Couple of questions for ONR 'masters'

[newb001]

For those of you who consider yourselves to be ONR masters (or at least really good at :)), I have a few questions. I've only done 3 ONR washes so far (using 2bm with grit guards in both), so I have some more learning to do and would appreciate help with the following:

1. For my first 2 ONR washes I used a MF mitt which I think did a good job and I liked using. But it got dirty very quickly and is now quite stained (but still passes CD test). For my 3rd ONR I tried Lowe's grout sponges and a couple of sheepskin mitts. I thought that the sponges just didn't feel right to me (maybe sponges are better for a regular wash?), and I really liked the sheepskin (but they too got dirty and are now slightly stained). Is it normal for mitts (MF and/or Sheepskin) to get stained? If not, what could I be doing wrong? I do just a couple of passes, rinse/wipe the mitt on grit guard, pick up more ONR, couple more passes... In all 3 cases the car was not that dirty. I think what I'll try next time is a dedicated mitt for upper half of car and a separate one for the very bottom.

2. I had asked this question before, but the post went on a tangent so I'd like to ask it again: to QD (or spray wax) or not to QD when drying? Basically, is there any advantage as far as 'safety' in using a QD? I find it cumbersome having to wash, dry slightly, spritz QD, dry completely. I'd much rather just wash/dry and move to next panel. But, if using a QD adds protection from swirling/scratches I'll continue to do it. Otherwise I'd rather just wash/dry each panel and then at the end go over the whole car with a spray wax.

3. Related to #2, how many (and what kind) of MF towels do you go through when drying after an ONR wash (and please specify if using a QD or just straight drying). What I've been doing is washing, drying slightly with a waffle weave, spray 1 or 2 spritzes of QD, then finish drying with a plush MF. If I weren't QDing I would probably just use the waffle weave. I went through 3 large waffle weave (b/c that's all I have) and another dozen plush MFs. I think that is 'normal'???

Any other advice on how to do a successful ONR wash would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

[Chris Thomas]

No you don't have to QD. You have the option of using a spray wax this way to save time waxing but with the new formula ONR you won't see much improvement by using a QD.

Your towels will always get stained with ONR because that's how it works. It encapsulated it and sticks to the MF to keep the paint safe. This is just tiny grime and will not marr the paint. The dirt that is big enough to scratch is easily released and will sink to the bottom of your bucket. The two bucket method is wasteful and unnecessary with ONR. If you fold a towel into 4s (half it twice) you have 16 clean sections and should be able to do a panel per section. 1 towel will safely wash all but the dirtiest car all without a rinse bucket. My only caution is to not allow the towel to touch the bottom of the bucket via a grit guard or something similar.

Two oversized drying towels should be plenty. Waffle weave or super soft Terry towels with no pressure or use a blotting method for the first pass. With the surface still a bit damp buff the paint dry as if buffing QD off to finish using a plush MF. With both drying towels use the double fold/fresh side per panel technique I mentioned above.

You should have .5-1 gallon left when finished with the body. Use brushes and APC for the rims, tires, and wells the rinse/wash them with the left over ONR.

Summary: 2 gallons of water, 3 towels, 1 bucket, 1oz. ONR

[Dubbin1]

No you don't have to QD. You have the option of using a spray wax this way to save time waxing but with the new formula ONR you won't see much improvement by using a QD.


The purpose of using a QD when drying is to help assure you don't instill scratches, not to make it shiny ;)

[Chris Thomas]

Use a quality MF and clean the panel before you dry it. That is what keeps you from marring. The panel is wet for the first pass... Still damp for the second...so technically the ONR is it's own QD. I also use a blotting drying method. QD is for dusting in my opinion.

If you left dirt on the car, you shouldn't be drying it and if your towels will scratch without QD, you need to invest in some better towels.

[tuscarora dave]

Use a quality MF and clean the panel before you dry it. That is what keeps you from marring. The panel is wet for the first pass... Still damp for the second...so technically the ONR is it's own QD. I also use a blotting drying method. QD is for dusting in my opinion.

If you left dirt on the car, you shouldn't be drying it and if your towels will scratch without QD, you need to invest in some better towels.
:iagree:

[Joe in PA]

Here is how I use ONR however I am far from an expert.

