Quote:
Originally Posted by Chevyfanaddict  can you use other types of liquids for a clay lubricant or should you only use a QD with it? I am asking because my friend gave me a brand new bar of detailing clay but no lubricant with it. I thought I hear a soapy water solution would work. |
The short answer is "yes"
The long answer is some clays and some soaps won't work together well and the clay will dissolve a little and become
gummy.
One other aspect that I noticed at the hundreds of detailing classes I taught at Meguiar's is that often times people
new to claying and detailing in general is that...
A spray detailer is formulated to wipe light dust off a car and
leave the paint looking good! That is clear and glossy. This happens when you use a spray detailer for a clay lube and most clay lubes will also wipe off to a nice shine.
When you use soapy water it will tend to leave the paint looking, well like you just wiped the car down with soapy water and that means it will leave the paint looking smearing and splotchy...
Now a seasoned detailer won't think nothing of this as in most cases they are going to "do something" next to the paint whether that be compound, or polish or wax and the end-result will be the smeariness will be removed a a clear, glossy finish restored.
But a Newbie will look look at the paint and how smeary it looks after their first time using clay with something like soapy water and FREAK OUT!
(Don't ask me why but I've seen this a LOT in my life)
I don't mean have a heart attack freak out but they will tend to get all panicky and fearful they've hurt their car's precious paint.
So if you use soapy water for a clay lube then go into the process being cautious of the type of soap you use and don't over use it and don't expect the paint to look like you just waxed it after wiping the residue off because it's probably going to look smeary, dull and splotchy until you use a secondary product to wipe the paint to a high gloss or move forward to your next step.
Here's some articles on the topic of claying, I've written one on the topic of using soap for clay lube in the past and because this falls into the category of a "Hot Topic", that is a topic that comes up all the time, I'll write a fresh one in the future.
Using Detailing Clay
Tips and Tricks for using detailing clay Do I need to wash my car after I use detailing clay to clay the paint? How often do I need to clay my car? 
Sign-up for Mike Phillips's Detailing Boot Camp September 29th & 30th 
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