How important is a foam gun to washing a car properly?

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I do not use one. Here in the summertime, its so bloody hot that you need to wash panel by panel quickly and rinse right afterwards (each panel that is) Soaking the car in suds and letting it sit in 95º weather just does not sound like a good idea to me.

My steps are:
Degrease bottoms of car
Wheels
Rinse off body
Wash 1 panel at a time (two bucket of course), rinsing after each one
Final rinse
Dry
 
I have a foam gun and a foam cannon. I use to use the Foam Gun (before I got my foam cannon) prior to doing my 2 bucket wash.

Here in New England the summer days typically aren't too hot and I always wash in the shade. I find that the added suds help get some of the stuck on grime off.

As everyone said it's not a necessity but it can't hurt to use it. Now I have the foam cannon that I use with my PW and it really leaves a nice layer of foam on the car that I can let dwell for a few minutes while I get my 2 buckets for my wash ready. I don't always use it but as Killr said it's a cool presoak and it really doesn't take that much extra time or product.
 
AeroCleanse said:
You base that statement on what?
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Anybody who has ever spent time in a hospital knows a sponge bath isn't as good as a soak in the tub or shower. Granted, the candy striper giving the sponge bath may be 21, good looking and stupid, but you're sick and still filthy and smelling bad when it's all over.
 
Why would you assume that a hot 21 Y/O woman working in a hospital is stupid? I volunteer my time in the local hospital and I find that comment almost as ridiculous as this thread has become.
 
I have never used a foam gun and probably never will since there really is no need for me. I use strictly rinseless and waterless washes.

Say what you want but the cars I do come out clean as a whistle.
 
XB70 said:
Anybody who has ever spent time in a hospital knows a sponge bath isn't as good as a soak in the tub or shower.
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Isn't as good as in your still dirty? Now, there are more ways to use ONR than just a wash mitt.
 
I have a foam cannon that I hook up to my pressure washer and it definitely has it's place. For winter washing and all the road salt and crap that is on your car, letting a thick layer of foam dwell on your car helps to loosen the stuff up and makes washing it that much quicker and safer. I generally foam half the car, and start washing, then a rinse and foam the other half. Now, having said that, I have two black vehicles and in the summer, it's not really an option due to the foam drying too quick before I can wash it, and it's not worth it to foam a panel at a time.

Tom
 
AeroCleanse said:
You base that statement on what?
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On the fact that there is no way to get the dirt out of every nook and cranny when you don't use a hose or pressure washer. Also please explain how you clean the inside barrel of wheels with onr, or the wheel wells.

ONR is a GREAT product, but to only do ONR washes on a vehicle won't get it totally clean. For me I use ONR in two circumstances. If it is too cold outside to do a traditional wash, or if I am just doing a quick midweek clean up for my own vehicle. Other than that I find no use for it. Nothing beats the safety and efficiency of a pressure washer or at least a hose.

silverfox said:
Why would you assume that a hot 21 Y/O woman working in a hospital is stupid? I volunteer my time in the local hospital and I find that comment almost as ridiculous as this thread has become.
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Chill out, he was obviously making a joke, don't get all bent out of shape over a joke.
 
Spicy McHaggis said:
On the fact that there is no way to get the dirt out of every nook and cranny when you don't use a hose or pressure washer. Also please explain how you clean the inside barrel of wheels with onr, or the wheel wells.
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There's more than one way, for example the Tornador. For wheels and wheel wells, I use various brushes with ONR.

Some videos

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pfgGsReK40E]YouTube - Wheel cleaning with Optimum No Rinse Wash[/video]

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xUeQLnxrRWo]YouTube - Wheel cleaning with ONR[/video]
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7fUtu6JB5aQ]YouTube - Fenderwell cleaning with Optimum No Rinse Wash[/video]
 
AeroCleanse said:
There's more than one way, for example the Tornador. For wheels and wheel wells, I use various brushes with ONR.

Some videos
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There is no way to get really dirty wheel wells, tires and wheels clean with ONR alone, it just isn't possible. Also there is no way to get the gunk out from behind body moldings, or emblems, or door handles without hitting them with a jet of water. You can show all the videos you want, but in the end ONR is not a do it all product. It's great at what it does, but thats it.

Also if you're going to break out a Tornado and air compressor why not just use a hose and degreaser? Same level of work and one will yield much better results.
 
