Cleaning Tires Without Water

[Bates Detailing]

So I was bored this morning and was reading old threads about how water is a must to clean tires........... so I decided to go out and snap some quick pics of one of my tires step by step.


Step 1 - Dirty Tire .... this is degreaser and an MF

http://i1189.photobucket.com/albums/z438/ourstar70/DSC04694.jpg?t=1300116036

Step 2 - Spray Degreaser on tire

http://i1189.photobucket.com/albums/z438/ourstar70/DSC04695.jpg?t=1300116036

Step 3 - Wipe off

http://i1189.photobucket.com/albums/z438/ourstar70/DSC04696.jpg?t=1300116036

I wiped twice to ensure complete cleanliness

http://i1189.photobucket.com/albums/z438/ourstar70/DSC04697.jpg?t=1300116036

Step 4 - Let dry.... takes no time, by the time you do all 4 tires the first should be dry.

http://i1189.photobucket.com/albums/z438/ourstar70/DSC04701.jpg?t=1300116036

Step 5 - Dress tire

http://i1189.photobucket.com/albums/z438/ourstar70/DSC04702.jpg?t=1300116036





So before and after using no water...........

http://i1189.photobucket.com/albums/z438/ourstar70/DSC04694.jpg?t=1300116036

http://i1189.photobucket.com/albums/z438/ourstar70/DSC04702.jpg?t=1300116036




Does this help anyone?!?!?!?

[Mike Phillips]

I'm sure it will help others...

One thing I would point out is that for work like this it's a good idea to use your Tatty Towels and don't expect all the black staining to wash out...


The 4 minimum categories of wiping cloths (http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/tricks-tips-techniques/21944-4-minimum-categories-wiping-cloths.html)


Wiping cloths
Just as important as any product or tool in your detailing arsenal are your wiping cloths. You can use the best compound, the best polish, the best LSP and of course the best buffing pads and top of the line polishers but if you're using any type of wiping cloth that is in some way, shape or form contaminated then you risk putting swirls and scratches into your car's finish. For this reason it's important to separate your wiping cloths into dedicated categories and have some type of labeling system so that you or others know what a collection of wiping cloths can be used on safely.

The ultimate goal is to have confidence that when you go to remove your LSP of a finish you've toiled over all day long, that the end results will giddy with glee, not because the paint looks fabulous, not loathsome and infuriated because you just instilled scratches back into the paint you've worked on so hard.

More than that, you want friends, family and even employees to be enabled to choose the right cloth in case they're are to perform any kind of detailing task with or without your supervision. For example, you're gone, a bird leaves a bird dropping on the hood of your girlfriend or wife's car and in their attempt to remove the bird dropping you don't want them grabbing the wrong microfiber polishing cloth and remove the bird dropping but create a new Saturday Detailing Project for you in the process.


4 Categories Minimum
Everyone should have at least 4 types of wiping cloths, some of you may have more categories like a dedicated collection of glass wiping cloths, or wiping cloths dedicated towards leather and vinyl dressings. These are the minimum, feel free to separate your wiping cloths as much as you like and places like Target offer plastic roll-around bins with drawers that you can label and store your different groups of wiping cloths. It's important to separate any cloth deemed worthing of wiping a high gloss finish from all the rest.


Good Microfiber Polishing Cloths
You can 'touch' paint with microfiber polishing cloths from this collection. These are the microfiber polishing cloths in your collection that are new or you have washed and dried and you trust them to be safe on a high gloss, polished finish.


Tatty Microfiber Polishing Cloths
These are washed, dried and clean, but their quality has fallen to a level that you have deemed them not worthing of touching a high gloss, polished finish. You don't throw them away because they still have value for wiping spray detailers or cleaner/waxes out places like door jambs, chrome wheels or bumpers, a roll bar, the paint on a boat trailer, or some components in the engine compartment. You might even keep them around for checking the oil or wiping grease off your hands after changing the oil. The point is they are still great at removing residue, just not off a swirl-free, scratch-free, high gloss surface.

