Soap Cleaning Power

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CleanIT

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Has anyone noticed a significant difference in cleaning power between different car shampoos? The focus is usually on foam and lubricity. I'm curious if some do clean much better than others. It's hard for me to say, but I think Reset does clean better than some.

P&S has a new one called Wide Open All Terrain. LOL. I'm curious how well it works.
 
The new P & S line looks interesting. Kind of geared to the ATV crowd. But not to say it would work great on trucks. Can't say I ever ran across a Soap that was horrible at cleaning. Again, some better than others.
 
I ran across soaps that were terrible at cleaning but it was over twenty years ago so hopefully they've changed
 
Soap is soap if its ph neutral. They will all work the same. There is no *significant* standalone cleaning power. That only comes from surface agitation and high pressure water.

It isn't until you use a soap that is either more acidic or alkaline where it begins to be strong enough to penetrate grime and dirt on its own as long as you let it dwell long enough to do its job.

That P&S soap is a gimmick. If you read its description it reads just like every other car soap in the world with the exception that it is supposedly formulated to not breakdown lubricants that all other soaps do? I mean, is this really a thing in the off-road world?

If a soap is formulated to not strip waxes and sealants then it isn't going to do much for bonded dirt/grime by itself.
 
evo77 said:
Soap is soap if its ph neutral. They will all work the same. There is no *significant* standalone cleaning power. That only comes from surface agitation and high pressure water.

It isn't until you use a soap that is either more acidic or alkaline where it begins to be strong enough to penetrate grime and dirt on its own as long as you let it dwell long enough to do its job.

That P&S soap is a gimmick. If you read its description it reads just like every other car soap in the world with the exception that it is supposedly formulated to not breakdown lubricants that all other soaps do? I mean, is this really a thing in the off-road world?

If a soap is formulated to not strip waxes and sealants then it isn't going to do much for bonded dirt/grime by itself.
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Great points I think you're right.
 
I've read, but can't confirm from personal use, that many of the ceramic infused soaps like Griot's wash and coat, HS ceramic wash, have diminished cleaning power.
 
MoBenzOwner said:
I've read, but can't confirm from personal use, that many of the ceramic infused soaps like Griot's wash and coat, HS ceramic wash, have diminished cleaning power.
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That sounds like nonsense.

As I stated previously, ph neutral car soaps do not have *significant* standalone cleaning power. That is why on a moderately soiled vehicle, if you just sprayed it down with soap (foam gun/foam cannon), let dwell and rinse off, the vehicle would still have bonded grime and contaminants. Why? Because ph neutral soap is not strong enough by itself. You must introduce the mechanical aspect of washing.

Cleaning comes from the agitation by your wash media (ie. wash mitt, sponge, body brush). The soap contains lubrication and the surfactants which emulsify and loosen the dirt which allows it to be temporary suspended so that it can be flushed away with water.

I believe the biggest misunderstanding of ceramic infused soaps is that because they are very low sudsing by nature, they don't "clean" as well as high sudsing soaps. That is completely false. They will clean just the same as standard soap (because cleaning comes from agitation).
 
evo77 said:
That sounds like nonsense.

As I stated previously, ph neutral car soaps do not have *significant* standalone cleaning power. That is why on a moderately soiled vehicle, if you just sprayed it down with soap (foam gun/foam cannon), let dwell and rinse off, the vehicle would still have bonded grime and contaminants. Why? Because ph neutral soap is not strong enough by itself. You must introduce the mechanical aspect of washing.

Cleaning comes from the agitation by your wash media (ie. wash mitt, sponge, body brush). The soap contains lubrication and the surfactants which emulsify and loosen the dirt which allows it to be temporary suspended so that it can be flushed away with water.

I believe the biggest misunderstanding of ceramic infused soaps is that because they are very low sudsing by nature, they don't "clean" as well as high sudsing soaps. That is completely false. They will clean just the same as standard soap (because cleaning comes from agitation).
Click to expand...
No sir...i have to 100% disagree with you.

