Suggestions for how to clean the car without Soap

[LmeaViper]

Background:
The City I live in does not allow you to use soap to wash your car in your driveway. You can use a pressure sprayer, but no soap.

The so called pressure wash facilities around here suck and you have to drive through dust and rock filled streets to get home afterwards, so the car tends to get a layer of shit on it before it ever dries. Just seems like such a waste of money for poor results.

So today, I decided to pressure wash the car today in my driveway (I have a good / decent pressure washer), however there was still a light layer of residue on the car when I was done, not necessarily dirt or grit but not fully clean either. So I washed it again and still basically had only slightly better or the same end results. I then dried the car very lightly with a good microfiber towel. Then used Maguires quick detailer. Not too thrilled about this approach, so I thought I would go to the masses for input.

Question:
So any suggestions as to how I can wash my car in my driveway and get good results without soap?
Thanks

[Voice of Reason]

Optimum No Rinse

Just Google that for places to buy and sample YouTube videos. You'll never go back to washing with soap ever again.


http://www.amazon.com/Optimum-NR2010...rinse+car+wash

[C.J]

Adam's Polishes has a waterless wash. I think Griots has a similar product.

[01sapphirebob]

This is what I use in between soap washes...

http://www.griotsgarage.com/product/...Picks&refType=

[Anonymous]

I would move!

[Vprbite]

The junkman has a video on the waterless wash.

IMO, that's something you would do as a stopgap measure as because for a true wash you really will need soap. maybe drive to a buddies house every once in a while. Got a good buddy you can hang out, drink beers with and make it a viper detailing weekend? I've had worse weekends than that.

[ViperSmith]

I wash mine with Optimum No Rinse all the time. It is great. Can do it in the garage without an issue. Problem is if anything gets caked on the car you have to really wash it.

[ViperJon]

I wash mine with Optimum No Rinse all the time. It is great. Can do it in the garage without an issue. Problem is if anything gets caked on the car you have to really wash it.

I concur, it's ALL I use. If done correctly it will not scratch the paint and is very effective.
One of the great things about it is you move along section to section cleaning and drying the surface, you never have to worry about leaving water spots.
No more pockets of water or mirrors draining for days down the side of the car. No more rushing your ass off as the water is drying.
You can use it in the garage summer or winter. It's not for a mud caked off road vehicles but perfect for the light dust/dirt after a ride or two.
I use an electric leaf blower to blow off the very little residual water and DONE.

[Viktimize]

Where the heck do you live? That does not sound like any town in Alberta that I have ever heard of. Any place with that many dusty gravel roads is too redneck to ever care about the environment. lol

[Matt M, Pa]

Not to be a jerk..

Does the law actually say you "can't use soap to wash cars in your own driveway"? I"ve never heard such a thing. I have seen water restrictions for drought, etc...but never against using soap. If it says you can't wash with soap on your driveway....perhaps you could wash on the grass? I'm just trying to understand the reasoning. Perhaps to avoid run off into the street?

I'd be washing behind the fence, etc...

I'm wondering if there's a car wash soap with little in the way of suds....that you could put in the bucket prior to starting....

I do agree...there's no real way to get a car clean without soapy water. I know there are many waterless products...but I just don't trust them with road grit and dirt...

[Vprbite]

Is it an issue of browning the grass? Particularly in shared areas or property lines? That sucks man. Makes me wonder what else they have rules against.

I hate HOA's and almost ended up in litigation with them before I sold that place and got myself the hell out of there.

[Fatboy 18]

I never use a hose or pressure washer on my car, I wash my car in the garage with minimum water spillage to the floor.

I use a bucket of soapy water and a sponge to wipe off the dirt (but do not soak the car), Might have to change the water twice(especially removing brake dust off the wheels) , then use another bucket of clean water to wipe over the car and then leather off. I do not pour water over the car at all.

Works for me.

Just pour the dirty water down the sink.

Then its the usual waxing and buffing.


I use one of these, their brilliant
1.0x0.jpg

[JonSav]

Chemical guys ecosmart also

[GBS]

That's crazy! I think I would wash my car with soap any ways.

[plumcrazy]

thats a law id break for sure

[Steve M]

Back when I lived in an apartment, I started using Quick and Easy Wash (similar to Optimum No Rinse) to wash my daily driver - it works pretty darn well, and is just for your type of situation.

All is not lost...these products, if used correctly, won't harm your paint, and are very easy to use.

[v10enomous]

Looks like there are several rinseless products you can use. I may try these.

