Soap Cleaning Power

[briarpatch]

I think there are differences between PH neutral soaps. I'm no chemist, but I have to believe that the chemical compositions of different soaps, while being Ph neutral, have something to do with their respective cleaning power. Could it be so significant that the average person would easily be able to see/notice the difference....perhaps not.

[Coatingsarecrack]

Soap is soap if its ph neutral. They will all work the same. There is no *significant* standalone cleaning power. That only comes from surface agitation and high pressure water.

It isn't until you use a soap that is either more acidic or alkaline where it begins to be strong enough to penetrate grime and dirt on its own as long as you let it dwell long enough to do its job.

That P&S soap is a gimmick. If you read its description it reads just like every other car soap in the world with the exception that it is supposedly formulated to not breakdown lubricants that all other soaps do? I mean, is this really a thing in the off-road world?

If a soap is formulated to not strip waxes and sealants then it isn't going to do much for bonded dirt/grime by itself.

Reset is PH neutral but cleans a lot better than other PH neutral soaps that I have tried. A lot of users here and In the internetverse have experience same.

That being said agreed with the P&S soap… gimmicky. Reads like a ph neutral or balanced soap.

Only real way to get cleaner is with a more Alklaline or acidic soap which may possibly harm LSP.


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[Coatingsarecrack]

Forensic just did a test on APCs. I’d like to see one done with soap testing their cleaning ability.


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Most European detailers/influencers focus on pre soaks/snow foams. Removing all the junk before the contact wash.

The Best Snow Foam | Ultimate Pre-wash Comparison Test - YouTube

If you watch him a lot he endorses BH products fully even before he started doing paid videos for them.

Save yourself some money/time and just buy A Bilt Hamber pre foam.

There is nothing better. If your looking for ph neutral snow foam, Griots Surface wash has most cleaning power but doesn’t come close to a alkaline product.


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[briarpatch]

If your looking for ph neutral snow foam, Griots Surface wash has most cleaning power but doesn’t come close to a alkaline product.


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Thanks for the reminder....Griots Surface Wash had pretty much fallen off of my radar

[CleanIT]

Most European detailers/influencers focus on pre soaks/snow foams. Removing all the junk before the contact wash.

The Best Snow Foam | Ultimate Pre-wash Comparison Test - YouTube

If you watch him a lot he endorses BH products fully even before he started doing paid videos for them.

Save yourself some money/time and just buy A Bilt Hamber pre foam.

There is nothing better. If your looking for ph neutral snow foam, Griots Surface wash has most cleaning power but doesn’t come close to a alkaline product.


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Touchless Washing Full Collection - Chem-X

Any experience with these guys?

[MoBenzOwner]

That sounds like nonsense.

As I stated previously, ph neutral car soaps do not have *significant* standalone cleaning power. That is why on a moderately soiled vehicle, if you just sprayed it down with soap (foam gun/foam cannon), let dwell and rinse off, the vehicle would still have bonded grime and contaminants. Why? Because ph neutral soap is not strong enough by itself. You must introduce the mechanical aspect of washing.

Cleaning comes from the agitation by your wash media (ie. wash mitt, sponge, body brush). The soap contains lubrication and the surfactants which emulsify and loosen the dirt which allows it to be temporary suspended so that it can be flushed away with water.

I believe the biggest misunderstanding of ceramic infused soaps is that because they are very low sudsing by nature, they don't "clean" as well as high sudsing soaps. That is completely false. They will clean just the same as standard soap (because cleaning comes from agitation).

EVO - FYI even on the Griots sight they will tell you to wash with another one of their soaps first, before using wash and coat, if the car is very dirty. As you note , and I agree, that agitation does have a bit to do with cleaning, the lubricity is not there on that soap to where you can actually wash mitt stuff off easily. PH is a factor on cleaning but not the sole factor.

[evo77]

EVO - FYI even on the Griots sight they will tell you to wash with another one of their soaps first, before using wash and coat, if the car is very dirty. As you note , and I agree, that agitation does have a bit to do with cleaning, the lubricity is not there on that soap to where you can actually wash mitt stuff off easily. PH is a factor on cleaning but not the sole factor.

There is nothing on the Griots website that says this in writing but I did find a clip on their YT channel (live Q&A video for Wash & Coat) confirming what you say regarding using a pre-wash for heavily soiled vehicles.

I suppose in the context of cleaning a really dirty vehicle, would anyone here really grab Wash & Coat for a job like that? I would think not. So is this really an issue? Most folks would pre-foam or pre-rinse even if you were using a regular car soap. So before the contact wash begins, the surface would already be free of all the junk that could mar the finish.

I have not used Wash & Coat but have used Meguiar's Hybrid Ceramic Wash n Wax and Armor All Ceramic Wash. And when I have used them it was never on a heavily soiled car and I never will.

[Coatingsarecrack]

Touchless Washing Full Collection - Chem-X

Any experience with these guys?

Nah I’ve seen it but not sure about it. To get totally chemically clean would have to be REALLY acidic or alkaline. Doubt it would clean better than BH unless it was stronger and then would worry about coatings.


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[MisterSnoop]

There is nothing on the Griots website that says this in writing but I did find a clip on their YT channel (live Q&A video for Wash & Coat) confirming what you say regarding using a pre-wash for heavily soiled vehicles.

I suppose in the context of cleaning a really dirty vehicle, would anyone here really grab Wash & Coat for a job like that? I would think not. So is this really an issue? Most folks would pre-foam or pre-rinse even if you were using a regular car soap. So before the contact wash begins, the surface would already be free of all the junk that could mar the finish.

I have not used Wash & Coat but have used Meguiar's Hybrid Ceramic Wash n Wax and Armor All Ceramic Wash. And when I have used them it was never on a heavily soiled car and I never will.

It says it on the bottle at the bottom under TIP OF THE TRADE. I have used it on a car that I didn't consider really dirty but had some stuff stuck to the paint (bug guts, etc) that it wouldn't remove but Reset handled easily.

[Matador]

That sounds like nonsense.

As I stated previously, ph neutral car soaps do not have *significant* standalone cleaning power. That is why on a moderately soiled vehicle, if you just sprayed it down with soap (foam gun/foam cannon), let dwell and rinse off, the vehicle would still have bonded grime and contaminants. Why? Because ph neutral soap is not strong enough by itself. You must introduce the mechanical aspect of washing.

Cleaning comes from the agitation by your wash media (ie. wash mitt, sponge, body brush). The soap contains lubrication and the surfactants which emulsify and loosen the dirt which allows it to be temporary suspended so that it can be flushed away with water.

I believe the biggest misunderstanding of ceramic infused soaps is that because they are very low sudsing by nature, they don't "clean" as well as high sudsing soaps. That is completely false. They will clean just the same as standard soap (because cleaning comes from agitation).

Bubbles and foam is what helps in cleaning. I agree about the higher PH stuff breaking it down on it's own, but it's bubbles that make a car cleaner when you match that with a good mitt. The bubbles is what encapsulates dirt and helps you lift it off the surface. Think of washing dishes.

More bubbly, the better clean you'll get. Higher PH for me, means a more 'grimey' car that needs some more 'chemical' help to clean from road grime, tar, iron, etc.