I have used wash and coat. While it did leave something behind and reveal decent beading....it actually sucked for cleaning ability. Its would serve no purpose other than to do a bucket wash on a garaged vehicle that only has dust on it from sitting.

I gave the 3/4 full bottle away.it did however smell damn good!

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Forensic just did a test on APCs. I’d like to see one done with soap testing their cleaning ability.


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opie said:
No sir...i have to 100% disagree with you.

I have used wash and coat. While it did leave something behind and reveal decent beading....it actually sucked for cleaning ability. Its would serve no purpose other than to do a bucket wash on a garaged vehicle that only has dust on it from sitting.

I gave the 3/4 full bottle away.it did however smell damn good!
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Yep. I use it post wash now since it wouldn't remove some stubborn stuck-on stuff. It's decent in that usage. It is balancing cleaning and protection.
 
I think there are differences between PH neutral soaps. I'm no chemist, but I have to believe that the chemical compositions of different soaps, while being Ph neutral, have something to do with their respective cleaning power. Could it be so significant that the average person would easily be able to see/notice the difference....perhaps not.
 
evo77 said:
Soap is soap if its ph neutral. They will all work the same. There is no *significant* standalone cleaning power. That only comes from surface agitation and high pressure water.

It isn't until you use a soap that is either more acidic or alkaline where it begins to be strong enough to penetrate grime and dirt on its own as long as you let it dwell long enough to do its job.

That P&S soap is a gimmick. If you read its description it reads just like every other car soap in the world with the exception that it is supposedly formulated to not breakdown lubricants that all other soaps do? I mean, is this really a thing in the off-road world?

If a soap is formulated to not strip waxes and sealants then it isn't going to do much for bonded dirt/grime by itself.
Click to expand...

Reset is PH neutral but cleans a lot better than other PH neutral soaps that I have tried. A lot of users here and In the internetverse have experience same.

That being said agreed with the P&S soap… gimmicky. Reads like a ph neutral or balanced soap.

Only real way to get cleaner is with a more Alklaline or acidic soap which may possibly harm LSP.


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NJNinja said:
Forensic just did a test on APCs. I’d like to see one done with soap testing their cleaning ability.


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Most European detailers/influencers focus on pre soaks/snow foams. Removing all the junk before the contact wash.

The Best Snow Foam | Ultimate Pre-wash Comparison Test - YouTube

If you watch him a lot he endorses BH products fully even before he started doing paid videos for them.

Save yourself some money/time and just buy A Bilt Hamber pre foam.

There is nothing better. If your looking for ph neutral snow foam, Griots Surface wash has most cleaning power but doesn’t come close to a alkaline product.


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Coatingsarecrack said:
If your looking for ph neutral snow foam, Griots Surface wash has most cleaning power but doesn’t come close to a alkaline product.


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Thanks for the reminder....Griots Surface Wash had pretty much fallen off of my radar
 
Coatingsarecrack said:
Most European detailers/influencers focus on pre soaks/snow foams. Removing all the junk before the contact wash.

The Best Snow Foam | Ultimate Pre-wash Comparison Test - YouTube

If you watch him a lot he endorses BH products fully even before he started doing paid videos for them.

Save yourself some money/time and just buy A Bilt Hamber pre foam.

There is nothing better. If your looking for ph neutral snow foam, Griots Surface wash has most cleaning power but doesn’t come close to a alkaline product.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

Touchless Washing Full Collection - Chem-X

Any experience with these guys?
 
evo77 said:
That sounds like nonsense.

As I stated previously, ph neutral car soaps do not have *significant* standalone cleaning power. That is why on a moderately soiled vehicle, if you just sprayed it down with soap (foam gun/foam cannon), let dwell and rinse off, the vehicle would still have bonded grime and contaminants. Why? Because ph neutral soap is not strong enough by itself. You must introduce the mechanical aspect of washing.

Cleaning comes from the agitation by your wash media (ie. wash mitt, sponge, body brush). The soap contains lubrication and the surfactants which emulsify and loosen the dirt which allows it to be temporary suspended so that it can be flushed away with water.

