Honestly, is foaming even effective? Isn't a simple wash mitt much better?

[KBsToy]

If foaming floats your boat, sail on...in your lovely white sea of marketing seduction.

If it blows wind up ur skirt ...FOAM ON !!!!!

I do it let it soak then use my favorite mitt and lots of soap and water to wash everything off. Neighbors look at my garage and see foam coming out and wonder whats up...

[HellDemon]

I foam, but I DO realize it's effect is marginal, but even if it improves dirt removal or something by even 1%, I'm going to go for it.
However do note this, the snow foams in the UK, and you can search up actimousse or chemical guys no touch snow foam, genuinely work like a touchless wash, which we unfortunately can't get over here, though I'm looking into other pre-wash things that work to the same effect, like auto finesse citrus power (which works fantastically to get rid of like, 80-90% of the dirt on the surface), but it comes as a ready to use spray and it does get damn expensive

[PiPUK]

The effect is extremely dependent upon your product. As I have pointed out before, the products in the US tend to be extremely mild and are often also used as a regular bucket wash shampoo. Chemically these have very little effect, a scientific consideration would not have you believe they would have a massive effect. In practice, a regular bucket type shampoo will have minimal benefit compared to simply using a high pressure water jet - such a mild product has no chance of cutting through oily films such as those resulting from vehicle exhausts. Do some reading on the UK forums and you will see that products for use in a foam cannon/lance are rarely the same as those used for a hand wash. Most will use elevated alkalinity which makes a big difference when cutting through traffic films. In so doing, the products become irritant and would not be safe for a lot of skin contact (as in a bucket wash). Some products will go to an extreme and use lots of caustic soda to make a seriously alkaline product - these will make another big difference and there will be a night and day difference when comparing the results with a foam like this compared to a mild pH, shampoo, type product.

All the best

[SonOfOC]

That is correct. The higher alkaline products can be sprayed, allowed to dwell, and pressured washed off with good results. Widely used on grimy trucks and cabs.

The neutral shampoo aerated through a foam cannon/vance will need some a additional step with a wash media.

The effect is extremely dependent upon your product. As I have pointed out before, the products in the US tend to be extremely mild and are often also used as a regular bucket wash shampoo. Chemically these have very little effect, a scientific consideration would not have you believe they would have a massive effect. In practice, a regular bucket type shampoo will have minimal benefit compared to simply using a high pressure water jet - such a mild product has no chance of cutting through oily films such as those resulting from vehicle exhausts. Do some reading on the UK forums and you will see that products for use in a foam cannon/lance are rarely the same as those used for a hand wash. Most will use elevated alkalinity which makes a big difference when cutting through traffic films. In so doing, the products become irritant and would not be safe for a lot of skin contact (as in a bucket wash). Some products will go to an extreme and use lots of caustic soda to make a seriously alkaline product - these will make another big difference and there will be a night and day difference when comparing the results with a foam like this compared to a mild pH, shampoo, type product.

All the best

[Deep Gloss Auto Salon]

Wouldn't a regular 2 bucket wash (including shampoo like Meguiar's Gold Class) with a washing mitt that really scrubs off the dirt and grime

The word bolded in red above from your original post is why foaming helps.... Less "scrubbing"... Will it clean your car? No. Will it remove some of the debris to minimize what you have to remove with mechanical agitation (at the risk of swirling).

FYI: never "Scrub" your paint

[Fishincricket]

The word bolded in red above from your original post is why foaming helps.... Less "scrubbing"... Will it clean your car? No. Will it remove some of the debris to minimize what you have to remove with mechanical agitation (at the risk of swirling).

FYI: never "Scrub" your paint

This.....

[FUNX650]

I've been coming across many posts and pictures in the forum about
foaming in the washing process.


Wouldn't a regular 2 bucket wash (including shampoo like Meguiar's Gold Class) with a washing mitt
that really scrubs off the dirt and grime<<<{ }...be much more effective?


Or maybe even a pressure wash?<<<Be nice to own one!

Any input would be appreciated.

I get, what I consider, the best of both: "Foam-Worlds"...with Meguiar's D110 Hyper-Wash...
@~ 8.5 ph...not too alkaline for my personal Health & Safety.

Foam/Suds(?):
Are they only as "good in/for cleaning"...
as the surfactants that are in the car-wash shampoo solution?

I've heard that at least some, if not all, surfactants may produce foam/suds...
But isn't it nice to have some good ol': Coconut Diethanolamide (DEA)...
added to a product such as: D110 to assist in producing copious amounts of foam.

That, and Meguiar's choice of 'anionic surfacatants' for D110...could very well be for you, OP...
The: Car-wash-shampoo/Pre-soak/Snow-foam: "Deal-maker"




Bob

[Mfour]

I always foam when I can .

[PiPUK]

I get, what I consider, the best of both: "Foam-Worlds"...with Meguiar's D110 Hyper-Wash...
@~ 8.5 ph...not too alkaline for my personal Health & Safety.

Foam/Suds(?):
Are they only as "good in/for cleaning"...
as the surfactants that are in the car-wash shampoo solution?

I've heard that at least some, if not all, surfactants may produce foam/suds...
But isn't it nice to have some good ol': Coconut Diethanolamide (DEA)...
added to a product such as: D110 to assist in producing copious amounts of foam.

That, and Meguiar's choice of 'anionic surfacatants' for D110...could very well be for you, OP...
The: Car-wash-shampoo/Pre-soak/Snow-foam: "Deal-maker"




Bob

At a pH of 8.5, realistically it is barely alkaline at all - some would consider it so minimally so as to describe it as neutral. In mineral rich areas, your water supply can be at that level. Practically it will not have enough alkalinity to do much good. Consider that many ready to use APCs on the market will have pH in excess of 12 - this will be approximately 10000 times stronger than the alkalinity providers at pH 8.5. I would honestly say you need to be well above pH 10 before you will see any big improvement in greasecutting power.

Coconut Diethanolamide is in all manner of products (think washing up liquids) but would be considered a secondary surfactant - it isn't what gives the flash foam necessary, rather it stabilises the foam. The anionic you refer to is what gives the flash foam, but again, these are ubiquitous and there wont be many high foam products which do not contain one or other anionic primary surfactant. What I am saying is that there really is nothing particularly special about D110.

[cardaddy]

That's the marketing side....

Plus... it looks cool...

Uh... yup & HELLO!!!