Waterless/Rinseless?

[Jeremy1976]

I am new to the scene but interested. My shop will be heated this winter but I have no water hookup up for a hose at this time. What products are recommended.

I have always been a skeptic with this thinking even when done properly it will create scratches and swirls. I'm going to suck it up though and give it a try

Keep in mind Wisconsin winters a brutal and cars are generally full of road salt.

I look forward to seeing what you guys suggest.

I'm thinking 2 bucket and a wash mitt along with microfibers specifically for this and nothing else.

What products do you recommend?

Thanks

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[TTQ B4U]

Wolfgang Uber. By far the best. I do a modified version of the Gary Dean Waterless Wash and it's amazing. Safer in many ways IMO than a traditional wash.

Here's a write up I've put together on what I find works really well.

In the case of traditional hose and bucket washing the biggest benefit is being able to flush away dirt and debris out of the cracks and crevices, etc. However, for washing the surfaces, fenders, hood, roof, etc. the two systems are essentially the same. In a no-rinse situation with a very dirty car, a simple trip to the power wash DIY or automated no-touch system is fine. I like to bring my 1gal garden sprayer with some Optimum No Rinse (ONR) ready to go. I pre-soak the entire car prior to entering the bay. IMO the ONR helps encapsulate and pre-soak the dirt for much easier and thorough removal when it’s blasted with high pressure.

After the blasting, I drive home and then proceed with my rinseless wash. I use about 2-3 gals in total. I use The key thing about a no-rinse is the solution is extra slick and really does encapsulate the dirt. You can really feel the lubricity when washing or if you were to dry an clean portion of the car with a microfiber towel. I also use a de-ionized / distilled water which really helps reduce any streaks and/spots. Solution wise, I’ve fallen in love with Wolfgang Uber Rinseless. It’s far better than ONR in my opinion and is well worth trying if you’ve not done so.

1. Fill a garden or powered Sprayer of your choice with No Rinse Solution
2. Fill a 3 gal bucket with about 1 gal. of No Rinse Solution
3. Insure I have a stack of 16" x 16" Eagle Edgeless Professional Super Plush 480gsm Microfiber Detailing Towels.

On my 4 door sedan the large plush towels go quite far. I use anywhere between 4-8 for the entire car depending on how dirty it is. Key is to fold them into four then make one more fold so that you can get a total of 16 completely clean/fresh passes out of a single towel. These hold lots of solution and are VERY Plush.

Both hose/buck and No-Rinse involve a pre-rinse and soak. In the case of a no-rinse system I use a garden sprayer to pre-soak the car with a fine to medium spray pattern being sure to cover every bit of dirt/panel. If you have the room in a garage and don’t mind a mist, you can even use a gravity fed system to feed an electric pressure sprayer and do the same thing. I pre-soak then wash in 5 stages; essentially the same as I do with a hose/bucket in the summer.

1. Wheels – Prevents splashing of nasty dirt up on a clean car
2. Front clip/nose and trunk/tail next as rinsing them tends to splash the hood/trunk
3. Hood-roof-trunk, windows. I do windows last in this case since they don’t scratch.
4. Side 1; one panel at a time top to bottom
5. Side 2; same

On the sides of the vehicle I tend to do all the top surfaces first then the bottoms being sure to put the lower portion dirty rags in the to-clean bucket quickly.


Steps.

1. Pre-soak, waiting a few minutes for the dirt to be encapsulated, oils and dirt to be broken up and solution to really work.
2. Quick spray down once more just prior to washing the panel to wash away as much as I can and to get the dirt to flow DOWN/OFF the car. Spray top to bottom
2. Wipe from top down using only a single pass per clean side or section of a towel. Each towel can be folded to a clean section allowing 16 passes per towel. More than enough for the entire panel or section. Keep the rage sopping wet and splash more solution on the rage if needed.
3. Last thing after each panel is washed is I give it another quick spray down top to bottom in order to push/wash away as much debris as I can. My powered sprayer is awesome for this as when combined with a good fan style spray tip it really works well at rinsing off any remaining aftermath.

I personally do not dry the panels one at a time as I go. Many do, but I don’t. Since I use distilled water, the clean panels blot dry easily and don’t tend to leave any drips or spots but if they do, a final wipe off with a clean dry MF Towel is all that’s needed.

Drying is the key IMO to keeping a car scratch/swirl free. IMO it causes more damage than a poor wash technique as when washing at least there’s more lubricity involved. When I do use a towel, I use a waffle weave towel and I NEVER drag it across the paint. I lay it out and blot it with pressure from my arm, pick up and move it and repeat. ANY wiping is only done with a clean, damp mf and No-rinse treated towel.

Once done I am a huge believer in a high quality detail spray and sealant. Both not only give the car a final spotless and flawless look but help insure future dirt has a layer of something there to help when pre-soaking the next wash cycle.

[Jeremy1976]

Thanks buddy. I appreciate the post!

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[Jeremy1976]

What's a good quality MF? Anything specific you use for rinseless?
I'll get a couple dozen right away.

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[idriveblackcars]

I'm assuming Wisconsin winters are like New England winters, maybe even a tad worse.

Bro you have to be out of your mind crazy to do a waterless in February lol. Even driving from a coin opp back to the shop the car will pick up so much salt and decontaminates I would test it on a pos first, someone who doesn't care.

