Foam cannon = cleaner car?

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jvamagic

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Hi,

I usually use the two-bucket method on my personal cars with mf wash mitt, mf towels etc and get good results.

Yesterday I used the foam cannon for the first time on my son's car. I rinsed the car with the pressure washer, foamed, wiped with mf mitt, rinsed, mf towels to dry. The car came out very clean. I'm not sure if it's more of the foam cannon or the fact that I used a pressure washer for a pre-rinse/rinse.

The results were pretty impressive.

I've used a foam gun before for personal cars and it was not as impressive.

Thoughts?
 
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well the foam cannon is used to knock down the major dirt and soften up the rest so that when you use the rinseless it should reduce any possible marring. you should generally always follow up with a two bucket or other wash method after you foam
 
a foam cannon aids in loosening dirt/contamination (debatable by some), pressure washing the car off first will do the same thing, but you still have to physically touch the paint when you clean it...
 
Cruzscarwash said:
well the foam cannon is used to knock down the major dirt and soften up the rest so that when you use the rinseless it should reduce any possible marring. you should generally always follow up with a two bucket or other wash method after you foam
Click to expand...

I usually follow up with a two bucket method for all my cars but for my son's car we just wanted to perform a quick wash before giving it to the new owner. Most folks don't appreciate a very clean/detailed car (for a low cost vehicle such as this; 2000 eclipse).
 
jvamagic said:
I usually follow up with a two bucket method for all my cars but for my son's car we just wanted to perform a quick wash before giving it to the new owner. Most folks don't appreciate a very clean/detailed car (for a low cost vehicle such as this; 2000 eclipse).
Click to expand...

I treat car washing like body washing..they both get my utmost of attention.
 
Personally I think it might be a combination. The foam cannon/gun are cool but all they are doing is creating foam....and typically more foam does not equal more cleaning ability. BUT with the foam gun the foam is thicker so it remains on the paint for longer which helps with the cleaning ability of the soap.

I too have washed my car with out pressure washer and with pressure washer. With pressure washer the car comes out cleaner than without pressure washer. I can tell this because when I'm drying my car when the pressure washer used, my mf towels are not stained. But when I wash my car without pressure washer my mf towels end up with some stains.
 
jvamagic said:
I'm not sure if it's more of
the foam cannon or the fact
that I used a pressure washer
for a pre-rinse/rinse.

Thoughts?
Click to expand...
IMO:
•The fact that you used a pressure
washer for a pre-rinse/rinse for this
particular car-wash session:

1.) Truly validates your below statement.
jvamagic said:
I've used a foam gun before
for personal cars and it was
not as impressive.
Click to expand...
-Which in turn:
2.) Corroborates my personal opinion
of the use of foam guns/cannons for
washing vehicles.



Bob
 
I do touchless washes when I just need to get a little dust off. Pressure wash, foam cannon, pressure rinse, blow dry. It does work but don't expect miracles.
 
can you actually do a touchless wash if your car is coated and or waxed and you foam every few days? I get that a foam cannon will not fully clean a really dirty car, but would it clean general dirt from driving over the course of a week?
 
foam cannons and guns are the most FUN of the detailing tools. You should do it for entertainent purposes alone.

Cannons make it easier to get embedded stuff off but I have had personal cars coated for so long now that i really don't experience anything that sticks in general.....

my main point was foam guns and cannon are the must fun of the tools. after i use a Rupes or some new polish i don't want to run around and spray them everywhere. When I whip out the foam cannon i want to foam everything, the house, dogs, everyone in the house, the neighbors, foaming is just fun.
 
Kinalyx said:
can you actually do a touchless wash if your car is coated and or waxed and you foam every few days? I get that a foam cannon will not fully clean a really dirty car, but would it clean general dirt from driving over the course of a week?
Click to expand...

If your car doesn't need to be spotless 24/7, touchless washes will give you some shine and they won't cause any scratches. I do 2 bucket washes about 1 out of every 6 washes now. I just don't freak out anymore if there is a water spot. I do clean off bird droppings immediately.
 
Kinalyx said:
can you actually do a touchless wash if your car is coated and or waxed and you foam every few days? I get that a foam cannon will not fully clean a really dirty car, but would it clean general dirt from driving over the course of a week?
Click to expand...

You can do whatever you put your mind to! Doing only touchless washes will result in a less clean finished product, albeit very minor, but that minor bit of film/contamination will accumulate and over the course of, say, 6 months, you will likely have more bonded contaminants than if you hand done more hand washes.
 
FUNX650 said:
IMO:
•The fact that you used a pressure
washer for a pre-rinse/rinse for this
particular car-wash session:

1.) Truly validates your below statement.

-Which in turn:
2.) Corroborates my personal opinion
of the use of foam guns/cannons for
washing vehicles.



Bob
Click to expand...

So what is your corroborated opinion on foam guns/cannons, Bob?
 
Rsurfer said:
So what is your corroborated opinion
on foam guns/cannons, Bob?
Click to expand...
IMG_31513.JPG



Bob
 
I use to be obsessed with foaming down the car with my prsssure washer before a two bucket wash.

And even though now I'm mainly a rinseless convert I swear just using the pressure washer did just as good of a pre soak than using soap through a cannon.

So after 5 years of foaming and with an array of products I don't think it does much at all besides make a soapy mess.
 
KirkH said:
I do touchless washes when I just need to get a little dust off. Pressure wash, foam cannon, pressure rinse, blow dry. It does work but don't expect miracles.
Click to expand...

I think its key to spray the foam on the car first before doing any rinsing so that

1- The soap doesn't get diluted.
2- It gives the soap a chance to wrap and lubricate the dirt particles before rinsing.
3- Foam will stay on vertical surfaces longer if they are dry when foamed
 
fightnews said:
I think its key to spray the foam on the car first before doing any rinsing so that

1- The soap doesn't get diluted.
2- It gives the soap a chance to wrap and lubricate the dirt particles before rinsing.
3- Foam will stay on vertical surfaces longer if they are dry when foamed
Click to expand...

Like the way you think! Will try.
 
fightnews said:
I think its key to spray the foam on
the car first before doing any rinsing
so that

1- The soap doesn't get diluted.
2- It gives the soap a chance to wrap and
lubricate the dirt particles before rinsing.
3- Foam will stay on vertical surfaces
longer if they are dry when foamed
Click to expand...
^^^ :confused: ^^^

•In Surfactant Chemistry:
-Micelles "wraps around" dirt.

Does foam contain any micelles?


Bob
 
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