Soap Cleaning Power

[evo77]

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.

Sorry but you are completely 100% incorrect.

Sudsing or "bubbles" have ZERO to do with cleaning. This is a fact known within the established detailing community and by the car care chemical companies. In fact more than handful of care care companies have publicly stated this. This is why its hard for ceramic washes to take a strong hold in retail stores because the public misunderstands this idea, just as you have. They buy a ceramic wash, pour it in a bucket and start to clean their car only to see all the "bubbles" die off in the bucket. They immediately think something is wrong with the soap or they think it just SUCKS and never use it or buy it again.

Pretty sure this is why you don't see many if any rinseless wash products in retail stores (Turtle Wax had a rinseless wash years ago and pulled it from shelves due to low sales). Because these don't give suds. And its hard for people to let go of the idea that "bubbles" mean clean but they don't.

 

[Coatingsarecrack]

Yeah I’d have to agree.

Reset, Mystic Bubble and BH AW are the best Neutral/balanced soaps I’ve used and none of them will win an award for bubbles.


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[PouncingPanzer]

I've noticed, more so, that not all pre-washes are created equal. Less-so for the standard shampoos. When it comes to cleaning power however Reset will always be a standout performer in my eyes. I will always have some around, always.

 

[UncleDavy]

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.

pH neutral water could be anywhere between 6.5 and 8.5. pH neutral soaps can range between 6.0 and 8.0. Most stains are acidic so most general soaps and cleaners are usually alkaline. For me, a pH neutral soap will not damage your skin or the surface that you are trying to clean. The suds mixed with water provide the lubrication necessary to wipe away the grime.