preservation, that it holds onto the paint as tightly as it can..
 
Its because dirt is comprised mainly of pure evil, and wont give in until there is a chance of damage to whatever it is on.

Didnt you go to chemistry class.....or......dirt class.....nevermind
 
I think I may have an answer for this. This is my theory so if it's completely wrong feel free to say so. The average clear coat is filled with swirls, scratches, above surface bonded contaminants and is a jagged layer of paint. And even if you remove every scratch, swirl, and contaminant and polish the paint until you're blue in the face the clear coat will still not be 100 percent smooth and flat. There will still be microscopic pores in the paint. Also if you put a sealant or wax on top of the paint there's no guarantee that the coverage will be uniformly flat across all surfaces. That hinders the dirt's ability to slide off the paint easily. Car paint is very similar to skin on your body in that respect. Even if you remove all the hair and have silky smooth skin dirt will still stick to your skin. When you take a shower you don't just wet yourself down, squirt soap all over your body and rinse off again and come out clean. You gotta agitate it. That's why it's so important to use proper technique. Someone could take a vehicle that is covered with dirt and end up with less swirls and scratches than someone with very little dirt just by using proper technique and quality products.
 
ctgrenade said:
I think I may have an answer for this. This is my theory so if it's completely wrong feel free to say so. The average clear coat is filled with swirls, scratches, above surface bonded contaminants and is a jagged layer of paint.
Click to expand...

I think if we're really going to look at this seriously it has to do with atomic forces, etc...but I don't think the OP intended this as a serious discussion.
 
I don't know about atomic forces but it occurs to me that a waxed surface, being softer than the clearcoat, may actually cause the dirt to adhere more...

Yes, my post is tongue-in-cheek, but the science behind it still confounds me. Blasting with a stream of water doesn't move it but just touching it lightly with a sponge takes it right off. Why is that?
 
Not really sure what to say... Dirt just falls off when I hose my car down
 
Opticoat and pressure washer. Best combo since peanut butter and jelly
 
Setec Astronomy said:
I don't think the OP intended this as a serious discussion.

What if he really did, though!!



I, too, have had similar questions:
A few that follows below...:confused:
Click to expand...


Vehicles-surfaces' dismissal/remediation of: Dirts (Soils)

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

I.

A. What is/are...'dirt'/'components(elements)-of-dirt'?
(For simplification...I will henceforth refer to 'dirt' as either: 'soil/soiled')

_________________________________

...........Soil Components/Elements..........
_________________________________


____________________________________________________________________________________________________


B. Vehicles' Surfaces?...Where:
1.) They are considered: "Bare"
2.) Waxes, Sealants, Coatings (LSP's); "Dressings", etc: Have been applied. (a film-layer)

____________________________________________________________________________________________________


II. Pedogenesis Upon Vehicles' Surfaces

A.
1.) Are soil and any/all of the above listed vehicle-surface conditions: Elements?
2.) Elements: Are they comprised of atoms?
(Layman that I am...I'll say: Yes.) Then:
3.) The components of Atoms have been proven to have electrical-charges'<<<(As so: Ionic?)
a. Anionic?
b. Cationic?

B. Electrical Charges of Soil(s)/Vehicle-Surfaces (bare/with a film-layer)

1.) Are they capable of: Ion adsorption and subsequent exchange
a. Dependancy of Soil-types:
i. Colloids; texture; density/size
b. Have an opposite 'electrical-attraction'/charge (ion exchange) when encountering
various elements (ex: differently-prepared vehicle surfaces). Thusly:

2.) What are the 'electrical-charges' (if any) associated with vehicle surfaces? When...
a. Bare
b. When having different film-layers
i. What is the electrical-charge of these different film-layer types?


3.) Does where the soil/vehicle-surfaces are "living"...as in the different
global climatic regions (such as: temperate/tropical zones) effect...
how/when vehicle-surfaces become soiled?
i. What, then, would be the electrical-charges for the soil/vehicle-surface?
ii. Are they anionic/cationic

____________________________________________________________________________________________________
III.

A. 'Elements' for soil removal/remediation per: OP/oldgeek's examples

1.) Solvents?
a. Water: "powerful burst of water from the hose"
i. electrical-charges?
b. Surfactants: "lubricious soap/foam via foam-gun"
i. electrical-charge?

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

IV.Static Electricity

A.
1.) What's its electrical-charge?
2. ) Can soil/vehicle-surfaces have a "static-charge"
3.) Does it's electrical-charge "change" while:
i. a vehicle's being driven/stationary
ii. while being subjected to soil's removal-processes (solvents, 'wash-media')
iii. Buffing

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

V.

A. Best Materials/Method(s) for Flocculation of Unwanted/Unwarranted Pedogenetic Contaminates
from Vehicles-Surfaces (Bare or Otherwise)?!?!

1.):dunno:
2.):dunno:
3.):dunno:
4.) and so on: :dunno:
____________________________________________________________________________________________________


:D

Bob
 
2 weeks outside 24/7 since last wash, hasn't been waxed for a month, maybe a bit more.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OBqAmEQxqUI]Dirt coming off - YouTube[/video]
 
Well, I believe ya, snow drifter, but my white car looked just about that yesterday, and when I did the same thing, my dirt was still there?..

You must have slippery dirt where you live.
 
Strange. When was the last time you clayed and/or waxed? And what wax/soap do you use? I clayed 3 months ago, waxed twice since then. Both soap and wax I use are Megs Ultimate.
 
I waxed about a month ago. I think it was Pete's 53. Soap is mothers gold.

But it isn't just once, I can never get any dirt off without rubbing. I'm wondering if it's a water quality issue? Do you have soft water?
What's the nature of your dirt? Around here, it's always very gritty and may be sticking in the wax?
 
My water is fairly medium. It's not hard, but not soft either. Lol.
The dirt is lots of road dust, but its not gritty or sandy as you describe.
 
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