Good Cotton Towels
While microfiber is superior at removing polishes, waxes and paint sealants off paint, and especially trace residues off smooth, high gloss finishes, there's still a place for good quality cotton towels. For example, cleaning you pad on the fly (http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/how-articles/20135-how-clean-your-foam-pad-fly.html). Cotton towels with a large nap work better than microfiber towels. Some people prefer a cotton towel with a large nap to remove compounds because they offer a more aggressive bite but then switch over to microfiber for removing polishes and LSP's. Your good cotton towels should be clean and soft and worthing of working on paint in good condition or better.

Tatty Cotton Towels
Tatty Cotton Towels are cotton towels that are washed and dried but for whatever the reason, their quality is fallen off to far from what's acceptable to touch paint in good condition or better. They still have value however for mundane tasks like wiping excess tired dressing off the face of a tire, applying or wiping cleaners and dressings in the fenderwell area, applying or removing cleaners, dressings or cleaner/waxes in the trunk area or door jambs and engine compartments. The have value because they are absorbent, clean and ready to use and paid for. After some projects you might be better of discarding them versus trying to clean them well enough that they can be used again.


:)

[Bates Detailing]

True - I have about 30 to 40 micros that are stained from using on tires and wheel wells...... I use the stained MF's after washing them for these procedures only - I like MFs over terry clothes (which people use often for this) for 2 reasons..... 1) wiping once with a MF will equal wiping 6 times or more with a terry 2) terry clothes I just toss after using.... which can get expensive.

[Pockets@PoorboysWorld]

Yup works great! We did it with B-n-B and Spray and wipe

Waterless Wheel and Tire Cleaning - DetailCity.org Auto Detailing & Car Detailing Forum (http://www.detailcity.org/forums/poorboysworld-com-sponsored-forum/29892-waterless-wheel-tire-cleaning.html)

[Cman8]

hey B&B do you do the same procedure for wheels? what wheel cleaner do you use? I did an escalade yesterday with chrome wheels and it had some discolorations that I couldnt get out. I used DP tire and wheel cleaner.

[SeaJay's]

Nice write up Anthony. I prefer to use a stream of water to rinse when using any type of degreaser on tires. Since sometimes overspray can get on the rims. But obviously this works for you and I'm assuming you probably clean the rims after the fact so it probably doesn't effect your results at all. I will have to give it a try I'm sure when I start doing dry washes (if I like the dry wash technique).

[Bates Detailing]

Yup works great! We did it with B-n-B and Spray and wipe

Waterless Wheel and Tire Cleaning - DetailCity.org Auto Detailing & Car Detailing Forum (http://www.detailcity.org/forums/poorboysworld-com-sponsored-forum/29892-waterless-wheel-tire-cleaning.html)

Yeah saw that man - Maybe I should use B & B for B & B!


hey B&B do you do the same procedure for wheels? what wheel cleaner do you use? I did an escalade yesterday with chrome wheels and it had some discolorations that I couldnt get out. I used DP tire and wheel cleaner.

On chrome I use a foaming glass cleaner and then an IPA wipedown..... I rarely put degreaser on any rims unless they are clearly uncared for cheap wheels.


Nice write up Anthony. I prefer to use a stream of water to rinse when using any type of degreaser on tires. Since sometimes overspray can get on the rims. But obviously this works for you and I'm assuming you probably clean the rims after the fact so it probably doesn't effect your results at all. I will have to give it a try I'm sure when I start doing dry washes (if I like the dry wash technique).

Yeah there is overspray on these rims but it is only because I could care less about this truck lol. When detailing a ride I am much more careful and many times spray the degreaser directly into the MF......... Once again, the guy that mows Yankee stadium probably has a overgrown yard lol!

[SeaJay's]

LOL I hear ya.

