What do you think of my rinseless wash routine for a very dusty car?

[joebruin77]

At this time of year, we get lots of winds and my cars are frequently covered in dust. I know the safest way to wash the cars is to pretreat with foam and do a two-bucket traditional wash. But we are in the midst of a drought and I want to wash my cars with a minimal amount of water. What do you think of my rinseless wash routine for a very dusty car?

I wash early in the morning so the paint is cool and out of direct sunlight.

1) First, I pretreat the entire car by spraying a solution of Optimum Power Clean, diluted 3 to 1.

2) Next, I take a 1-gallon garden sprayer filled with water and 1 ounce of ONR. I start at the top of the car and spray the entire car in the hopes of getting as much of the Power Clean and dust off the car as possible before doing the contact wash.

3) I do a rinseless, two-bucket contact wash using ONR.

4) I dry the car using a Gauntlet drying towel and a drying aid, either Meguiars D156 or a ceramic-infused topper spray.

One of my main questions, do you think this routine will get all of the Power Clean off the paint, or is there a chance that some of the Power Clean will still be left on the paint and is a rinse with a hose necessary to ensure all the Power Clean is removed?

Thank you,
Joe

[dgage]

My thought is that isn’t enough rinsing after Power Clean. Maybe try McKee’s N-914 rinseless instead of Power Clean. Not exactly the same cleaning level but greater than ONR and you don’t have to worry about rinsing too little. Follow up with ONR and you’d be good. That’s two passes of a rinseless so it should be clean at that point. My idea probably isn’t the best but I feel you in terms of trying to use limited water, which I have to do during winter.

Another option is to look at Ammo Frothe as a rinseless with no need for water.

[Klasse Act]

No way does that rinse it off, I wouldn't do that[emoji779]

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[C5Longhorn]

If mostly removing dust, do you need something as strong as Power clean? I'd go with your pre treat and then traditional rinse less wash and save the Power clean for any spots you need to hit. Then you can give those areas an extra hit of ONR to remove the PC.

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[dlc95]

Instead of Power Clean you could use Opti-Clean if the dust is "sticky". This is what I like to use when a lot of salt is present. Mist with Opti-Clean, pre-spray with ONR, contact wash with ONR standard dilution, then use Opti-Seal, Car Wax, or Instant Detailer as a "drying aid". Her Jeep has Gloss Coat on it, and my car has Opti-Seal (on non test bed sections).

Opti-Clean gives greater lubricate and cleaning Power as a presoak than ONR alone.

I've had very good luck with this process.

[ducksfan]

Instead of Power Clean you could use Opti-Clean if the dust is "sticky". This is what I like to use when a lot of salt is present. Mist with Opti-Clean, pre-spray with ONR, contact wash with ONR standard dilution, then use Opti-Seal, Car Wax, or Instant Detailer as a "drying aid". Her Jeep has Gloss Coat on it, and my car has Opti-Seal (on non test bed sections).

Opti-Clean gives greater lubricate and cleaning Power as a presoak than ONR alone.

I've had very good luck with this process.

Okay, I liked the thread not because that's what i would do. But, rather i think if you're going over the top, this is a viable solution.

Personally, I don't get the point of doing more than one prespray and then washing. If an ONR prespray isn't good enough for you, use Opticlean for the reasons he states. You're not talking that much money. Why double the time?

I will add, from personal experience, use all Optimum products if use go with their product line. I've had problems with mixing their chemistry with others.

[The Guz]

There is no need for power clean in this situation. It will also degrade any wax or sealant on the surface.

[Texchappy]

Drop the power clean and the second bucket. Only reason I would use the power clean is to spot treat bugs or sap. People think a second bucket is safer but all it really does is dilute the onr unless you fill it with onr solution too.

[dgage]

Drop the power clean and the second bucket. Only reason I would use the power clean is to spot treat bugs or sap. People think a second bucket is safer but all it really does is dilute the onr unless you fill it with onr solution too.