I believe the biggest misunderstanding of ceramic infused soaps is that because they are very low sudsing by nature, they don't "clean" as well as high sudsing soaps. That is completely false. They will clean just the same as standard soap (because cleaning comes from agitation).
Click to expand...

EVO - FYI even on the Griots sight they will tell you to wash with another one of their soaps first, before using wash and coat, if the car is very dirty. As you note , and I agree, that agitation does have a bit to do with cleaning, the lubricity is not there on that soap to where you can actually wash mitt stuff off easily. PH is a factor on cleaning but not the sole factor.
 
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MoBenzOwner said:
EVO - FYI even on the Griots sight they will tell you to wash with another one of their soaps first, before using wash and coat, if the car is very dirty. As you note , and I agree, that agitation does have a bit to do with cleaning, the lubricity is not there on that soap to where you can actually wash mitt stuff off easily. PH is a factor on cleaning but not the sole factor.
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There is nothing on the Griots website that says this in writing but I did find a clip on their YT channel (live Q&A video for Wash & Coat) confirming what you say regarding using a pre-wash for heavily soiled vehicles.

I suppose in the context of cleaning a really dirty vehicle, would anyone here really grab Wash & Coat for a job like that? I would think not. So is this really an issue? Most folks would pre-foam or pre-rinse even if you were using a regular car soap. So before the contact wash begins, the surface would already be free of all the junk that could mar the finish.

I have not used Wash & Coat but have used Meguiar's Hybrid Ceramic Wash n Wax and Armor All Ceramic Wash. And when I have used them it was never on a heavily soiled car and I never will.
 
evo77 said:
There is nothing on the Griots website that says this in writing but I did find a clip on their YT channel (live Q&A video for Wash & Coat) confirming what you say regarding using a pre-wash for heavily soiled vehicles.

I suppose in the context of cleaning a really dirty vehicle, would anyone here really grab Wash & Coat for a job like that? I would think not. So is this really an issue? Most folks would pre-foam or pre-rinse even if you were using a regular car soap. So before the contact wash begins, the surface would already be free of all the junk that could mar the finish.

I have not used Wash & Coat but have used Meguiar's Hybrid Ceramic Wash n Wax and Armor All Ceramic Wash. And when I have used them it was never on a heavily soiled car and I never will.
Click to expand...

It says it on the bottle at the bottom under TIP OF THE TRADE. I have used it on a car that I didn't consider really dirty but had some stuff stuck to the paint (bug guts, etc) that it wouldn't remove but Reset handled easily.
ec0241712a3f0610f1e3b5843e6b6642.jpg
 
evo77 said:
That sounds like nonsense.

As I stated previously, ph neutral car soaps do not have *significant* standalone cleaning power. That is why on a moderately soiled vehicle, if you just sprayed it down with soap (foam gun/foam cannon), let dwell and rinse off, the vehicle would still have bonded grime and contaminants. Why? Because ph neutral soap is not strong enough by itself. You must introduce the mechanical aspect of washing.

Cleaning comes from the agitation by your wash media (ie. wash mitt, sponge, body brush). The soap contains lubrication and the surfactants which emulsify and loosen the dirt which allows it to be temporary suspended so that it can be flushed away with water.

I believe the biggest misunderstanding of ceramic infused soaps is that because they are very low sudsing by nature, they don't "clean" as well as high sudsing soaps. That is completely false. They will clean just the same as standard soap (because cleaning comes from agitation).
Click to expand...
Bubbles and foam is what helps in cleaning. I agree about the higher PH stuff breaking it down on it's own, but it's bubbles that make a car cleaner when you match that with a good mitt. The bubbles is what encapsulates dirt and helps you lift it off the surface. Think of washing dishes.

More bubbly, the better clean you'll get. Higher PH for me, means a more 'grimey' car that needs some more 'chemical' help to clean from road grime, tar, iron, etc.
 
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