Oven cleaner? IMO you got lucky that it doesn't damage the finish, but that's likely based on it's ingrediants. Not something I'd recommend honestly.
In terms of cold weather washing, if you have a garge that is above freezing, just use Wolfgang Uber Rinseless wash. For a sedan like that you will use between 4-8 480gsm or better 16x16 MF Towels. I love Eagle Edgeless Ones. About $3ea and well worth it. I do Rinseless nearly all the time and am about to step outside and take care of a detail on a customers car using the same technique.
Here's a write up I put together and have posted here before. Enjoy!
Winter Time Rinseless Wash:
In the case of traditional hose and bucket washing the biggest benefit is being able to flush away dirt and debris out of the cracks and crevices, etc. However, for washing the surfaces, fenders, hood, roof, etc. the two systems are essentially the same. In a no-rinse situation with a very dirty car, a simple trip to the power wash DIY or automated no-touch system is fine. I like to bring my 1gal garden sprayer with some No Rinse Solution ready to go. I pre-soak the entire car prior to entering the bay. IMO the No Rinse Solution helps encapsulate and pre-soak the dirt for much easier and thorough removal when it’s blasted with high pressure.
After the blasting, I drive home and then proceed with my rinseless wash. I use about 2-3 gals in total. I use The key thing about a no-rinse is the solution is extra slick and really does encapsulate the dirt. You can really feel the lubricity when washing or if you were to dry and clean portion of the car with a microfiber towel. I also use a de-ionized / distilled water which really helps reduce any streaks and/spots. Solution wise, I’ve fallen in love with Wolfgang Uber Rinseless. It’s far better than ONR in my opinion and is well worth trying if you’ve not done so.
1. Fill a garden or powered Sprayer of your choice with No Rinse Solution
2. Fill a 3 gal bucket with about 1 gal. of No Rinse Solution
3. Insure I have a stack of 16" x 16" Eagle Edgeless Professional Super Plush 480gsm Microfiber Detailing Towels.
On my 4 door sedan the large plush towels go quite far. I use anywhere between 4-8 for the entire car depending on how dirty it is. Key is to fold them into four then make one more fold so that you can get a total of 16 completely clean/fresh passes out of a single towel. These hold lots of solution and are VERY Plush.
Both hose/buck and No-Rinse involve a pre-rinse and soak. In the case of a no-rinse system I use a garden sprayer to pre-soak the car with a fine to medium spray pattern being sure to cover every bit of dirt/panel. If you have the room in a garage and don’t mind a mist, you can even use a gravity fed system to feed an electric pressure sprayer and do the same thing. I pre-soak then wash in 5 stages; essentially the same as I do with a hose/bucket in the summer.
1. Wheels – Prevents splashing of nasty dirt up on a clean car
2. Front clip/nose and trunk/tail next as rinsing them tends to splash the hood/trunk
3. Hood-roof-trunk, windows. I do windows last in this case since they don’t scratch.
4. Side 1; one panel at a time top to bottom
5. Side 2; same
On the sides of the vehicle I tend to do all the top surfaces first then the bottoms being sure to put the lower portion dirty rags in the to-clean bucket quickly.
Steps.
1. Pre-soak, waiting a few minutes for the dirt to be encapsulated, oils and dirt to be broken up and solution to really work.
2. Quick spray down once more just prior to washing the panel to wash away as much as I can and to get the dirt to flow DOWN/OFF the car. Spray top to bottom
2. Wipe from top down using only a single pass per clean side or section of a towel. Each towel can be folded to a clean section allowing 16 passes per towel. More than enough for the entire panel or section. Keep the rage sopping wet and splash more solution on the rage if needed.
3. Last thing after each panel is washed is I give it another quick spray down top to bottom in order to push/wash away as much debris as I can. My powered sprayer is awesome for this as when combined with a good fan style spray tip it really works well at rinsing off any remaining aftermath.
I personally do not dry the panels one at a time as I go. Many do, but I don’t. Since I use distilled water, the clean panels blot dry easily and don’t tend to leave any drips or spots but if they do, a final wipe off with a clean dry MF Towel is all that’s needed.
Drying is the key IMO to keeping a car scratch/swirl free. IMO it causes more damage than a poor wash technique as when washing at least there’s more lubricity involved. When I do use a towel, I use a waffle weave towel and I NEVER drag it across the paint. I lay it out and blot it with pressure from my arm, pick up and move it and repeat. ANY wiping is only done with a clean, damp mf and No-rinse treated towel.
Once done I am a huge believer in a high quality detail spray and sealant. Both not only give the car a final spotless and flawless look but help insure future dirt has a layer of something there to help when pre-soaking the next wash cycle.
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