Keeping a car clean in high desert climate (NM/CO) - tips/suggestions?

I'd like to weigh in on this. I deal with a lot of hard water and sometimes I'm mobile. This makes a large filter difficult to maneuver. So, I've found, what works best for me is, after my final rinse I quickly and lightly spray vinegar around the vehicle prior to drying. I've also misted vinegar on my drying towel prior to drying. I've found both methods work great. As for the windshield, park in the shade, blast the a/c, wait for the windshield to cool before cleaning. Hope there is some helpful information in this post.

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Lots of great tips and suggestions--thanks so much everyone!

Sealants and coatings have been on my radar since moving here, although I had no idea that my "go-to" carnauba waxes wouldn't hold up in this environment. I've never used sealants or coatings before (aside from Sonax BSD, which isn't a full formulation), but I need to look into this further. I've been really impressed with Sonax products as of late, so I will probably try PNS first. I also reached out to them directly regarding my problem and they suggested CC36 Ceramic Coating followed by a PNS topper every so often.

I've also been considering pressure washing. I don't know if that'll work as the "only" washing solution, but it would be nice to be avoid touching the car entirely. One of my biggest gripes about the rinseless washes is that they don't wash away the dirt and grime that accumulates in the crevices and window seals. Here in the desert, that's kind of a big deal... :p Has anyone had experience with Sonax Spray + Seal? If it's effective, it seems like a great workflow for pressure washing. The ONR/pressure washer process suggested by ducksfan sounds like a really interesting approach, too--I will have to look into it further.

To answer Eldorado2k's question about towels, I use a variety of Cobra MF products for specific purposes. Guzzler for drying (after a water blade), Gold Plush for door jambs, Supreme 530 for waterless washes, and Super Plush for waxing and buffing. I use their Waffle Weave Glass Towel for glass. I also have a separate set of MF towels for wheel duty, which are washed separately from everything else. My washing routine is the same I've always done: a little detergent, some vinegar in the bleach compartment, hot wash, cold rinse, and medium heat in the dryer. I think the hard water is causing a problem with this regimen, too, as my towels have been super "sticky," grabbing the surface and leaving a ton of fibers on the paint and glass.

So, I bought some Chemical Guys Microfiber Wash Detergent and some wool dryer balls. I haven't tried it yet, but I'm hoping the soap will neutralize the hard water and the balls will eliminate the static cling I'm experiencing. I also expect to see a big difference with washing towels when I get my water softener installed at the end of the month (not to mention an improvement in the regular laundry!). The DI stuff will come a few months later, but that'll only be used for washing cars.

swines, I gotta thank you for describing your detailing process, especially as you also live in NM. I think the big difference is the product choice (and the number of applications of different products). I've been using the traditional carnauba-based waxes and toppers, but it looks like it's time to step up to something a bit more advanced and durable. Your comment about the UV relationship to altitude makes a lot of sense. I live at over 7000 feet, so it's quite different than sea level. And the sun, wow... just constant. Not used to that! Can you share which synthetic clay bar you're using? I've tried the bucket method and my bars typically deteriorate quickly compared to just spraying on the QD.

Again, I really appreciate the response to my initial post. I have a lot of great ideas to try. I'll continue to report back as I make progress and determine what works best here. :)
 
Seems to be a great process you are developing. But I would recommend to not use a water blade other than maybe on windows. And especially in your environment that has alot of sand and gravel. A little sand corn and if a little bigger get cought between the water blade and your paint. You can get a quite deep scratch in your paint which is very thin from beginning. I don't know why but have not being comfortable with waffel weave drying towels. Feels like if I would cought a sand corn or a little stone it has no way to go. With a plusher drying towel I feel like the mf would get in that towel and away from the paint. Then that's why I always wash my mf drying towels after every wash.

Will be interesting to follow your experience with your water setup you are going to install :)

I'm a big fan of PW and see it as a necessary tool to get the paint free from all larger dirt. And in your case if used when you weekly washing. The dirt build up in crevices is easy taken care of with a PW. IME the prewash or degreaser is important to use and use the PW water pressure to clean with. I have used a technique with those steps when cleaning with the PW för a long time. It's that you start from the bottom and work your way up. You easier see where you have cleaned. And the dirt that runs off when you get higher up runs off easier and it's gets less running streaks this way too. This is when you clean with the water pressure from the PW. When I rinse off the car soap I start from the top and work my way down as useally. Also always starts to wash at the top and work my way down panel by panel with the 2bm. And leave the lower parts of the vehical for last. As that is the most dirty parts of the vehicals and don't want that risk of washing with the wash mitt higher up when done those parts.
 
Yeah, I've had a love-hate relationship with the water blade over the years. Scratching has always concerned me, but when I don't use one, I end up saturating five or six oversized MF towels with water (and leaving thin water streaks which evaporate/spot really fast). Here in the desert, I've found it's important to get the laying water off the car ASAP, which the blade really does help with. Our humidity level is usually around 10-20%, so the water will dry almost instantly. I'm thinking an electric blower might make things easier and it'd be a no-touch solution.

SWETM, do you have a recommendation for a pressure washer? I'm sure the market may be a little different in Sweden, but I've used Kärcher in the past with pretty good results. Some of their products are still made in Germany, which is nice. Also, thanks for sharing your washing technique. It sounds like you're still using a mitt after the PW--have you had any luck with a completely touch-free technique with only the PW?
 
I got me a leafblower that is quite strong as we have 240v electric outlets as a standard. So the electric motor in the Ryobi leafblower is at 3kw. I'm a bit disappointed at the function of drying the car with. It's takes a little longer that I thought it would do.And even if I have a great beading and sheeting from my LSP. It's not blowing the water of completly dry on the large panels. And is accually quite fatigued after useing it. I think in your situation you can get it hard to avoid water spots with drying with a leafblower. And would recommend to get one or a couple of the Griots Garage PFM Terry Weave drying towel. It's crazy how fast and dry you get with that kind of towel. They cost some but think they are worth it with the performance they have. If you rinse with a low water flow from a hose without any connections on it. Start on the roof and follow the water sheeting down as you rinse it off. This way you get a small amount of water left and 1 PFM towel is all you will need. Use it with the matador technique when drying the horisontall panels. Lay it on as long as you can reach into the middle of the car and drag to you.

Griots Garage PFM Terry Weave Drying Towel

The touchless washes can work but then I use the leafblower. And the LSP needs to be fresh and great sheeting ability. If I would have problem with water spots I would do a waterless wash after the final rinse. They are often is great at removing fresh water spots too.

The higher specs we get from haveing the 240v outlets is a big difference. The one I have kärcher k7 premium plus flex pressure wash with specs 2600psi 2.6gpm is the larges we can have on 240v 16amp. Sunjoe has just been released their 9000 series which is like the kränzle PW specs with a higher water flow which is something I like more than the pressure from the PW. The one Griots Garage BOSS foaming system seems like a great PW and if with the lifetime warrenty a great value. Sunjoe 4000 series looks great too. Don't know how the Kärscher K5 110v PW is priced. But if not to much more than the Sunjoe 4000 it could be a great choice. The bigger PW you have the faster you can clean with it. If possible I would look into a gas PW also to get a more effective wash.
 
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