Exactly. I no longer do 2 bucket washes of any type. I use 1 bucket and multiple towels/mitts. I don’t have to worry about dirty rinse water towards the end of a wash because a dirty/rinsed towel never touches my paint. Oh, I guess I still use a 2nd bucket for dirty towels. :)

[glen e]

Exactly. I no longer do 2 bucket washes of any type. I use 1 bucket and multiple towels/mitts. I don’t have to worry about dirty rinse water towards the end of a wash because a dirty/rinsed towel never touches my paint. Oh, I guess I still use a 2nd bucket for dirty towels. :)

Exactly…Garry dean had it right…one bucket of solution, 6-7 towels and an empty discard bucket, leaf blower for bulk dry, waffle weave for the finish wipe. Total time : 20 min….

I like Ech20 versus ONR… Used ONR for years, Ech20 is better….

[Klasse Act]

Exactly…Garry dean had it right…one bucket of solution, 6-7 towels and an empty discard bucket, leaf blower for bulk dry, waffle weave for the finish wipe. Total time : 20 min….

I like Ech20 versus ONR… Used ONR for years, Ech20 is better….Ech2o CRUSHES ONR, not even close[emoji779][emoji779]

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[psnt1ol]

At this time of year, we get lots of winds and my cars are frequently covered in dust. I know the safest way to wash the cars is to pretreat with foam and do a two-bucket traditional wash. But we are in the midst of a drought and I want to wash my cars with a minimal amount of water. What do you think of my rinseless wash routine for a very dusty car?

I wash early in the morning so the paint is cool and out of direct sunlight.

1) First, I pretreat the entire car by spraying a solution of Optimum Power Clean, diluted 3 to 1.

2) Next, I take a 1-gallon garden sprayer filled with water and 1 ounce of ONR. I start at the top of the car and spray the entire car in the hopes of getting as much of the Power Clean and dust off the car as possible before doing the contact wash.

3) I do a rinseless, two-bucket contact wash using ONR.

4) I dry the car using a Gauntlet drying towel and a drying aid, either Meguiars D156 or a ceramic-infused topper spray.

One of my main questions, do you think this routine will get all of the Power Clean off the paint, or is there a chance that some of the Power Clean will still be left on the paint and is a rinse with a hose necessary to ensure all the Power Clean is removed?

Thank you,
Joe

I live in northern California and work in Utah. I traveled lots and lots of miles and I only get to wash my car once a month at best. My DD lives outdoor in California as well as Utah and I fully understand the water conservation aspect in California. I will try to answer your question as best as I could.

I think you are taking a one size fits all approach for all maintenance washes. Your method should be dependent on what the desired result would be. Light dust, moderately soiled, and filthy would be all handle differently. Another factor to consider is actually the condition of your LSP and type (wax, sealant, coating). Using a strong cleaner to pre-soak could degrade a wax and sealant while a true coating could take a lot more. Very seldom I would use Power Clean to presoak the entire car. Power clean foams well and I used it to treat nasty lower body panels in the past. Optimum has warned that it can edge glass if left to dry so I tend not to use it on the top part of the vehicle. They also recommend a thorough rinse off prior to moving on to the next step so rinsing with a sprayer is not enough in my opinion. I think using Power clean to pre-soak to rid of dust in general is a bit overkill. As to my typical pre-soak??? I have acidic, alkaline, and PH neutral soap and cleaners in my arsenal so it really depends on what I am trying to do. Am I looking to strip and start over or to preserve existing LSP? waterspots? Tar? bug guts? or my favorite....unknown sticky substances.

My monthly maintenance wash is a combination of pre-soak with the IK pro 12 foamer follow by a rinse-less wash. With the water restriction in place in California, I dont use a standard pressure washer anymore. I dont use a hose either. I now use a washer that siphon water....very similar to the Powershot. One bucket and a half of water is all I use for the entire car. I just need to rinse off the pre-soak plus this wouldn't alarm any nosey neighbors since everyone can see that I only have one bucket out. Once thats done, I load up my rinse-less solution to another IK pro 12 foamer and go to town one panel at a time with the big red sponge while using the remaining water in the bucket to rinse my sponge between panels. I would also use dedicated drying towels to remove any remaining liquid on the panel. As for the wheel... when the pre-soak is on the panels, I use a wheel cleaner and wheel woolies then rinse off at the same time as the panels. I sometimes would use the rinse-less wash on the wheels as well just to clean everything up.