I use a 16" x 16" MF that has a short nap on one side and a long one on the other. It does indeed get pretty stained and even a run through the washer using tide detergent won't release all the stuff. Anyway, I use the long nap side to wash a panel with ONR, wring the towel out and refold to use the shot nap side to "dry" the panel. It leaves a small amount of ONR on the panel but it is not a problem for me. Once the vehicle is clean, I use a quick wax and clean MF to give it a nice shine. So far this has worked well for me on my 4 vehicles without any apparent problems.

1. Yep the wash media will get stained with ONR
2. Nope I don't use a QD
3. Takes 2 or 3 towels to do a Jeep Grand Cherokee or Mustang GT - one as the wash media and 1 or 2 for the QW.

[newb001]

Thanks for all the input so far! Couple of follow-ups:

1. So you're using a regular plush MF towel (not a mitt or sponge) to do the actual washing?

2. As for dying, after just one or 2 panels I found that my towels (waffle weave and plush MF) were both fairly wet (not soaked to the point where I could 'wring them out', but just quite wet), and in order to fully dry a panel I had to use a new plush MF to do the final pass on almost every panel. I used the blot method with the WW, and the 'fold it in half twice' method with the plush MF. By the time I would get to the next panel, the MFs were just too wet and it just kind of 'smeared' the water/onr when doing the final pass. Perhaps I should try wringing them out anyway, even if they aren't 'soaked'? Also, to confirm, is it ok to leave it a bit wet and then come back and go over the whole car at once with a new plush MF (either with or w/o a spray wax)?

Thanks again!

[Joe in PA]

The amt of water left after I am done a panel is very minimal. Others may feel differently about it but at least for me and my vehicles it seems to work out ok.

[AeroCleanse]

I use a MF wash mitt, yes it gets dirty. When I am done I wash it in the machine with my other MF towels, always comes out clean.

I don't use a QD when drying.

How many towels, well I use maybe 4. I just use them until they don't absorb any more and then get a fresh one.

[Y2KSVT]

I think it's time for CEE DOG to make us one of his home videos of how to do a full ONR wash. I think he'll need a tripod so he can finally use both hands, and to avoid the Blair Witch Project type camera movement. :laughing:

Mark

[Bert31]

1. I use a large microfiber wrapped sponge during warm weather. It gets dirty but I rub it on my grit guard pretty agressively after each panel. When it gets cold I switch to my boars hair brush. And while many say it is a waste, I still use the two bucket method, I just feel better doing so. Also by doing so you keep your wash media cleaner if that makes you feel better.

2. I do not use a QD, spray wax or spray sealants while drying. I used to but I kept noticing my drying towels would bead water instead of absorb it, even the freshly washed ones. For the longest time I could not figure out what was causing this. I finally figured it had to be the spray waxes, spray sealants and QD's. So I washed all my towels with a strong mixture Dawn, APC and some degreaser in hot water. I did a few extra rinse cycles and then washed them again as usual just to make sure all the Dawn, APC and degreaser was removed. At that point the towels stopped beading and absorbed water as usual and have stayed that way since I no longer dry with QD's, spray waxes or spray sealants.

3. When I dry, I used the two towel method. For my initial drying I use a large drying towel to get up the majority of the ONR wash. I then go to a medium sized towel (smaller than a usual drying towel but bigger than the 16 inch hand MF's) I have to get the rest dry. I do this section by section.

Final note. For those who think my using two buckets is overkill, this will really make them role their eyes :). Before I wash my car, I have some ONR in a spray bottle and spray down my entire car and let it sit on the paint for a few minutes while I get my buckets filled and ready for the wash. By giving the ONR time to "soak" the dirt, cleaning the car seems much easier. Areas that would normally take one or two extra "wipes" or some agitation generally come off with a simple wipe. This pre spray method also helps when using the boars hair brush in the winter since you really can't agitate very well with a boars hair brush. I have to believe that since dirt is coming off easier I am also decreasing the risk of marring. So some with think this is over kill, oh well, I like doing it.

