JoshC Posted February 21, 2017 Share Posted February 21, 2017 Living in a flat with no access to a hose to regurlaly clean the car properly, I rarely do a proper clean of the car at home so most of the time I tend to take my buckets, mits and towels to a nearby jet wash and try and squeeze a full clean into 15 mins which is a right pain. So, I was just wondering rather than a full mit wash at the jet wash, is there something like a spray that does the job of a snow foam which I can spray onto the car, leave to soak for a few mins to loosen up the dirt and then simply jet wash it all off? Car is always covered in a couple of layers of wax so most of the muck comes off with just a pressure washer but the stuff on the lower part of the car is a lot more stubborn and usually requires a proper clean to get it off... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoshC Posted February 21, 2017 Author Share Posted February 21, 2017 Or maybe something like a pressure foam sprayer like this? Looks pretty decent in some of the vids and seems to be a good offer on it in halfords atm, although would get a better foam than what it comes with. Anyone have an experience with these? If so any recommended foams to pair them with? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LukeA Posted February 21, 2017 Share Posted February 21, 2017 Have you had a look at traffic film remover? Different to snow foam as can't stay on the car long but does loosen dirt up. I used it once and did make a nice difference, some good videos on YouTube but may not be for you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobPhoboS Posted February 21, 2017 Share Posted February 21, 2017 I used to use this, seemed ok to me - and I got a hand pump garden spray thing from B&Q to mix/spray it on: Valet Pro - Citrus Pre Wash http://www.cleanyourcar.co.uk/valeting-and-bulk/valet-pro-citrus-pre-wash/prod_728.html I've recently used this - and it's really good too: Gtechniq W5 Citrus All Purpose Cleaner http://www.cleanandshiny.co.uk/gtechniq-W5-citrus-all-purpose-cleaner-grime I advise you to buy the small bottle of each and try, then get a 5ltr tub first. The only issue I see with that manual foamer is that it'll take some time but other than that, yeah why not try it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ilogikal1 Posted February 22, 2017 Share Posted February 22, 2017 TFR will remove wax as well. Only pre-wash alternative to snow foam is is a Citrus pre-wash, either Car Chem or Auto Finesse offerings are by far the best available, but even then it's never going to replace a proper wash. There's no such thing as a proper touchless wash that actually works. Unless you wash the car every time it gets wet, you're going to get stubborn dirt that'll need a proper wash. The more wet/dry cycles the dirt goes through, the more stubborn it'll be. http://www.350z-uk.com/topic/80939-pre-wash/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davey_83 Posted February 22, 2017 Share Posted February 22, 2017 You could take your buckets, shampoo, pre wash, mitts and wheel brush to a buy time jet wash. I did this for years and still do now and it's great. £1/£2 ie the minimum to get things going with your pre wash and jet off for your 400 seconds allowing time to also part fill your bucket. Wash the car as you would then normally taking as much time as you need. Then another £1/£2 to then finally jet the car off. You could then pull the car round to the side to dry off or the drive home will do this for you - bingo. My Local BP is just £1 for a few minutes, so £2 is all that's needed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HEADPHONES Posted February 22, 2017 Share Posted February 22, 2017 (edited) This is what I use for a quickie. 100 ml in a 2 litre pump sprayer. Go to the Jetwash. Spray over the car. Wait 5 mins while I clean my rims using another pump sprayer filled with shampoo. £2 in the Jetwash to rinse off body, rims and undercarriage. Job done : thumbs: I'm a bit extra so I then rinse with deionised water in a couple of 2l coke bottles to prevent water spotting. It'll never be clean enough with a touchless wash to use a drying towel after! Edited February 22, 2017 by HEADPHONES Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