And right now I'm ashamed to even be driving my truck. It's filthy!

[Harleyguy]

Yeah saw that man - Maybe I should use B & B for B & B!



On chrome I use a foaming glass cleaner and then an IPA wipedown..... I rarely put degreaser on any rims unless they are clearly uncared for cheap wheels.



Yeah there is overspray on these rims but it is only because I could care less about this truck lol. When detailing a ride I am much more careful and many times spray the degreaser directly into the MF......... Once again, the guy that mows Yankee stadium probably has a overgrown yard lol! Let me get this right you use foaming glass cleaner on chrome rims ?? The rims that you do must be in excellent shape I've never seen glass cleaner be able to dissolve a build up of brake dust .

[Lasthope05]

To each their own. I like to rinse all my chemicals off my tires so I dont have any problems in the future. There is a reason why they say to be careful and not let degreasers dry on rubbers and plastics as their high alkalinity can discolor them. Same with acidic wheel cleaners, you wouldn't want to use those as spray and wipe products would you as residual acids would continue to deteriorate the finish if not completely rinsed off or neutralized.

[CEE DOG]

To each their own. I like to rinse all my chemicals off my tires so I dont have any problems in the future. There is a reason why they say to be careful and not let degreasers dry on rubbers and plastics as their high alkalinity can discolor them. Same with acidic wheel cleaners, you wouldn't want to use those as spray and wipe products would you as residual acids would continue to deteriorate the finish if not completely rinsed off or neutralized.

:iagree: (seriously)

[TornadoRed]

Why does B&B hate water so much? :poke:

[Mike Phillips]

To each their own. I like to rinse all my chemicals off my tires so I dont have any problems in the future. There is a reason why they say to be careful and not let degreasers dry on rubbers and plastics as their high alkalinity can discolor them. Same with acidic wheel cleaners, you wouldn't want to use those as spray and wipe products would you as residual acids would continue to deteriorate the finish if not completely rinsed off or neutralized.

That's a great point and I agree, anytime I have access to free flowing water then it's a good idea to rinse chemicals off and any dirt or grime they loosened. Problem is, not everyone has access to a source of free flowing water.

Optimum Power Clean or Opti-Clean would be good products things like this...


On a side note, in some circles I here the term Blue-Gold, which means water, of course, and the increasing scarcity of sources of good clean water.


:)

[Kristopher1129]

I've done tires this way myself. Usually in the winter when it's too cold to hit with water outide. I think it does just as good of a job. :xyxthumbs:

[Bates Detailing]

Let me get this right you use foaming glass cleaner on chrome rims ?? The rims that you do must be in excellent shape I've never seen glass cleaner be able to dissolve a build up of brake dust .

I do and it works great for me.... have you tried it?!?!?


To each their own. I like to rinse all my chemicals off my tires so I dont have any problems in the future. There is a reason why they say to be careful and not let degreasers dry on rubbers and plastics as their high alkalinity can discolor them. Same with acidic wheel cleaners, you wouldn't want to use those as spray and wipe products would you as residual acids would continue to deteriorate the finish if not completely rinsed off or neutralized.

Never had a discoloring issue on any of my fleets..... but it has only been like 10 months since I started working on them. When should I know if this is going to effect my fleet's tires?!?!?


Why does B&B hate water so much? :poke:


LOL - I don't.... just how I have always done it - and it seems like such a negative thing in this forum that I am trying to show people that are willing to try a new way that you can switch it up. But while I try to help and show people an out of the box method of detailing or cleaning a ride - It gets shot down or picked apart like I am horribly damaging cars lol! I haven't been successful over the years by jacking up peoples rides/ aircraft's/ rvs/ or buses lol - otherwise I would be broke and living under a bridge.


I've done tires this way myself. Usually in the winter when it's too cold to hit with water outide. I think it does just as good of a job. :xyxthumbs:

Thanx Kris for tossing that in there :dblthumb2: