Review & How-To: Optimum No Rinse Wash & Wax

[Marc08EX]

Product Review and How-To: Optimum No Rinse Wash & Wax
Optimum No Rinse Wash & Wax, no rinse car wash, rinse free car wash, optimum no rinse



Description: (Taken from AG's website)

Wash and wax your vehicle – with one product!

Optimum No Rinse Wash & Wax is yet another revolutionary product from Optimum Polymer Technologies. Dr. David Ghodoussi - the brains behind Optimum car care products - managed to fuse his award-winning No Rinse Wash & Shine with the patented UV inhibitors found in Optimum Car Wax to create an all-new product – Optimum No Rinse Wash & Wax. The latest innovation from Optimum Polymer Technologies promises to deliver the convenience of a rinseless car wash with the cutting-edge protection of advanced UV inhibitors and high-grade carnauba wax.

When Optimum Polymer Technologies introduced No Rinse Wash & Shine, it changed the way people washed their cars. Optimum No Rinse Wash & Shine made it possible to wash your car without a free-flowing source of water. Instead of dragging out the hose and using an excessive amount of water, Optimum No Rinse Wash & Shine enabled you to safely wash your car using only a couple gallons of water. Optimum No Rinse Wash & Shine quickly gained recognition as one of the most ground-breaking car care products introduced in the 21st century and the latest offering from Optimum, No Rinse Wash & Wax, continues this trend.

Optimum No Rinse Wash & Wax combines the attributes that made No Rinse Wash & Shine such a widely accepted product among car care enthusiasts and professional detailers and supercharges it by adding real carnauba wax and advanced UV inhibitors. After you wash your vehicle with Optimum No Rinse Wash & Wax, you’ll immediately notice the crisp, clear reflections that the real carnauba wax imparts on the paint. What’s more, your vehicle will stay cleaner as the carnauba wax will create an immense amount of surface tension, causing water to bead up and roll off.

There is one thing you should know about your vehicle’s paint: the UV inhibitors in your clear coat have a half life of about five years. That means if you don’t keep your vehicle clean and protected on a regular basis, your clear coat will slowly begin to wear away, leaving the color coat exposed to the elements. Optimum No Rinse Wash & Wax is a dual-purpose product; you wash your car the environmentally-friendly way while imparting a glossy, protective layer of carnauba wax and advanced UV inhibitors. Vehicles regularly cleaned with Optimum No Rinse Wash & Wax will be protected from anything nature can throw at them.

What’s the big deal about rinseless car washes? As more countries enforce stringent water restrictions, it’s becoming more difficult to properly wash your vehicle. In some countries, it’s even illegal to wash your vehicle the traditional way. Optimum No Rinse Wash & Wax eliminates the hose and run-off that occurs from rinsing a soapy car. Plus, if you live in an area with cold temperatures or where snow fall occurs, Optimum No Rinse Wash & Wax enables you to wash your vehicle inside your garage. Optimum No Rinse Wash & Wax is also perfect if you live in an apartment complex and don’t have access to a hose.

Optimum No Rinse Wash & Wax is water-soluble, biodegradable, and meets all water usage laws established by the federal Clean Water Act and the Environmental Protection Agency.

Price:

$7.99 for 8oz
$19.99 for 32oz
$49.99 for 128oz

Introduction:

I have always been scared of using rinseless wash ever since it first came out. I didn't think it was as safe as using your traditional car soap and free flowing water. I just never believed that it has the same amount of lubricity. However, current living conditions forced me to try and use this product. Now, it's part of my washing routine.

How-To Do A Rinseless Car Wash:

I'm not going to type the product's directions but instead show you:



It says to use 2 gallons of water but I think Optimum just simplified the ratio of product to water. I never found 2 gallons to be enough especially when using a grit guard. I'm going to be showcasing this product on a small econobox vehicle so I chose to fill my water bucket with 3 gallons of water.



I think I got this tip from Mike Phillips. Mark your bucket with gallon marks (i.e. 2, 3 and 4 in my picture) to make filling your bucket easy.

So how much ONRWW do I need for 3 gallons of water you ask? A quick calculation says that we need 1.5oz of product. Use any type of measuring device. I'm using the Attach-It Measuring Cups here (Review: Attach-It 3oz Measuring Cups) and filled it to the 1.5oz mark:



Pour the solution to your bucket of water:



Here you can see the product suspended in the water. It's cool because it kind of looks like the clouds.



Now it's time to drop your Grit Guard in the bucket.



You already know that the purpose of the grit guard is to keep dirt at the bottom of the bucket and not let it swirl up your solution. For this case, it has a second purpose. I use it to mix my solution. This method of mixing not only works for rinseless but also for your traditional wash solution!



Now put your wash media in the bucket and let it soak for a little while before using it.



Now that you finished preparing your rinseless solution. It's time to wash the car!!!

As Mike Phillips said before, the power of the after pictures is in the before pictures. I really wanted to demonstrate the power and effectiveness of this rinseless wash so I had to use a dirty vehicle. Both my car and my wife's car are extremely clean so I didn't want to use that. So I asked a co-worker if he's willing to donate his car for my review. In exchange, his car will be washed. Thankfully I found a volunteer.

This car is a 2007 Chevy Aveo. It's dirty as you'll see in the pictures. We recently had rain here so it has dust, dirt, water spots and grime throughout the paint.

The beauty of rinseless washing is that you can do it under the sun. It's still preferred to work in the shade but if conditions don't permit you, it's still ok because you'll work at one panel at a time.