[TrackAire]

I know that Turtle Wax does not sound like a premier product, but I've been using this for the last 3 months and am amazed. People have compared it to Optimum and claims it evens smells the same. (I wouldn't be surprised if it is the same product from the same manufacturer)

http://www.amazon.com/Turtle-Wax-T-8.../dp/B00A9T28R0

I do not use it in the traditional sense with a bucket, etc like the above videos show. I use it differently buy putting two cap fulls of the product into a spray bottle with 32 ounces of distilled water. To wash a car, I heavily mist the wiping towel with the product then I start with the really dirty parts of the car and mist the heck out of them. Usually I start with the front where there are bug splatters, etc. I pre-mist the bugs a couple of times to soften them up. Once the heavily soiled parts of the car have had time to soak in with the product, I start to wipe the car down as if I was washing it. I spray more product as needed to the surface of the car and the towel. As the towel starts to get dirty, I switch to a new towel and continue the process.

I still don't understand why it works so well (I think it uses polymers as it's key active ingredient....whatever that means) but I'm not complaining. I've also stopped using the traditional detail sprays as this does as good or better job and somehow never streaks, leaves a very nice shine and costs under 50 cents a bottle. When washing a car, truck or trailer, I first remove any dust accumulation with a California Duster, then start spraying the product as described above. It even works great on windows. I can clean a car or SUV with much less than one 32 oz bottle of the solution.

I do not recommend any type of rinseless wash if your car is caked with mud, extreme amount of bugs, etc....in those instances I do recommend a traditional wash. But for washing a car after a track day, cruise, driving through a dusty area, etc, this is now my favorite product.

[ViperJon]

Looks like there are several rinseless products you can use. I may try these.

The only thing I would do different is using the MF towel for the initial wipe down. It is not a plush thick enough carrier.
Use the Meguiar's Microfiber Wash Mitt which you can get online at Walmart for $5.00 each. I buy them six at a time.
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Meguiar-s-...-Mitt/29221700
They are very thick and plush and will not scratch the car if you were to get some grit mixed in somehow. I think the MF towels might.

[LmeaViper]

Okay thanks, some good info here. Just a bit reluctant to rub the car without at least soaping off the dust and fine gravel bits.

I live in Calgary and it is a law. My neighbour told me the first week I moved here as he had a rat in the neighbourhood call bylaw enforcement on him and they came to his place and read him the riot act..tickets..the whole BS. He was only washing his bikes...lol.

So I checked on line and sure enough it says in at least 2 different places that soap is prohibited and washing of cars is discouraged on the street / driveway etc. For those who don't believe it....see below:
As for washing your car by hand on the street, it is a Bylaw violation to let soap and detergent enter the storm drainage system. The water from commercial vehicle washes, on the other hand, gets treated by The City's sanitary system.

Having some experience with water treatment, I seem to recall that it is the phosphates in the soap that screw up the sanitary systems / separators and friendly bacteria etc?? Put some more thought into this line....and more than likely their is minimal or not treatment to the storm runoff.

[TrackAire]

Okay thanks, some good info here. Just a bit reluctant to rub the car without at least soaping off the dust and fine gravel bits.

I live in Calgary and it is a law. My neighbour told me the first week I moved here as he had a rat in the neighbourhood call bylaw enforcement on him and they came to his place and read him the riot act..tickets..the whole BS. He was only washing his bikes...lol.

So I checked on line and sure enough it says in at least 2 different places that soap is prohibited and washing of cars is discouraged on the street / driveway etc. For those who don't believe it....see below:
As for washing your car by hand on the street, it is a Bylaw violation to let soap and detergent enter the storm drainage system. The water from commercial vehicle washes, on the other hand, gets treated by The City's sanitary system.

Having some experience with water treatment, I seem to recall that it is the phosphates in the soap that screw up the sanitary systems / separators and friendly bacteria etc??

Just tell them you're using toilet water and you should be good to go, lol. I understand their theory about water getting soap run off washed into storm basins and then out to the creeks, rivers, etc. The amount of car wash soap they are concerned with is not even a drop in the bucket with all the chemicals, oils, etc that run into the storm drain after every rain storm. Soaps, etc won't harm the sanitary processing center as it treat those products with no problem (think of all the dish soap, shampoo and bar soap going down the drain everyday...if soaps were an issue our poop wouldn't be getting processed).

Oh well, move to California where we don't have these stupid laws, but then again, we don't have any water right now either.

[v10enomous]

I was out early yesterday on the still somewhat wet roads so I had to give my car a full spray wash and rinse. I have been getting these Mitts at Dollar Tree for you guessed it $1.

I washed the body and glass with this Mitt and just water and then use it to wash the wheels and wheel wells and discard. This makes cleaning the sidewinders less difficult.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Mitt-Microfi...89526180&rt=nc

[Matt M, Pa]

"As for washing your car by hand on the street..."

Wash the car on grass in the yard....