modo Posted February 22, 2017 Share Posted February 22, 2017 I had a similar problem in a flat. I used to drop a hose down through the window on apiece of rope. You do need a window in right place though. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richf Posted February 22, 2017 Share Posted February 22, 2017 Snow foam wont remove all the dirt in fact hardly removes any it just loosens it What about something like Optimum no rinse ? One bucket of water and a handful of microfibres and jobs a good un My technique is to use a clean microfibre for each panel , never put a dirty one in the water and a separate microfibre to dry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ilogikal1 Posted February 22, 2017 Share Posted February 22, 2017 Snow foam wont remove all the dirt in fact hardly removes any it just loosens it That depends entirely on the foam and how you're using it. Granted, it's unlikely remove all of the dirt, but you can actually lift a lot of dirt off well protected paint with nothing more than a good foam and the right technique. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randy_Baton Posted February 22, 2017 Share Posted February 22, 2017 You could take your buckets, shampoo, pre wash, mitts and wheel brush to a buy time jet wash. I did this for years and still do now and it's great. £1/£2 ie the minimum to get things going with your pre wash and jet off for your 400 seconds allowing time to also part fill your bucket. Wash the car as you would then normally taking as much time as you need. Then another £1/£2 to then finally jet the car off. You could then pull the car round to the side to dry off or the drive home will do this for you - bingo. My Local BP is just £1 for a few minutes, so £2 is all that's needed. That's pretty much what I do if I'm in a rush. Otherwise I have this: http://www.kleers.co.uk/index.php?route=product/product&path=65&product_id=66 Its a portable battery powered jet wash. The plastic on the fixtures is incredibly week though. I've had 2 replacement guns and one replacement hose in the ~3 years I've had it. Kleers have always provided the replacements free of charge though. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richf Posted February 22, 2017 Share Posted February 22, 2017 Snow foam wont remove all the dirt in fact hardly removes any it just loosens it That depends entirely on the foam and how you're using it. Granted, it's unlikely remove all of the dirt, but you can actually lift a lot of dirt off well protected paint with nothing more than a good foam and the right technique. ohh yes its all down to the technique You cant just soak a car in snow foam and rinse it off whatever the technique , it will still leave random areas Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ilogikal1 Posted February 22, 2017 Share Posted February 22, 2017 ohh yes its all down to the technique You cant just soak a car in snow foam and rinse it off whatever the technique , it will still leave random areas Well you can, but that's exactly how you get **** results. Technique will be determined by the foam (ie. it's PIR and dwell time) and then the rinsing. The more thorough you are with your pressure washer when rinsing, the more dirt you'll pull off. Over diluting the foam will of course result in less cleaning. Not allowing the foam to dwell long enough will of course leave dirt on the car. Simply running a bit of water over the car to rinse will of course leave "random areas". As with all things detailing, you can't just slap it on and hope for the best, expecting perfect results every single time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoshC Posted February 22, 2017 Author Share Posted February 22, 2017 Cheers all for the replies, plenty of info! I did look at traffic film removers but have heard you need to be careful how long you leave them sit and as above they also seems to remove wax? Will have a look at the citrus pre-washes, that may be my easiest option I think but tempted to take a punt at one of those hand pump pressure foam sprayer's and get hold of a decent snow foam. Not expecting perfect results from any of this but just something to keep the car clean-ish in between full washes. Can anyone reccomend a good snowfoam? I'm sure that's a whole new topic in itself mind You could take your buckets, shampoo, pre wash, mitts and wheel brush to a buy time jet wash. I did this for years and still do now and it's great. £1/£2 ie the minimum to get things going with your pre wash and jet off for your 400 seconds allowing time to also part fill your bucket. Wash the car as you would then normally taking as much time as you need. Then another £1/£2 to then finally jet the car off. You could then pull the car round to the side to dry off or the drive home will do this for you - bingo. My Local BP is just £1 for a few minutes, so £2 is all that's needed. Cheers mate! This is pretty much what I do at the moment, however my nearest buy time jet wash is a fair trek from me and also being as there's only one machine, the times I have been there it's always quite busy so washing the car down with a mit and buckets and not using the machine, while people are waiting behind me is a bit awkward I usually use the Morrisons jet wash which is 2 mins from my flat and get like a 12 minute cycle, rinse the car, fill the buckets and then frantically try to cover every panel using the mit and 2 bucket technique before rinsing again and pulling to one side at the end to dry. Once every month or so I do take the car to the same jet wash, spend a few minutes just getting rid of the heavy dirt and then driving it back to my flat car park and doing a full wash there without having to rush and just rinse with buckets of water over the top, then dry and wax. So really just looking for a better solution to the quick washes which I try to do weekly. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoshC Posted February 22, 2017 Author Share Posted February 22, 2017 This is what I use for a quickie. 100 ml in a 2 litre pump sprayer. Go to the Jetwash. Spray over the car. Wait 5 mins while I clean my rims using another pump sprayer filled with shampoo. £2 in the Jetwash to rinse off body, rims and undercarriage. Job done : thumbs: I'm a bit extra so I then rinse with deionised water in a couple of 2l coke bottles to prevent water spotting. It'll never be clean enough with a touchless wash to use a drying towel after! Do you find using the de-ionised water to rinse at the end makes a big difference in terms of how it dries? As you say if I was to do a touch-less wash with any of these methods then I wouldn't risk trying to dry the car with a towel so something like that may be the next best thing for a streak free finish? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HEADPHONES Posted February 22, 2017 Share Posted February 22, 2017 I'm quite unlucky that my wife has bad hay fever and so we dry her delicate clothes in a room running a dehumidifier. A by product is a constant supply of deionised water though Without this as a final rinse I'd get water spotting unless I drove it down the motorway to clear the water 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoshC Posted February 23, 2017 Author Share Posted February 23, 2017 I'm quite unlucky that my wife has bad hay fever and so we dry her delicate clothes in a room running a dehumidifier. A by product is a constant supply of deionised water though Without this as a final rinse I'd get water spotting unless I drove it down the motorway to clear the water Fair enough! Where do you usually pick it up from? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoshC Posted February 23, 2017 Author Share Posted February 23, 2017 Just ordered one of those pressure sprayer foamers, thought they looked worth a go after seeing the vids! Now just looking for some snow foam reccomendations? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davey_83 Posted February 23, 2017 Share Posted February 23, 2017 If the garage jet wash gets busy, try going late evening is what I do Citrus pretty wash 10.1 Small wheel brush to work the alloys Jet wash off Dry as you drive This should keep you going as a safe contactl less wash 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HEADPHONES Posted February 23, 2017 Share Posted February 23, 2017 I'm quite unlucky that my wife has bad hay fever and so we dry her delicate clothes in a room running a dehumidifier. A by product is a constant supply of deionised water though Without this as a final rinse I'd get water spotting unless I drove it down the motorway to clear the water Fair enough! Where do you usually pick it up from? https://www.amazon.co.uk/d/Car-Parts/Power-Maxed-Ww5000-Concentrate-Liters/B00U23AU96/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1487880019&sr=8-1&keywords=power+maxed+jet+wash 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ilogikal1 Posted February 23, 2017 Share Posted February 23, 2017 Just ordered one of those pressure sprayer foamers, thought they looked worth a go after seeing the vids! Now just looking for some snow foam reccomendations? Bilt Hamber Auto Foam. Car Chem Snow Foam. Auto Finesse Avalanche. Whichever is cheapest (from approved vendors, not eBay randomers!). Any of those at 4-8% PIR will clean better than anything else (that I've tried... which is a lot). 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigjackb Posted February 23, 2017 Share Posted February 23, 2017 Koch chemie green star is getting rave reviews of detailing world just now...good luck getting some though as everyone seems to be out of stock. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoshC Posted February 23, 2017 Author Share Posted February 23, 2017 Just ordered one of those pressure sprayer foamers, thought they looked worth a go after seeing the vids! Now just looking for some snow foam reccomendations? Bilt Hamber Auto Foam. Car Chem Snow Foam. Auto Finesse Avalanche. Whichever is cheapest (from approved vendors, not eBay randomers!). Any of those at 4-8% PIR will clean better than anything else (that I've tried... which is a lot). Perfect, cheers bud! Will have a shop around! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ilogikal1 Posted February 23, 2017 Share Posted February 23, 2017 (edited) Koch chemie green star is getting rave reviews of detailing world just now...good luck getting some though as everyone seems to be out of stock. Never got the fascination with this, it's just an APC. I say "just an", I mean "an expensive" at £5.15/litre. Get yourself down to your local supermarket and save yourself £4.15 per litre! Edited February 23, 2017 by ilogikal1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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