[Chris Thomas]

Thanks for all the input so far! Couple of follow-ups:

1. So you're using a regular plush MF towel (not a mitt or sponge) to do the actual washing?

2. As for dying, after just one or 2 panels I found that my towels (waffle weave and plush MF) were both fairly wet (not soaked to the point where I could 'wring them out', but just quite wet), and in order to fully dry a panel I had to use a new plush MF to do the final pass on almost every panel. I used the blot method with the WW, and the 'fold it in half twice' method with the plush MF. By the time I would get to the next panel, the MFs were just too wet and it just kind of 'smeared' the water/onr when doing the final pass. Perhaps I should try wringing them out anyway, even if they aren't 'soaked'? Also, to confirm, is it ok to leave it a bit wet and then come back and go over the whole car at once with a new plush MF (either with or w/o a spray wax)?

Thanks again!

1) I usually use either a Plush MR 16x24, or the Opti Mitt to wash.
2) You may need bigger towels or they may be old and not absorb what they should. I've found that using the dryer makes towels not as absorbent. And with heavy use I only get about 2 years out of a drying towel. I use an Optimum 24x36 drying towel that is supposed to hold 7 times its weight in water. I fold it in half twice and use a fresh face on each panel. It never gets too wet to dry the car. The last pass is a 16x24 MF that only has to buff to a shine, so it doesn't get too wet either. The key is really in the folding and keeping a fresh side to dry with. If you have the whole towel open it does seem to get wetter faster.

[Old Tiger]

Thanks for all the input so far! Couple of follow-ups:

1. So you're using a regular plush MF towel (not a mitt or sponge) to do the actual washing?

2. As for dying, after just one or 2 panels I found that my towels (waffle weave and plush MF) were both fairly wet (not soaked to the point where I could 'wring them out', but just quite wet), and in order to fully dry a panel I had to use a new plush MF to do the final pass on almost every panel. I used the blot method with the WW, and the 'fold it in half twice' method with the plush MF. By the time I would get to the next panel, the MFs were just too wet and it just kind of 'smeared' the water/onr when doing the final pass. Perhaps I should try wringing them out anyway, even if they aren't 'soaked'? Also, to confirm, is it ok to leave it a bit wet and then come back and go over the whole car at once with a new plush MF (either with or w/o a spray wax)?

Thanks again!
I use a foam core WW either HD Guzzler or Mothers. I blot dry. Two of these guys do my Ford with no issues. Use 1 bucket with Grit Guard. Ive been using the infamous Shamrocks as wash tool with great results. I have soft water, so I dont need to hurry to dry, IME ONR doesnt waterspot so no harm to leave wet or damp for a few minutes. I follow up with Polycharged DG Aqua Wax or 4 Star Spray Wax. BTW I hose the vehicles off first and sometimes use the foam gun. I do this because I can. I actually prefer ONR to traditional car wash except for wheels & tires,
BTW Im gonna get a few Opti Mitts on next order.

[Chris Thomas]

...For those who think my using two buckets is overkill, this will really make them role their eyes :). Before I wash my car, I have some ONR in a spray bottle and spray down my entire car and let it sit on the paint for a few minutes while I get my buckets filled and ready for the wash. By giving the ONR time to "soak" the dirt, cleaning the car seems much easier. Areas that would normally take one or two extra "wipes" or some agitation generally come off with a simple wipe. This pre spray method also helps when using the boars hair brush in the winter since you really can't agitate very well with a boars hair brush. I have to believe that since dirt is coming off easier I am also decreasing the risk of marring. So some with think this is over kill, oh well, I like doing it...

Hi Bert,

No judgment here...like Mike Phillips says, "find something you like and use it often." I would like to expound on my 2BM overkill statement so you guys don't think I'm just hatin on the method. As I see it, the second bucket is to rinse the media that will wash the surface of the car. Well, because I use a fresh side of the towel, that is not necessary. In other words, I'm not using the same media on the whole car, but a fresh one every panel. If I were doing a traditional wash and only using one mitt, then I would rinse with the hose after every panel or use the 2BM, but for rinseless (the way I do it), it's just not necessary.

As for your presoak, I actually do that a lot of the time. If I have a pretty dirty one, I will certainly do this. I have also started using Opti Clean 5:1 as a presoak and it works better than ONR at QD strength. Must have more actives in it because it was made to function with so little water.

Chris

[Old Tiger]

I think it's time for CEE DOG to make us one of his home videos of how to do a full ONR wash. I think he'll need a tripod so he can finally use both hands, and to avoid the Blair Witch Project type camera movement. :laughing:

Mark
Corey hasnt truly seen the light on Rinseless yet. He is there with UWW+ though!