BTW... Not all rinse-less washes are created equal. I stop using ONR many years ago. I just prefer a rinse-less wash to have more lubricity while having the ability to foam. Some rinse-less will leave behind a little protection and some with nothing. My choice of rinse-less product also depends on what my end game would be. On a SI02 based LSP...ECH2O, Polymer based LSP....Ultima waterless wash (dont foam very well..very runny), and everything else since it leaves nothing....Detailer Garage Wipeout Fuzion.

I been using this routine for the last 2 years now and its working for me.

[Eldorado2k]

Overkill.

[crg001]

I live in northern California and work in Utah. I traveled lots and lots of miles and I only get to wash my car once a month at best. My DD lives outdoor in California as well as Utah and I fully understand the water conservation aspect in California. I will try to answer your question as best as I could.

I think you are taking a one size fits all approach for all maintenance washes. Your method should be dependent on what the desired result would be. Light dust, moderately soiled, and filthy would be all handle differently. Another factor to consider is actually the condition of your LSP and type (wax, sealant, coating). Using a strong cleaner to pre-soak could degrade a wax and sealant while a true coating could take a lot more. Very seldom I would use Power Clean to presoak the entire car. Power clean foams well and I used it to treat nasty lower body panels in the past. Optimum has warned that it can edge glass if left to dry so I tend not to use it on the top part of the vehicle. They also recommend a thorough rinse off prior to moving on to the next step so rinsing with a sprayer is not enough in my opinion. I think using Power clean to pre-soak to rid of dust in general is a bit overkill. As to my typical pre-soak??? I have acidic, alkaline, and PH neutral soap and cleaners in my arsenal so it really depends on what I am trying to do. Am I looking to strip and start over or to preserve existing LSP? waterspots? Tar? bug guts? or my favorite....unknown sticky substances.

My monthly maintenance wash is a combination of pre-soak with the IK pro 12 foamer follow by a rinse-less wash. With the water restriction in place in California, I dont use a standard pressure washer anymore. I dont use a hose either. I now use a washer that siphon water....very similar to the Powershot. One bucket and a half of water is all I use for the entire car. I just need to rinse off the pre-soak plus this wouldn't alarm any nosey neighbors since everyone can see that I only have one bucket out. Once thats done, I load up my rinse-less solution to another IK pro 12 foamer and go to town one panel at a time with the big red sponge while using the remaining water in the bucket to rinse my sponge between panels. I would also use dedicated drying towels to remove any remaining liquid on the panel. As for the wheel... when the pre-soak is on the panels, I use a wheel cleaner and wheel woolies then rinse off at the same time as the panels. I sometimes would use the rinse-less wash on the wheels as well just to clean everything up.

BTW... Not all rinse-less washes are created equal. I stop using ONR many years ago. I just prefer a rinse-less wash to have more lubricity while having the ability to foam. Some rinse-less will leave behind a little protection and some with nothing. My choice of rinse-less product also depends on what my end game would be. On a SI02 based LSP...ECH2O, Polymer based LSP....Ultima waterless wash (dont foam very well..very runny), and everything else since it leaves nothing....Detailer Garage Wipeout Fuzion.

I been using this routine for the last 2 years now and its working for me.

I too am in California and have been trying to figure out ways to reduce my water consumption. What kind of pre-treatment products have you found to be effective, that also rinse away with minimal water from a cordless pressure sprayer or a pump-up sprayer? To maintain my own vehicles it's easy with what I already have, but for some vehicles that I see that have never been maintained well, it's hard to get the surface down to a clean slate for polishing/lsp without acidic chemicals (and the resulting flood of water to rinse away) in order to break down the water spots and such.

[ducksfan]

I live in northern California and work in Utah.

Wow, that took a long time to backspace to get to just this part of the post

But hey, LMAO at all the people who read this and can't comprehend why. And I don't mean crossing over state lines to work. It's more the direction your driving.

But being a life long CA guy, I wouldn't leave either.