What do I use to wash before waxing
- Thread starter DW C6
- Start date
Rsurfer
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- Jan 26, 2007
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Any car soap (without wax) will do, just use a paint cleaner before re-waxing.
Kurt_s
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- Dec 18, 2009
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It sort of depends on what you want to accomplish, condition of your paint, and what and when the LSP was last used. Some sealants are more resilient. Waxes tend to come off more easily.
To strip waxes, a lot of guys use Dawn dish soap, because it is cheap and tends to remove wax pretty well too. I've been using CG Citrus Wash and Gloss as it lubricates well and seems to cut through both sealants and waxes at the 1oz per gallon rate. Others use P21 TAW and some even use an APC. You don't want to let these stronger solutions dry on the paint. I suggest that you read through the threads about stripping waxes and sealants.
Depending on the condition of your paint:
Do you plan to clay before the new wax/sealant?
Do you plan to polish before the new LSP?
Do you plan to use a paint cleaner before the new LSP?
I almost always clay and use a paint cleaner to clean/prep the paint (remove surface contamination, oxidation, old wax and sealants), if I am not polishing and want to start with a brand new layer of wax. The paint looks better and the wax generally lasts longer. Mike P recommends that you use a paint cleaner of the same brand as the wax/sealant that you plan to use over it. For instance, use Wolfgang gloss enhancer with WG wax or sealant, and use Pinnacle paint enhancer before one of the Pinnacle waxes.
Both the paint cleaner and polish will remove the old wax and sealant and leave your paint ready for the new LSP. If you are going to use a paint cleaner or polish, the car soap may be less important, although you want something that is both lubricating to minimize scratching and strong enough to lift the dirt off the paint. I've used Dawn, Megs Gold Class and Mirror Glaze car washes, plus other car washes over the years.
Clay is wonderful for getting the paint smooth (try the baggie test after washing) before waxing. If you have never tried clay, it is amazing the difference clay can make. Your paint should feel smooth as glass. If you are going to correct/polish, claying makes it so much faster and easier.
If you have sap or tar on the paint, you may want to treat the sap with 70% IPA and for tar a bug/tar remover before claying, polishing or paint cleaning.
I hope this helps you and others that have similar questions.
shadowstep
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- Mar 23, 2009
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So would an IPA wipe down after a wash be an option prior to laying down new sealant or wax?
Kurt_s
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- Dec 18, 2009
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A pre-wax cleaner is the best avenue before the new sealant or wax. It cleans off wax, sealants and oxidation, while the IPA may not.
If you're going to take the time and energy to lay down a new sealant or wax, do the little things right to make your hard work stand out.
shadowstep
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- Mar 23, 2009
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I wasn't trying to take any shortcuts on removing the previous wax/sealant. I just thought I read previously that IPA wipe downs were for the purpose of cleaning away previous sealant and polishes that was missed or previously there.
Kurt_s
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- Dec 18, 2009
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Let me try to explain the issue. There are many different waxes and sealants out there. Isopropyl Alcohol is a solvent that is good for some things and not very good for others. The fairly common alcohols we use and hear about methanol, ethanol and isopropyl alcohol have different solvent properties. Some things dissolve in one but not in another.
- IPA (rubbing alcohol) tends to be automotive paint and external human body safe, at least with moderate use. It drys pretty quickly. If you spill small amounts on your skin, you will be ok.
- Methanol is very flammable and poisonous. Not really good on the skin and not good to breath either. I'm not sure how it reacts with automotive paint either.
- Ethanol. Hmmm. Let's just say that I have better uses for 100+ proof whiskey, gin, rum, tequila or vodka.
Secondly, some people say that IPA can haze the paint. Whether that is a chemical reaction with the paint or some of the residual wax/sealant/pollutant that once solubilized by the sprayed IPA is now spread across the paint, I don't know. I suspect the later.
Does this mean that IPA isn't beneficial in some cases to remove residual wax/sealant? No. IPA may work great in some instances. A prewax cleaner just offers more consistent, reproducable and measurable benefits.
That being said, I've learned to use IPA after polishing the paint to help remove residual polish, check my work and leave a clean surface. Mike P seems to like 100% mineral spirits (MS) better than IPA for this, at least for some projects. You will find that MS will dissolve stuff that IPA won't touch.
I hope that helps.
Rob T
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- Jul 28, 2007
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Let me try to explain the issue. There are many different waxes and sealants out there. Isopropyl Alcohol is a solvent that is good for some things and not very good for others. The fairly common alcohols we use and hear about methanol, ethanol and isopropyl alcohol have different solvent properties. Some things dissolve in one but not in another.
IPA might or might not fully solubilize the specific old wax or sealant you are using with a short dwell time, especially as new formulations come to market.
- IPA (rubbing alcohol) tends to be automotive paint and external human body safe, at least with moderate use. It drys pretty quickly. If you spill small amounts on your skin, you will be ok.
- Methanol is very flammable and poisonous. Not really good on the skin and not good to breath either. I'm not sure how it reacts with automotive paint either.
- Ethanol. Hmmm. Let's just say that I have better uses for 100+ proof whiskey, gin, rum, tequila or vodka.
Secondly, some people say that IPA can haze the paint. Whether that is a chemical reaction with the paint or some of the residual wax/sealant/pollutant that once solubilized by the sprayed IPA is now spread across the paint, I don't know. I suspect the later.
Does this mean that IPA isn't beneficial in some cases to remove residual wax/sealant? No. IPA may work great in some instances. A prewax cleaner just offers more consistent, reproducable and measurable benefits.
That being said, I've learned to use IPA after polishing the paint to help remove residual polish, check my work and leave a clean surface. Mike P seems to like 100% mineral spirits (MS) better than IPA for this, at least for some projects. You will find that MS will dissolve stuff that IPA won't touch.
I hope that helps.
Great post Kurt!
Kurt_s
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- Dec 18, 2009
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Thanks Rob!
BobbyG
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- Dec 29, 2009
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I always wash using a recommended car wash product. These will generally do a nice job dissolving contaminates allowing them to float off the finish when rinsed.
Removing Wax and Sealant
All topical products begin to degrade as soon as they're applied. The sun, wind, and rain, over time will cause these coatings to naturally evaporate. How long ago was the sealant and wax applied?
Finish Condition
The paints condition is also an important factor to take into consideration. If correction is needed then this in itself will remove residual coatings.
Washing then claying will remove embedded particles as well as any sealant or wax. An IPA wipe down will also dissolve sealants and waxes.