Winter washing

O

orionz06

New member
Joined
Jul 22, 2007
Messages
196
Reaction score
0
Well, my house hunting has gone well into the winter, and i have come up with a more affordable way to remove salt from the car...


what you need:
car shampoo
bug sprayer bottle (the kind you pump up)
squirt bottle

1: I use megs hyper-wash, 1 oz per bottle, and fill to top, shake to mix
2: Fill bug bottle and pump
3: On one panel, spray with car wash mixture
4: Let the spray float down, lifting most of the grime
5: Once you think it has sat enough, spray top to bottom with bug bottle to rinse


this has kept me from the coin-op wash and in control of what touches my paint much longer than before... there is a chance of freezing and the wash method doesnt remove everything, but it reduces the stuff that will collect on the paint, and makes me cringe less... it also removes enough grime for me to safely use ONR when it is warmer... (when i use ONR, i spray with bug bottle as well to fully wet the surface and remove residual grime)


this method has also sparked a new desire to place myself in a new home sooner than ever...
 
spray with car soap/water from squirt bottle to soak the panel
let stuff run off the panel
rinse with bug sprayer


repeat
 
What you people are doing is great, but it doesn't work very good in my area.
With temperatures staying in the mid 20s down to below zero, even the coin-op car washes are only open limited hours.
One thing that helps me handle it:
It's 59 days till Spring!

Or:

* 5,097,600 seconds
* 84,960 minutes
* 1416 hours
* 8 weeks (rounded down)
 
Last edited:
CharlesW said:
What you people are doing is great, but it doesn't work very good in my area.
With temperatures staying in the mid 20s down to below zero, even the coin-op car washes are only open limited hours.
One thing that helps me handle it:
It's 59 days till Spring!

Or:

* 5,097,600 seconds
* 84,960 minutes
* 1416 hours
* 8 weeks (rounded down)
Click to expand...

its 7 degrees right now.... it was 8 earlier...

it will reach 10 tomorrow, but go back down later...

we have had it down to -5 last week...
 
Then the system you mentioned in your first post probably isn't going to work very good.
Around here, those temperatures don't allow much soap and water solution to run off. :D
 
CharlesW said:
Then the system you mentioned in your first post probably isn't going to work very good.
Around here, those temperatures don't allow much soap and water solution to run off. :D
Click to expand...
used hot water yesterday and it worked pretty well... a steam rinse would be great though...
 
CharlesW said:
What you people are doing is great, but it doesn't work very good in my area.
With temperatures staying in the mid 20s down to below zero, even the coin-op car washes are only open limited hours.
One thing that helps me handle it:
It's 59 days till Spring!

Or:

* 5,097,600 seconds
* 84,960 minutes
* 1416 hours
* 8 weeks (rounded down)
Click to expand...

Steam works, trust me. Of course you have to be able to bear the temps to work on your car.
 
orionz06 said:
its 7 degrees right now.... it was 8 earlier...

it will reach 10 tomorrow, but go back down later...

we have had it down to -5 last week...
Click to expand...
orionz06 said:
used hot water yesterday and it worked pretty well... a steam rinse would be great though...
Click to expand...
-5 to +10 still freezes water here. I doubt that I could spray warm water on and wipe it off without it freezing, let alone the damage it might do to the finish.

AeroCleanse said:
Steam works, trust me. Of course you have to be able to bear the temps to work on your car.
Click to expand...
And you need a steam cleaner. Probably not a lot of us own one. :)

Someone definitely agrees with your idea.
Check this out.
Clean By Steam
 
Emile said:
Why would I rinse my car with bug sprayer chemicals?
Click to expand...

He is saying some ONR in sprayer bottle (obvious not filled with bug chemicals) to spray,

I am guessing he uses the word "bug" but I would call them garden sprayers (the type you mix up chemicals, pump up to get pressure, and use to spray stuff like grass killer, bug spray, etc). This is how many do rinseless pre-soaking.
 
no real damage, the wax finish hasnt been effected from what i can tell, and besides, ill take hot water over salty water any day... they use calcium chloride here too, which is still worse than hot water with potential to freeze...


as cold as it has been, the water hasnt been freezing or causing problems before it drips off, but again, its the best i have right now, and anything is better than a blue car covered in chalky white/brown dust...

EDIT: and yes, its a garden sprayer, but its made by ortho, which made me think bugs... it has never seen anything but detailing stuff and once i used it for carpet spraying indoors with laundry soap in it... great little item to have... especially if you mix bulk ONR...
 
Isn't the melting point of waxes something under 200 degrees?
Isn't the temperature of steam at least 212 degrees?
Isn't that 212 degree steam going to remove wax?

The more I think about it, the less I care for the steam cleaning of my paint idea.

If it works for you, great!
 
CharlesW said:
Isn't the melting point of waxes something under 200 degrees?
Isn't the temperature of steam at least 212 degrees?
Isn't that 212 degree steam going to remove wax?

The more I think about it, the less I care for the steam cleaning of my paint idea.

If it works for you, great!
Click to expand...

I use paint sealants not waxes, so I'm not sure how the steam effects it.

You may not care for it, but that does not mean its not effective at cleaning.
 
Rhoads77 said:
wont the hot water be dangerous?? I mean, i guess its ok if your careful around the glass.
Click to expand...
its outta the faucet, not very hot...

ive yet to see any hot water do any damage to glass even... i know the potential is there, but i also only do it after i have been driving, so cold glass isnt an issue...



as for the steam, use a thermometer to learn the distance at which the steam is not going to harm the protective barrier of sealant/wax... but also remember, my cars are sealed for winter, and insulators wax over that... potentially losing the collinite still leaves sealant... (plus i try to keep anything that hot far from the paint)
 
AeroCleanse said:
I use paint sealants not waxes, so I'm not sure how the steam effects it.

You may not care for it, but that does not mean its not effective at cleaning.
Click to expand...
I also use sealants, but many people don't.
The effect on the wax is a small part of my concern with steam cleaning my vehicle exterior.
Like I said, I'm glad it works for you, but it isn't for me. :)

Rhoads77 said:
wont the hot water be dangerous?? I mean, i guess its ok if your careful around the glass.
Click to expand...
orionz06 said:
its outta the faucet, not very hot...

ive yet to see any hot water do any damage to glass even... i know the potential is there, but i also only do it after i have been driving, so cold glass isnt an issue...
Click to expand...
My rinseless washes are done with water straight from the hot water faucet and I have not had any problems. I do wash in a garage that I heat to about 50 or 60 degrees, but the vehicles don't warm up to that temperature before I start washing.
By the time I mix up a couple gallons of wash solution with the hot water and get it to the garage, I can put my hand in it so it isn't scalding hot.

Actually, I use the hot water all year round since I think it does a better job of cleaning.
Try rinsing a plate under cold running water, then try it under hot running water. The hot water does a much better job.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top