Grouse
02-20-2007, 09:01 PM
The scenario.
You live in an appartment with no access to a hose bib, or maybe your appartment complex does not allow onsite washes.
You live in a condo down town where your car is in a lower level parking garage. The garage does not have proper drainage or fixtures for washing a car.
It is 20 degrees outside. Your car has been through two weeks of slush and you can not stand looking at the dusty vehicle any more. But you can not wash it outside, and you know a detail spray wash will induce marring.
You have just driven 600 miles durring a club sponsered drive. The car looks like it is a electric bug zapper.
What are the benifits of a Optimum no rinse wash?
1) it can be done indoors/garage.
2) it can be done with a very small foot print, IE a parking space.
3) It is compact enough to be carried with you on a long road trip and used at motel or venue.
4) It is far less likely to induce marring compared to a tunnel car wash.
5) it is less likely to induce marring compared to a detail spray wash.
What are the down sides.
1) It is more likely to induce marring compared to my foam gun car wash.
2) The first few times it can be quite unnerving.
What supplies you need
(1) 5 gallon bucket with grit gaurd.
(1) 2 gallon bucket
(1) 8oz bottle of Optimum no rinse
(1) 16 oz sprizer bottle
(1) paint stirrer stick
(5-10) Microfiber wash towels or 2 sheep skin mitts.
(1) Waffle weave drying towel.
http://www.pbase.com/3lg/image/74650559.jpg
Step one:
Your five gallon bucket is your rinse bucket. You will wring out your mitt or wash towel in here. Your two gallon bucket is your wash solution. Your 16 oz spritzer is full of wash solution to prep heavily soiled areas.
First fill your buckets and spritzer with warm/hot water
http://www.pbase.com/3lg/image/74650562.jpg
Step Two:
2 oz of optimum no rinse goes in your solution bucket, 1 oz goes in your rinse bucket, and 1/2 oz goes into your spritzer bottle.
Use the paint stirrer mix the buckets.
http://www.pbase.com/3lg/image/74650561.jpg
Step Three:
Pre soak your wash towel in your wash solution. Spray down a 12x12 inch to 18x18 inch area with your spritzer bottle. Then lightly ring out the wash towel and wipe down the panel with very light pressure. Besure to use straight lines.
The car before
http://www.pbase.com/3lg/image/74650563.jpg
http://www.pbase.com/3lg/image/74650564.jpg
http://www.pbase.com/3lg/image/74650565.jpg
Step 4:
Put the wash rag in the wash bucket. Rub and squeeze out the dirt in the rag completely. Re soak in wash solution and move on to the next area. As a towel no longer rinses clean grab a new one.
Before shot of one panel
http://www.pbase.com/3lg/image/74650564.jpg
http://www.pbase.com/3lg/image/74650565.jpg
After shots
http://www.pbase.com/3lg/image/74650566.jpg
http://www.pbase.com/3lg/image/74650567.jpg
A few more side by side shots.
http://www.pbase.com/3lg/image/74650568.jpg
Bumper
http://www.pbase.com/3lg/image/74650570.jpg
http://www.pbase.com/3lg/image/74650571.jpg
Step 5:
Spray down the tires and rims. Including the inside of the rim. Wash the tire, rim face. Then wrap the towel around the paint stick use this to clean the inside of the wheel. Grab a new towel for each rim.
Final shots
http://www.pbase.com/3lg/image/74650573.jpg
http://www.pbase.com/3lg/image/74650574.jpg
http://www.pbase.com/3lg/image/74650575.jpg
http://www.pbase.com/3lg/image/74650576.jpg
For those wondering here is the total foot print of water left on my garage floor.
http://www.pbase.com/3lg/image/74650577.jpg
Special thanks to redmond rocket for supplying the mazda speed 6
First optimum no rinse.
http://www.autogeek.net/optimum-no-rinse.html
Grit gaurd, Grit gaurd bucket, GGB with lid, GGB with lid and dolly
http://www.autogeek.net/gg1010.html
http://www.autogeek.net/5gagrguwabu.html
http://www.autogeek.net/wo5gawabuco.html
http://www.autogeek.net/cowasywido.html
I do not like the chenile micro fiber wash mitt. Microfiber has a very hard time of letting go or grit and grime in a rinse bucket. Wool mitts do a much better job.
