My attempt at Rinse-less washing

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Djin
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My attempt at Rinse-less washing

Post by Djin »

Okay we have been hit with restrictions on our side as well, so this weekend, having two dirty cars in the garage, I decided to give this Rinse-less wash a go.

I have been well versed with the idea behind Rinse-less washing as we have been importing and retailing ONR for around 6 years now. But I have never been prepared to take the leap of faith. And well tbh, there wasn’t a need. But things are changing and I can see this becoming the norm for a while, until our water levels return back to normal.

So I prepared myself for the Rinse-less wash debut.
1 x Bucket with about 6L of clean water,
6 x D-lite microfiber towels,
1 x Gold-Dlux microfiber towel
1x spray bottle with high volume spray nozzle,
30ml ONR,
CarChem Waterless wash. (Soon to be available in smaller sizes)

I then pulled out one of the cars, and then parked the other in the center of the garage so I had enough space to work. I mixed up the solution of ONR and then filled the 1L spray bottle with the ONR solution. I put all 6 microfibers in the solution of ONR to soak. <Step 1> Starting from the top, I pre-treated the areas that I was going to wash with the ONR solution in the spray bottle. The idea here was to wet the paint surface, encapsulate the dirt particles and provide additional lubrication.

Now you have to really judge for yourself here how big of an area you want to pre-treat, because it is a bit of fine balance of treating enough surface area to get the longest dwell time, vs having the solution dry up on you. I generally have a rule of not letting any liquid air dry on the paint. Think of it, even just plain water has the potential to cause spotting, so it’s just good practice I guess. Anyways, it took me a short time before I got the sweet spot of enough hang time vs drying out.

With the paint surface now wet and lubed up, <Step 2> I picked up one of the soppy microfiber towels from the ONR solution, folded it into 4, and then gently glided it over the surface. The first thing I noticed was how slick it felt. I tried to cover as much area as possible without having to go over the same area again. I flipped the towel over to the clean side and washed the same amount of contaminated paint surface. So essentially doubling the wash area without having to re-dip the microfiber towel back into ONR.

Once completed, I hung the microfiber towel on the side of the bucket. <Step 3> While I grabbed another clean microfiber from the bucket. This time I wrung out the solution as I now needed to wipe off all ONR solution as well as any dirty residue left behind. Again, I wiped the paint surface very, very gently, removing most of the solution. I refolded the microfiber towel to expose 2 clean sides and dunked it back into the ONR solution. Grabbing the first “wash” microfiber, I also refolded it to expose, 2 clean sides and re-dunked it into the solution. And repeated from <Step 2>.

When I got to the end of my previously pre-treated surface from <Step 1>, I then grabbed the CarChem Waterless wash + the clean dry Gold Dlux towel and went back to my original starting point and spritz the clean area with the waterless wash, and buffed dry to a high shine. The CarChem waterless wash is really top notch. Its fortified with surfactants, wetting agents and waxes which leave the paint feeling slick and just waxed. The will also reduce spotting.

This entire process is essentially the Gary Dean method, and those who are interested can catch him on YouTube.

Once I was completed, I even did the wheels and tyres (with a different set of microfiber towels). Tyres picked up quite a bit of grime, as expected, but it cleaned off very well. I suspect this is where the CarChem tyre dressing stands above all other dressings I’ve used. ESP solvent based ones. Expect a bit of graft if you are using a solvent based dressing as these tend to attract a lot more dirt and grime, and just feel sticky in general. Once the wheels and tyres were clean I applied the tyre dressing and was good to go.

My thoughts on Rinse-less washing –

The good –
It’s extremely convenient. My wash area outside my garage gets sun the entire day. And because I refuse to wash in direct sunlight I have a very small window to wash the cars. This process allows me to wash any time of day OR night.
It’s very quick. I managed to wash both my cars back to back in about 2.5 hours. I could easily bring that down to 2 as I did faff around in the beginning.
The paint looked amazing and there were zero streaks on the paint as well as the windows.
I had the ability to do a start stop wash. i.e washed and dried a section. Was distracted by one of my kids for a while, and then just picked up where I left off. With a normal wash, I really work against the clock as you don’t want anything drying on the paint.
Cost wise it works out to about R10 a wash. Which is not too bad me thinks.


The bad –

I think while this is as safe as it can possibly get without a hose pipe. And while I did not notice any swirls or marring, it still has to be more riskier compared to using 2 buckets and a hose.
So you have to be super gentle and very careful and mindful of your process.
But if I think about it this way, it is still far more safer than using a single bucket and chamois to wash.
Cost wise, it will work out more expensive than the regular two bucket method. (water fines excluded.)

Overall I think the pros outweigh the cons, for me at least. I don’t believe this will be something for everyone. I just hope thread might be useful to those who might be considering their options.

Thanks for reading, and if you have any thoughts or questions I will be happy to answer.
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Djin
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Re: My attempt at Rinse-less washing

Post by Djin »

Oh yes forgot pics of the finished product.