Imo it's not what they were meant for. And using a pressure washer is somewhat defeating the "waterless" wash, not to mention all the water being used to wash all those towels on a weekly basis. I do think the Gary Dean method makes the most sense but in winter the risk is beyond high.

[Jeremy1976]

I know man. I'm having a hard time swallowing the whole waterless rinseless washing. It just doesn't seem right to me and I cannot imagine it not creating scratches and swirls... I'm at a loss with no water hookup unfortunately. I have everything detailing related other than that...

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[builthatch]

i have been using Optimum No Rinse for about eight years. now i use Megs D114, ONR or ONRWW (rarely). i don't use them all the time, but pretty often, esp. in the winter or if i am cleaning a vehicle that was just recently washed. when i do a wash, i generally do a VERY thorough wash and i find that rinseless isn't the most thorough if you are going to be ultra safe on every single surface. meaning, inner barrels and certain parts of the car that really need running water to be cleaned completely and safely. however, it does a great job or what it is and i can assure you that if you do it right and are mindful of your technique and materials, you'll be a-ok. having a well-kept finish that is protected well helps a lot with drying, since you can lay the towel on there or blot and thus minimize the chance of scratching whilst drying. i use the Dry Me Crazy towels and love them.

and you don't need distilled water if you are using ONR. i don't know about the other ones, but ONR in particular softens the water.

[idriveblackcars]

i have been using Optimum No Rinse for about eight years. now i use Megs D114, ONR or ONRWW (rarely). i don't use them all the time, but pretty often, esp. in the winter or if i am cleaning a vehicle that was just recently washed. when i do a wash, i generally do a VERY thorough wash and i find that rinseless isn't the most thorough if you are going to be ultra safe on every single surface. meaning, inner barrels and certain parts of the car that really need running water to be cleaned completely and safely. however, it does a great job or what it is and i can assure you that if you do it right and are mindful of your technique and materials, you'll be a-ok. having a well-kept finish that is protected well helps a lot with drying, since you can lay the towel on there or blot and thus minimize the chance of scratching whilst drying. i use the Dry Me Crazy towels and love them.

and you don't need distilled water if you are using ONR. i don't know about the other ones, but ONR in particular softens the water.


Where on the east coast are you? Heavy winter areas like the north east? The op wants to do this in winter in Wisconsin. And on customers cars who may not even have seen wax let alone a paint sealant.

I would totally advise against it, especially without a hose or water source at his shop.

[builthatch]

southern NJ. massive amounts of road treatments in this state since the various governing bodies LIVE to max out budgets in NJ. it's disgusting, actually.

it's fine. i use a very saturated multi towel technique, meaning, throw 20 600 GSM towels in the bucket and make sure i start from the top. by the time i get to the bottom, there has been plenty of stuff running down to pre-treat the lowers. if it's really bad...i'll pre-treat with Opti-Clean. i used to pre-treat with wash dilution ONR but Opti-Clean is purported to be much safer in terms of isolating things that may scratch. i actually use Opti-Clean the most out of any other detailing product. but that is another story for another thread!

but obviously you do have to use your best judgement. i used to say if you feel uncomfortable, don't do it. but i refrain from saying that now because i still see such an apprehension to doing it even though the stuff has been almost ubiquitous throughout our boutique detailing market. i was watching a video where that Junkman guy was telling a pro detailer who uses ONR on a regular basis that he doesn't trust it. i laughed.

i should admit that i only wash Opti-Coated vehicles on a regular basis in the winter. it helps on many fronts. but i would still feel confident to use it on an uncoated vehicle too.

[Real Riders]

I think I can wash almost any vehicle without a hose with Meguiars D114 without a problem (not including a vehicle that has been 4 wheeling).

[MattPersman]

The main issue I have run into is seeing dried salt streaks randomly when you think you are done on darker paints. It's hard to get it all off


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[idriveblackcars]

The main issue I have run into is seeing dried salt streaks randomly when you think you are done on darker paints. It's hard to get it all off


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There is no way a "waterless" wash is going to clean a vehicle not maintained well in the dead of winter. Not in Wisconsin nor New England. It's just not what they were meant for.

I can't even get all the salt off sometimes after a full car wash and using a pressure washer lol

[Jeremy1976]

I do have a Superwash literally 2 blocks from my house. I will just spend 2 bucks and take it there and pressure wash it good prior to the rinseless.

Im kicking around doing the Polish Angel coating on both of my personal vehicles.

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[builthatch]

I do have a Superwash literally 2 blocks from my house. I will just spend 2 bucks and take it there and pressure wash it good prior to the rinseless.

Im kicking around doing the Polish Angel coating on both of my personal vehicles.

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pre-wash and coating are both great ideas. i often feel a lot of what people do on this forum is fueled by paranoia but when it comes to rinseless, it can't hurt to be a little more cautious as you build your confidence level in the technology and your technique.

a few years ago i bought a salt remover product from autoality by Whip's Wax. i bought a gallon to help in situations like what you guys fear during rinseless and i used it twice...it worked, but wasn't necessary after all. could be because again i am washing Opti-Coated vehicles. maybe in the cases where you guys have having issues removing road chemicals safely, it may help to pre-treat with that item.

[Real Riders]

I do have a Superwash literally 2 blocks from my house. I will just spend 2 bucks and take it there and pressure wash it good prior to the rinseless.

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Going to a car wash and spraying off salt is great idea but here in West Virginia it get below zero in the winter. You are not able to spray off the car before doing a Rinseless. I have used D114 on vehicles covered with salt in the winter with no problems