Wool mitts
http://www.autogeek.net/sheepwas.html
Remember you will want two, one for top and one for bottom of the car.
Micro fiber towels. I like poorboys towels. They have a kit that would probably serve you really well.
Drying towels, buffing towels, and detailing towels
http://www.poorboysworld.com/order.htm
STARTER KIT NEW
A great microfiber kit your vehicle will love.
Includes 1 (ONE) each of:
16" Velvet Smooth Glass Towel
16" Work Towel
16" Super Thick and Plush
16" Mega-Plush
21 x 36 Velvet Smooth
24 x 36 Waffle weave
Mega-Mit
Just $39.95
(a $50 value!)
I would suggest picking up a 6-12 pack of buffing microfiber towels from poorboys
16"x16" DELUXE MEGA TOWEL (DMT)
Color: Coral with Gold Border
Poorboy's World is proud to announce our new Deluxe Mega Towel (DMT).
We have made a custom towel to meet the needs of our most discerning customers. The DMT is a Coral colored 16" x 16" towel with a Gold scratch-free silk border and no tags. The DMT is great for wax, sealant, & polish removal, as well as for Quick Detailing. It is plush, absorbant and extremely well manufactured to give you a durable, long lasting deluxe towel. We are sure that after using our Deluxe Mega Towel, with it's luxurious look and feel, that you will designate your current towels for customers, friend cars or grunge work. Please call for bulk orders .
6= $29.95
12=$49.95
Detail spray for after wash.
http://www.chemicalguys.com/Spray_Wipe_Quick_Detailer_p/wac_114.htm
With most of these retailers you can use the code "autopia" to recieve 10% off.
You live in an appartment with no access to a hose bib, or maybe your appartment complex does not allow onsite washes.
You live in a condo down town where your car is in a lower level parking garage. The garage does not have proper drainage or fixtures for washing a car.
It is 20 degrees outside. Your car has been through two weeks of slush and you can not stand looking at the dusty vehicle any more. But you can not wash it outside, and you know a detail spray wash will induce marring.
You have just driven 600 miles durring a club sponsered drive. The car looks like it is a electric bug zapper.
What are the benifits of a Optimum no rinse wash?
1) it can be done indoors/garage.
2) it can be done with a very small foot print, IE a parking space.
3) It is compact enough to be carried with you on a long road trip and used at motel or venue.
4) It is far less likely to induce marring compared to a tunnel car wash.
5) it is less likely to induce marring compared to a detail spray wash.
What are the down sides.
1) It is more likely to induce marring compared to my foam gun car wash.
2) The first few times it can be quite unnerving.
What supplies you need
(1) 5 gallon bucket with grit gaurd.
(1) 2 gallon bucket
(1) 8oz bottle of Optimum no rinse
(1) 16 oz sprizer bottle
(1) paint stirrer stick
(5-10) Microfiber wash towels or 2 sheep skin mitts.
(1) Waffle weave drying towel.
http://www.pbase.com/3lg/image/74650559.jpg
Step one:
Your five gallon bucket is your rinse bucket. You will wring out your mitt or wash towel in here. Your two gallon bucket is your wash solution. Your 16 oz spritzer is full of wash solution to prep heavily soiled areas.
First fill your buckets and spritzer with warm/hot water
http://www.pbase.com/3lg/image/74650562.jpg
Step Two:
2 oz of optimum no rinse goes in your solution bucket, 1 oz goes in your rinse bucket, and 1/2 oz goes into your spritzer bottle.