The more dirt you can remove from the surface before touching the paint the less chance you have for marring. Simple as that.


Is a foam gun needed? No, but it can definitely help loosen the dirt. I'd suggest a pressure washer long before a foam gun, but the two added together is pure win! :dblthumb2:
 
Irish said:
I only ever break out the foam cannon for very bad off vehicles. Anything else I take care of with standard washing.

Do you need it? Not really. I don't need a pressure washer, 10 different wheel brushes, 6 different wash mitts, 11 car shampoos, so on and so forth, but they're all nice to have.
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+1
But I do have a high pressure machine, an Autobrite foam lance, a Gilmour foam lance, more than 6 mitts, 6 shampoos, 4 tire gels, more than 3 detailer sprays, a lot of pads and mf towels.... so on and so forth....
It is nice to have, indeed!
 
Spicy McHaggis said:
There is no way to get really dirty wheel wells, tires and wheels clean with ONR alone, it just isn't possible. Also there is no way to get the gunk out from behind body moldings, or emblems, or door handles without hitting them with a jet of water. You can show all the videos you want, but in the end ONR is not a do it all product. It's great at what it does, but thats it.

Also if you're going to break out a Tornado and air compressor why not just use a hose and degreaser? Same level of work and one will yield much better results.
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Why break out the pressure washer when there is another way, and there isn't a huge mess that needs to be cleaned up in order to comply with EPA regulations?

Its not a do it all product, but don't try and tell me that I can't get a car 100% clean without using a pressure washer.

Never needed a pressure washer or foam gun to get cars 100% clean.
 
Sorry, but I gotta agree that there is no way to clean a really dirty car as safely and effectively with a rinse-less wash when compared traditional wash using a pressure washer. I love ONR and it's great for a lot of things, but there are some jobs it just doesn't make sense to use it on.

I will gladly go head to head with anyone on a dirty car, me using my method and you using a rinse-less wash. I will win on time, cleanliness, and overall safety of the paint.
 
Lets not be coy,

A good portion of those ONR videos show the person washing a panel, then drying it and accidently drying and wiping over a "dirty" panel as well.

I like ONR to for a clay lube, interior wipedown etc.

But like the rest are saying, its no match for a pressure & foam gun wash.

How are you rinsing the wheel cleaner from inside the barrel of the wheel clean?

How are you cleaning the bed of a truck?

How are you degreasing a tire and rinsing the brown gunk off it?

How are you risning all the gunk out of an engine?

How are you getting in and around the emblems clean?
 
RaskyR1 said:
I will gladly go head to head with anyone on a dirty car, me using my method and you using a rinse-less wash. I will win on time, cleanliness, and overall safety of the paint.
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On time maybe, but I don't do speed cleaning of cars. The other two will be a tie. ONR isn't better than using a pressure washer, it's just different. I'm not saying pressure washing is bad, I'm saying I can get a car 100% clean without the need for one.
 
Grizzly said:
Lets not be coy,

A good portion of those ONR videos show the person washing a panel, then drying it and accidently drying and wiping over a "dirty" panel as well.

I like ONR to for a clay lube, interior wipedown etc.

But like the rest are saying, its no match for a pressure & foam gun wash.

How are you rinsing the wheel cleaner from inside the barrel of the wheel clean?

How are you cleaning the bed of a truck?

How are you degreasing a tire and rinsing the brown gunk off it?

How are you risning all the gunk out of an engine?

How are you getting in and around the emblems clean?
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I've been though that already. I don't use ONR on the engine, I use APC & Degreaser along with steam and a Tornador. Most details I do don't involve cleaning the engine.
 
RaskyR1 said:
Sorry, but I gotta agree that there is no way to clean a really dirty car as safely and effectively with a rinse-less wash when compared traditional wash using a pressure washer. I love ONR and it's great for a lot of things, but there are some jobs it just doesn't make sense to use it on.

I will gladly go head to head with anyone on a dirty car, me using my method and you using a rinse-less wash. I will win on time, cleanliness, and overall safety of the paint.
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Rasky for the win :applause:

As for the foam gun, I love mine! It's just another cool toy to own. As mentioned a couple times, before my foam gun I would simply squeeze out soapy water across panels then dip in the bucket once more and proceed to wash. Not sure if I will buy a foam canon. Well maybe I will just to own that too.
 
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