Let's start off with the hood. Here's the before picture showing how dirty it is:



Start washing the panel. I only washed half of this hood for demonstration purposes only. I would have washed the entire hood in 1 go. Make sure to use light pressure when doing your initial pass. You don't want to apply pressure while dragging the dirt around. Once you've completed your first pass, flip your wash media and clean the area again to make sure all the dirt has been cleaned off.





Now use your favorite drying towel whether it be a waffle weave microfiber drying towel or a standard microfiber towel. Either one will work just fine.



As you can see, the surface is now clean and shiny.

An important idea to keep in mind when doing rinseless washing is to keep your wash media as clean as possible. It means to agitate your wash mitt against the grit guard after each panel. A second bucket with just plain water will work here like your 2 bucket wash but I find that this consumes so much solution when using the wash media that I'm using. If you're only using microfiber towels then the 2 bucket method is fine.

Here's the wash media after washing half of the hood:



Pretty dirty huh? I'm sure you wouldn't try to rub that against the paint of your vehicle. What you do next is to try and rinse out the dirt as much as possible by agitating it against your grit guard.



Here's the wash media after agitation.



Here's the entire hood washed:



Now repeat that process throughout the entire vehicle working one panel at a time.

Rear quarter panel before:


Rear quarter panel being washed:


Rear quarter panel after:


Here's a picture of the rear quarter panel after washing it and me comparing it to the dirty rear bumper. Big difference huh?



Trunk before:


Trunk being washed:


Trunk after:


Rear door before:


Rear door being washed:


Rear door after:


Here's a picture of the rear door after washing it and me comparing it to the dirty front door.



Another comparison shot showing the difference between the clean front fender and the dirty front door:

[Marc08EX]

After washing the entire vehicle, here is how much solution I had remaining:



Here is my wash media after the entire wash:



Yes it looks dirty but it's not as bad as the blur ONR. For this reason, I'll be using ONRWW now.

Here are some after shows and gloss/reflection pictures:











Opinions and Observations:

I found ONR to be very safe and effective in cleaning. It removed the dirt with ease and the solution made it feel slick. I'm sure this makes it safe with their emulsification process. The owner also said that he didn't see any additional swirling or scratches from the wash.

One thing I didn't like about the original blue ONR was that it stained the wash media. What I mean is that it stays dirty even when you try to clean it by agitating it against the grit guard. Optimum said that the dirt particles are released when you agitate your wash media but the color of the wash media remains that way. It doesn't mean that it's dirty, just stained. I didn't like that at all because I perceived the wash media as having dirt and grits and I was so afraid to use it and scratch my car. That's one reason I never really liked ONR. But I'm happy to say that ONRWW doesn't stain the wash media as quick. After washing the entire vehicle, it did stain the wash media mildly. That improvement alone is enough for me to use ONRWW from now on. I'm happy about that enhancement.

Since this wasn't my vehicle, I really don't know what it normally looks like. So I asked the owner what did he think of the gloss and slickness after washing his vehicle. He definitely thought that it felt more slick than normal. Also, he said that the gloss improved a little. I'm guessing this is the result of the wax additive of the product and I'm happy to report that it seems to work.

Like with any other detailing product, this has an awesome smell! It smells fruity. I think it resembles the smell of melon but I'm not exactly sure. Just make sure you don't drink it yourself.

Conclusion:

Rinseless wash technology has changed the world of car washing. This enables people with water restrictions and no hose access to safely and effectively clean their car. Optimum has done it again with their No Rinse Wash & Wax. It cleans your car, produces a very nice shine and at the same time protecting it from the elements.

Whether you have used other rinseless products or haven't tried doing rinseless washing at all, it is time for you to try it with Optimum No Rinse Wash and Wax. It is a great product and definitely worth the money. It can clean you car without scratching provided that you use the proper technique and common sense. If you're afraid to try it, don't be. Just take the plunge like I did. You won't regret it.

[Mazda.Mark]

Very impressive write-up and review. It's in my cart

[Marc08EX]

Very impressive write-up and review. It's in my cart

Thank you so much for the compliments, Mark! I appreciate that. I'm also glad this review help you put the ONRWW in your cart. Let us know how you like it!

[silverfox]

Another home run for Dr. G and Optimum. Nice demo. I will say however that I'm no longer a die hard fan of Grit Guards. As you can see from the pictures, the wash media is filthy even after wiping it against the grit guard. Is it better than nothing..?..yes, obviously.

However I think its naive to think that wiping filthy, dirt and grime-laden wash media across a piece of plastic is going to remove a sufficient amount of dirt. It may remove some of the larger particles, but the smaller dirt particles are still there.

The Gary Dean method in my opinion is one of the easiest methods to completely prevent introducing dirty wash media back onto the paint during a wash. I use that method not only for rinse-less washing, but also conventional.

[Pureshine]

Great wright up Are you using one bucket or two? I always use two buckets so I have less chance of marring the paint.
Todd

[Caleb@ImpeccableImage]

Great writup . Im glad you did it on this product because it's one I have had my eye on for awhile.

[g26er]

I enjoyed reading, thanks.

[Lim3]

great write up marc !

[BobbyG]

Another outstanding review and writeup Marc!!

I'm glad you pointed out how dirt tends to cling to the wash-mitt and the importance of really rinsing it thoroughly. The first time I tried a rinseless wash I noticed the same thing which really elevated the importance of the 2sn rinse bucket...

Nice review along with the photos and documentation...