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Website : - http://www.crazydetailer.co.za
Email - Info@crazydetailer.co.za
Shop 8. WorldWear Center, Fairlands, JHB
Store Tel : 011 476 5409
Little D
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Re: My attempt at Rinse-less washing

Post by Little D »

Shew quite interesting.. Also a bit sceptical but might give a try
Current: 1.2 Polo TSI 66KW
EX Polo Vivo Blueline
EX VeloCiti 1.4i
40mm H&R Drop.
17' SSW Mag Wheels.
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B_rad
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Re: My attempt at Rinse-less washing

Post by B_rad »

Interesting. This idea scares me a little because there is a lot less dirt removed from the intial hose down.
Ito water consumption and paint protection, i still like the idea of a HP and Foam cannon. It uses far less water than normal hose pipe.
I think as well, you'll have to be prepped to wash the car at least 2 to 3 times a week due to build up.
Also, what about the microfibers? I guess these then need to be washed after every wash with a dry wash?
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Re: My attempt at Rinse-less washing

Post by Irfaan »

This scares me. Something I don't think I'll try because on a black car if you even breath on the surface it will look filthy :lol:

That being said, I haven't washed my car in a month due to the restrictions and I refuse to let the spongy chamois car washes even come near my car.

I'll give this a shot on the Citi and see how that pans out
Yip I still got my 1.4 Citi
Djin
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Re: My attempt at Rinse-less washing

Post by Djin »

B_rad wrote:Interesting. This idea scares me a little because there is a lot less dirt removed from the intial hose down.
Ito water consumption and paint protection, i still like the idea of a HP and Foam cannon. It uses far less water than normal hose pipe.
I think as well, you'll have to be prepped to wash the car at least 2 to 3 times a week due to build up.
Also, what about the microfibers? I guess these then need to be washed after every wash with a dry wash?
The approach to rinseless is very different to our conventional hose and bucket. The idea is not to rinse off the dirt on the initial spray down, but to rather encapsulate. There is absolutely no comparison in terms of pre dirt removal compared to HP + foam cannon. But for those who do not have the luxury, there really isn't much choice is there? Either go to a car wash OR live with a dirty car.

The other attraction to Rinse-less is the convenience. It really is super quick, if I had to take the TOTAL wash time into account. I.e there was not much preparation compared to my regular routine.

The microfibers were washed in the regular manner, with liquid soap and water. So of course the argument is, in the end you will be using the same amount of water anyway. The difference however, is I will not get a fine for washing my microfibers. :bang:
Irfaan wrote:This scares me. Something I don't think I'll try because on a black car if you even breath on the surface it will look filthy :lol:

That being said, I haven't washed my car in a month due to the restrictions and I refuse to let the spongy chamois car washes even come near my car.

I'll give this a shot on the Citi and see how that pans out
:cool:

Like I say in the OP, this is not something for everyone. But if you considering dipping your toe in the water, why not start with just the mag wheels. That way, you get to see how the product works without taking the full plunge.

The entire detailing community is very split on this topic. Those who still have the choice will always choose the regular wash method. But those who have been hit by hectic restrictions have had to choose between the lesser evil, and Rinse-less is as good as you will ever get without a hose-pipe.
Image

Website : - http://www.crazydetailer.co.za
Email - Info@crazydetailer.co.za
Shop 8. WorldWear Center, Fairlands, JHB
Store Tel : 011 476 5409
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B_rad
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Re: My attempt at Rinse-less washing

Post by B_rad »

Djin wrote:
B_rad wrote:Interesting. This idea scares me a little because there is a lot less dirt removed from the intial hose down.
Ito water consumption and paint protection, i still like the idea of a HP and Foam cannon. It uses far less water than normal hose pipe.
I think as well, you'll have to be prepped to wash the car at least 2 to 3 times a week due to build up.
Also, what about the microfibers? I guess these then need to be washed after every wash with a dry wash?
The approach to rinseless is very different to our conventional hose and bucket. The idea is not to rinse off the dirt on the initial spray down, but to rather encapsulate. There is absolutely no comparison in terms of pre dirt removal compared to HP + foam cannon. But for those who do not have the luxury, there really isn't much choice is there? Either go to a car wash OR live with a dirty car.

The other attraction to Rinse-less is the convenience. It really is super quick, if I had to take the TOTAL wash time into account. I.e there was not much preparation compared to my regular routine.

The microfibers were washed in the regular manner, with liquid soap and water. So of course the argument is, in the end you will be using the same amount of water anyway. The difference however, is I will not get a fine for washing my microfibers. :bang:
Irfaan wrote:This scares me. Something I don't think I'll try because on a black car if you even breath on the surface it will look filthy :lol:

That being said, I haven't washed my car in a month due to the restrictions and I refuse to let the spongy chamois car washes even come near my car.

I'll give this a shot on the Citi and see how that pans out
:cool:

Like I say in the OP, this is not something for everyone. But if you considering dipping your toe in the water, why not start with just the mag wheels. That way, you get to see how the product works without taking the full plunge.

The entire detailing community is very split on this topic. Those who still have the choice will always choose the regular wash method. But those who have been hit by hectic restrictions have had to choose between the lesser evil, and Rinse-less is as good as you will ever get without a hose-pipe.
I think I may have worded my sentences a little incorrectly there. I meant that there is no dirt removed whereas with a normal hose down, there is a chance for dirt to be removed.

Thanks for the step by step guide though, really goes a long way to help us all when we're facing these restrictions. :)
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