Use the paint stirrer mix the buckets.
http://www.pbase.com/3lg/image/74650561.jpg
Step Three:
Pre soak your wash towel in your wash solution. Spray down a 12x12 inch to 18x18 inch area with your spritzer bottle. Then lightly ring out the wash towel and wipe down the panel with very light pressure. Besure to use straight lines.
The car before
http://www.pbase.com/3lg/image/74650563.jpg
http://www.pbase.com/3lg/image/74650564.jpg
http://www.pbase.com/3lg/image/74650565.jpg
Step 4:
Put the wash rag in the wash bucket. Rub and squeeze out the dirt in the rag completely. Re soak in wash solution and move on to the next area. As a towel no longer rinses clean grab a new one.
Before shot of one panel
http://www.pbase.com/3lg/image/74650564.jpg
http://www.pbase.com/3lg/image/74650565.jpg
After shots
http://www.pbase.com/3lg/image/74650566.jpg
http://www.pbase.com/3lg/image/74650567.jpg
A few more side by side shots.
http://www.pbase.com/3lg/image/74650568.jpg
Bumper
http://www.pbase.com/3lg/image/74650570.jpg
http://www.pbase.com/3lg/image/74650571.jpg
Step 5:
Spray down the tires and rims. Including the inside of the rim. Wash the tire, rim face. Then wrap the towel around the paint stick use this to clean the inside of the wheel. Grab a new towel for each rim.
Final shots
http://www.pbase.com/3lg/image/74650573.jpg
http://www.pbase.com/3lg/image/74650574.jpg
http://www.pbase.com/3lg/image/74650575.jpg
http://www.pbase.com/3lg/image/74650576.jpg
For those wondering here is the total foot print of water left on my garage floor.
http://www.pbase.com/3lg/image/74650577.jpg
Special thanks to redmond rocket for supplying the mazda speed 6
First optimum no rinse.
http://www.autogeek.net/optimum-no-rinse.html
Grit gaurd, Grit gaurd bucket, GGB with lid, GGB with lid and dolly
http://www.autogeek.net/gg1010.html
http://www.autogeek.net/5gagrguwabu.html
http://www.autogeek.net/wo5gawabuco.html
http://www.autogeek.net/cowasywido.html
I do not like the chenile micro fiber wash mitt. Microfiber has a very hard time of letting go or grit and grime in a rinse bucket. Wool mitts do a much better job.
Wool mitts
http://www.autogeek.net/sheepwas.html
Remember you will want two, one for top and one for bottom of the car.
Micro fiber towels. I like poorboys towels. They have a kit that would probably serve you really well.
Drying towels, buffing towels, and detailing towels
http://www.poorboysworld.com/order.htm
STARTER KIT NEW
A great microfiber kit your vehicle will love.
Includes 1 (ONE) each of:
16" Velvet Smooth Glass Towel
16" Work Towel
16" Super Thick and Plush
16" Mega-Plush
21 x 36 Velvet Smooth
24 x 36 Waffle weave
Mega-Mit
Just $39.95
(a $50 value!)
I would suggest picking up a 6-12 pack of buffing microfiber towels from poorboys
16"x16" DELUXE MEGA TOWEL (DMT)
Color: Coral with Gold Border
Poorboy's World is proud to announce our new Deluxe Mega Towel (DMT).
We have made a custom towel to meet the needs of our most discerning customers. The DMT is a Coral colored 16" x 16" towel with a Gold scratch-free silk border and no tags. The DMT is great for wax, sealant, & polish removal, as well as for Quick Detailing. It is plush, absorbant and extremely well manufactured to give you a durable, long lasting deluxe towel. We are sure that after using our Deluxe Mega Towel, with it's luxurious look and feel, that you will designate your current towels for customers, friend cars or grunge work. Please call for bulk orders .
6= $29.95
12=$49.95
Detail spray for after wash.
http://www.chemicalguys.com/Spray_Wipe_Quick_Detailer_p/wac_114.htm
With most of these retailers you can use the code "autopia" to recieve 10% off.