Detail Dad
New member
Hi all!
Long time lurker from back in the AG forum days. I have a question that I can’t seem to find many good answers for. I’ve been getting more into rinseless washing after having a couple bad early experiences. I wanted to revisit it because my family recently bought a large RV (34’) and am having to expand my detailing knowledge and techniques for such a big vehicle.
My question is about pre-soaking with a rinseless wash (and then rinsing) compared to using a foam cannon to pre-foam (and then rinsing). For hose/bucket washing, I’ve seen that a pre-foam can really be helpful when I’m working on a dirtier car, and I’ve been using Turtle Wax Max Power for this. It’s the easiest thing for me to find and I like that it isn’t crazy high PH; it doesn’t kill spray sealants in one go, but cleans decently well. I find myself doing less scrubbing and using less pressure with the subsequent contact wash. I’ve also played with Car Pro Reset and the Chemical Guys Strip Wash, but neither really seemed better than the TW.
On to rinseless - I recently did a rinseless wash on both the RV and one of our cars. I use the original pink Wolfgang Uber Rinseless Wash in a big pump sprayer as my pre-soak (1 oz per gallon or 128:1). I have been really impressed with how this has worked. I’ve noticed some pollen and other debris start to break down and even fall off the vehicle just from the pressure of a cheap pump sprayer. It appears to work just as well or better than the Turtle Wax Max Power foam (and definitely better than a PH-neutral pre-foam).
In short, what’s the deal?
Rinseless washes typically talk about encapsulation or emulsification of dirt. Is this attacking dirt somewhat akin to how a high PH soap would? Does the rinseless pre-soak attack traffic film? And am I correct in assuming that the rinseless wash pre-soak is even safer for the wax/sealant on the vehicle than a high PH soap would be? When I do the pre-spray it beads up and starts to roll off, suggesting the underlying protection is in-tact. It works so well I’m questioning whether I can use this technique and ditch the pre-foam for maintenance washes (i.e. even if I'm using a hose/bucket for one of the cars). 1 oz of rinseless is really inexpensive from many brands.
I follow the WG Uber pre-soak with a rinse from a battery-powered pressure washer that siphons from gallons of distilled water (usually about 2 gallons for an average car). Then it’s a contact wash with the blue Wolfgang Uber SiO2 rinseless with the Microfiber Madness Incredipole for the RV, and then wipe dry with a wide microfiber on a stick (kind of like a Swiffer). Overall, this method produces shockingly good results (gloss, slickness, hydrophobics, no water spots) at a cost and effort level that work for me. I still plan to do a deep clean once or twice a year with a high PH soap and all that jazz, but for maintenance washes, this rinseless method with some of the newer products have me impressed. And of course, I understand that there still may be times when I need to pre-soak some sections with bug/tar cleaner or APC regardless of the wash method that follows.
In short, I have been shocked with how well the presoak/rinse has been working, and I want to understand it better. Moving to rinseless is also easier to stay spot free with distilled water (I don’t have a DI system or pressure washer).
Long time lurker from back in the AG forum days. I have a question that I can’t seem to find many good answers for. I’ve been getting more into rinseless washing after having a couple bad early experiences. I wanted to revisit it because my family recently bought a large RV (34’) and am having to expand my detailing knowledge and techniques for such a big vehicle.
My question is about pre-soaking with a rinseless wash (and then rinsing) compared to using a foam cannon to pre-foam (and then rinsing). For hose/bucket washing, I’ve seen that a pre-foam can really be helpful when I’m working on a dirtier car, and I’ve been using Turtle Wax Max Power for this. It’s the easiest thing for me to find and I like that it isn’t crazy high PH; it doesn’t kill spray sealants in one go, but cleans decently well. I find myself doing less scrubbing and using less pressure with the subsequent contact wash. I’ve also played with Car Pro Reset and the Chemical Guys Strip Wash, but neither really seemed better than the TW.
On to rinseless - I recently did a rinseless wash on both the RV and one of our cars. I use the original pink Wolfgang Uber Rinseless Wash in a big pump sprayer as my pre-soak (1 oz per gallon or 128:1). I have been really impressed with how this has worked. I’ve noticed some pollen and other debris start to break down and even fall off the vehicle just from the pressure of a cheap pump sprayer. It appears to work just as well or better than the Turtle Wax Max Power foam (and definitely better than a PH-neutral pre-foam).
In short, what’s the deal?
Rinseless washes typically talk about encapsulation or emulsification of dirt. Is this attacking dirt somewhat akin to how a high PH soap would? Does the rinseless pre-soak attack traffic film? And am I correct in assuming that the rinseless wash pre-soak is even safer for the wax/sealant on the vehicle than a high PH soap would be? When I do the pre-spray it beads up and starts to roll off, suggesting the underlying protection is in-tact. It works so well I’m questioning whether I can use this technique and ditch the pre-foam for maintenance washes (i.e. even if I'm using a hose/bucket for one of the cars). 1 oz of rinseless is really inexpensive from many brands.
I follow the WG Uber pre-soak with a rinse from a battery-powered pressure washer that siphons from gallons of distilled water (usually about 2 gallons for an average car). Then it’s a contact wash with the blue Wolfgang Uber SiO2 rinseless with the Microfiber Madness Incredipole for the RV, and then wipe dry with a wide microfiber on a stick (kind of like a Swiffer). Overall, this method produces shockingly good results (gloss, slickness, hydrophobics, no water spots) at a cost and effort level that work for me. I still plan to do a deep clean once or twice a year with a high PH soap and all that jazz, but for maintenance washes, this rinseless method with some of the newer products have me impressed. And of course, I understand that there still may be times when I need to pre-soak some sections with bug/tar cleaner or APC regardless of the wash method that follows.
In short, I have been shocked with how well the presoak/rinse has been working, and I want to understand it better. Moving to rinseless is also easier to stay spot free with distilled water (I don’t have a DI system or pressure washer).
