Keeping it clean after rain???

[Matticus91]

I did some serious detailing to my car yesterday, spent a solid 4 hours on it meticulously looking things over and getting the shine just the way I wanted it. This is the first time I really cleaned it since I bought it a month or so ago.

Then, last night, it POURED for about 20 minutes, and my car looks FILTHY again.... I am sure the air quality here (DC area) doesn't help.

What, if anything, can I do to prevent this???

What I did:

• Full spray down with loosening agent
• Thorough soapy wash and full dry
• Detail spray + full clay bar wipe down
• Full waxing
• RainX applied to front/back/sunroof

[swagon]

Rinse it down before you park it in the garage while it's still wet and dirty.

[Matticus91]

Originally Posted by swagon

Rinse it down before you park it in the garage while it's still wet and dirty.

What garage! City life my friend. My outdoor spot costs me $95/mo!

[Greg@DetailedImage]

You should look into rinseless washing to help you save time and keep your ride clean.

This article highlights a quick overview of the Rinesless wash process.

Waterless and Rinseless Washing: What it is and How to do it Properly by Ian Howard


Using a product like Optimum No Rinse makes maintenance washing very quick and effortless.... and you use much less water, which is always a plus.

Simply fill a bucket with a couple of gallons of water. Add the appropriate amount of ONR to the bucket (1 oz of concentrate for every 2 gallons of water). Soak some premium plush microfiber towels in the solution and ensure they are completely saturated.

While the towels are soaking, mix some more ONR in a spray bottle (1 oz of ONR per every 16 oz of water for quick detailer mixture).

Now, starting at the top of the vehicle, spray your ONR mixture liberaly onto the roof. Then grab one towel, wring it out so it is still very wet, but not so much that it is dripping everywhere. Fold the towel into quarters so you have 8 sides to work with. Using NO PRESSURE, gently glide the towel across the panel, flipping to a clean side of the towel as needed. You do not want to be rubbing a dirty towel onto the paint.

Once you have washed this panel, immediately dry it with a waffle weave drying towel.

Continue this process of spray (pre-soak), wipe (wash), dry... spray, wipe, dry.... spray, wipe, dry... until the entire body of the car has been washed. Follow up with a quick detailer, like my personal favorite Meguiar's D156, for added protection and gloss.

This process should take roughly 20-30 minutes... you'll likely get quicker with more practice. Rinesless washing is WAY safer than just using a quick detailer and dry towel to clean up light dirt. This wash process provides considerably more lubrication due to the excess fluid used compared to quick detailing. This is my preferred method for basic cleaning of my personal vehicles when my car just got rained on or has general light dirt/dust on it. There is no need to drag out hoses, buckets, shampoo, wash mitts, etc etc etc... just one bucket with a bit of water, a spray bottle, a handful of plush towels and a drying towel will get your car looking great.

Note: If your car is rather dirty, but you still want to use this rinseless washing technique, I recommend taking your car to a coin-op pressure wash where you can remove the majority of heavier dirt first, and then proceed with rinseless washing either at the coin-op place or back at your residence.



Ivan walks through the same general approach in this article, but using a 2 bucket system for his rinseless washing, which is another completely acceptable way to perform this rinseless wash.

Winter Washing with Optimum No Rinse (ONR) by Ivan Rajic



Hopefully that explanation made sense.... this wash method is very safe and very effective when done properly, so please let me know if you've got any further questions.


Zach McGovern
Detailed Image Ask-A-Pro Blog Author
www.AttentiontoDetailingPeoria.com

[Matticus91]

Originally Posted by Greg@DetailedImage

You should look into rinseless washing to help you save time and keep your ride clean.

This article highlights a quick overview of the Rinesless wash process.

Waterless and Rinseless Washing: What it is and How to do it Properly by Ian Howard


Using a product like Optimum No Rinse makes maintenance washing very quick and effortless.... and you use much less water, which is always a plus.

Simply fill a bucket with a couple of gallons of water. Add the appropriate amount of ONR to the bucket (1 oz of concentrate for every 2 gallons of water). Soak some premium plush microfiber towels in the solution and ensure they are completely saturated.

While the towels are soaking, mix some more ONR in a spray bottle (1 oz of ONR per every 16 oz of water for quick detailer mixture).

Now, starting at the top of the vehicle, spray your ONR mixture liberaly onto the roof. Then grab one towel, wring it out so it is still very wet, but not so much that it is dripping everywhere. Fold the towel into quarters so you have 8 sides to work with. Using NO PRESSURE, gently glide the towel across the panel, flipping to a clean side of the towel as needed. You do not want to be rubbing a dirty towel onto the paint.

Once you have washed this panel, immediately dry it with a waffle weave drying towel.

Continue this process of spray (pre-soak), wipe (wash), dry... spray, wipe, dry.... spray, wipe, dry... until the entire body of the car has been washed. Follow up with a quick detailer, like my personal favorite Meguiar's D156, for added protection and gloss.

This process should take roughly 20-30 minutes... you'll likely get quicker with more practice. Rinesless washing is WAY safer than just using a quick detailer and dry towel to clean up light dirt. This wash process provides considerably more lubrication due to the excess fluid used compared to quick detailing. This is my preferred method for basic cleaning of my personal vehicles when my car just got rained on or has general light dirt/dust on it. There is no need to drag out hoses, buckets, shampoo, wash mitts, etc etc etc... just one bucket with a bit of water, a spray bottle, a handful of plush towels and a drying towel will get your car looking great.

Note: If your car is rather dirty, but you still want to use this rinseless washing technique, I recommend taking your car to a coin-op pressure wash where you can remove the majority of heavier dirt first, and then proceed with rinseless washing either at the coin-op place or back at your residence.



Ivan walks through the same general approach in this article, but using a 2 bucket system for his rinseless washing, which is another completely acceptable way to perform this rinseless wash.

Winter Washing with Optimum No Rinse (ONR) by Ivan Rajic



Hopefully that explanation made sense.... this wash method is very safe and very effective when done properly, so please let me know if you've got any further questions.


Zach McGovern
Detailed Image Ask-A-Pro Blog Author
www.AttentiontoDetailingPeoria.com

This is awesome info, and I would love to be able to do this... However I do not have easy access to a hose either! Seriously guys apartment life is the worst for car enthusiasts. No garage and no hose! The worst! Lol

Seriously though thanks for this info it is great. I think I'm going to do what you said and I'll just have to fill the bucket in my apartment. How often do you recommend doing this?

[Greg@DetailedImage]

Originally Posted by Matticus91

This is awesome info, and I would love to be able to do this... However I do not have easy access to a hose either! Seriously guys apartment life is the worst for car enthusiasts. No garage and no hose! The worst! Lol

Seriously though thanks for this info it is great. I think I'm going to do what you said and I'll just have to fill the bucket in my apartment. How often do you recommend doing this?

That is one of the best parts of rinseless washing... no hoses necessary! It is perfect for apartment living as you can simply fill a bucket in the sink if needed and carry it out to your vehicle.

I always recommend maintaining a wash schedule in which the vehicle is washed every 1-2 weeks.

To reiterate, I only recommend this method when the car is not completely filthy. There is a point where I personally feel a vehicle is too dirty to safely wash using the rinseless washing method (for instance in the winter as shown in Ivan's article linked above). In these cases, please visit a touchless wash or coin-op pressure wash to remove the majority of dirt before proceeding with rinseless washing.

Zach McGovern
Detailed Image Ask-A-Pro Blog Author
www.AttentiontoDetailingPeoria.com

[Matticus91]

Originally Posted by Greg@DetailedImage

That is one of the best parts of rinseless washing... no hoses necessary! It is perfect for apartment living as you can simply fill a bucket in the sink if needed and carry it out to your vehicle.

I always recommend maintaining a wash schedule in which the vehicle is washed every 1-2 weeks.

To reiterate, I only recommend this method when the car is not completely filthy. There is a point where I personally feel a vehicle is too dirty to safely wash using the rinseless washing method (for instance in the winter as shown in Ivan's article linked above). In these cases, please visit a touchless wash or coin-op pressure wash to remove the majority of dirt before proceeding with rinseless washing.

Zach McGovern
Detailed Image Ask-A-Pro Blog Author
www.AttentiontoDetailingPeoria.com

What would you consider "completely filthy" haha

After a day of rain here the car has a visible film of spots and dust

[Joe_435i]

Originally Posted by Matticus91

I did some serious detailing to my car yesterday, spent a solid 4 hours on it meticulously looking things over and getting the shine just the way I wanted it. This is the first time I really cleaned it since I bought it a month or so ago.

Then, last night, it POURED for about 20 minutes, and my car looks FILTHY again.... I am sure the air quality here (DC area) doesn't help.

What, if anything, can I do to prevent this???

What I did:

• Full spray down with loosening agent
• Thorough soapy wash and full dry
• Detail spray + full clay bar wipe down
• Full waxing
• RainX applied to front/back/sunroof

Depending on how dirty it is, I would do another quick wipe with a detail spray or check out this waterless wash by chemical guys.

http://www.chemicalguys.com/EcoSmart...c_707ru_16.htm

I use this waterless wash in between washes, after heavy rain, or when a bird decides to take a poop on my car.

[Greg@DetailedImage]

Originally Posted by Matticus91

What would you consider "completely filthy" haha

After a day of rain here the car has a visible film of spots and dust

Rain and dust are, in my opinion, just light dirt that can be safely removed without much concern.

What I consider to be heavier would be road salt buildup, mud buildup, heavy dirt buildup, etc. Stuff that you wouldn't want to wipe a wash mitt or towel on, but instead rinse away first.

Hope that helps.

Zach McGovern
Detailed Image Ask-A-Pro Blog Author
www.AttentiontoDetailingPeoria.com

[str8shot]

Originally Posted by Matticus91

No garage and no hose! The worst! Lol

When I lived in an apartment, I bought a 5 gallon garden sprayer and used that to wash my SV650S...could try that.

[Dackelone]

+2 on the waterless car wash stuff(ONR) that stuff really works well. You will just need a pile of MF towels when using ONR.

I would also suggest a good paint sealer like Menzerna. One of the things I like about Menzerna is it lets water "sheet" off your paint. The water doesn't tend to bead. Thats very helpful after a rain storm.

https://www.detailersdomain.com/coll...-sealant-16-oz


Also... speaking of having access to no water... have you seen this product? Portable H2O...

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...dp_o_pC_nS_ttl