Do you still hand wash when using a PW?

Noob question - just got a PW and foam cannon, and used it for the first time this weekend. I found that thoroughly foaming the car, letting it dwell for a few minutes and then power rinsing pretty much eliminated all dirt & grime that was on the car. I really didn't need to hand wash any spots at all.

So for you guys that regularly use a PW + foam cannon, how much hand washing do you end up doing? Do you still go over the vehicle as you normally would, or only any stubborn or extra-dirty spots, or do you find you really don't need to hand wash (as long as the foaming & rinsing was thorough)?

 

I don't have a pressure washer but I would still probably do a quick hand wash after foaming. I don't think that pressure alone would remove all dirt that was clinging to the paint. Do you really not have enough time to give it a quick rub down? I wouldn't risk possibly leaving dirt on the paint and rubbing it around when applying a qd afterwards or whatever you do after washing.

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It's not a matter of not having time, just a question of necessity. My inclination is to still give it a quick 2-bucket hand wash to remove tough spots & get rid of any residual dirt, but based on what I was seeing with the foam/rinse, it sure seems like this will be minimized.

 

I'm sure its fine once in awhile. But IMO I would still hand wash the car. That way you are for sure getting all dirt off.

 

I would guess it depends on what the condition and quality of the grime is. Ive had cars I detailed where a simple wash down would remove contaminants really quickly. Ive also had those details where it seems that even after washing it all the crud is still stuck on that paint. In essence If your going to be doing polishing, I would find it necessary to wipe down the car to ensure that there is no grime on the paint.

When I do my 2-step polishes with MENZ I get alot of dusting, so its easier for me to wash the car a second time than to wipe down every corner. In this case a PW+Foam cannon dwell would be fine since the dust/oil would be removed rather easily.

 

If what your trying to clean is dust and light dirt from say a week or or week and a half of driving then you should be fine with just snow foaming it down, pressure rinsing and then drying with a blower and going over the drips with a plush microfibers and detail spray. I have done this and have not had any marring or swirls.

But if your trying to do the above when you have road tar, tree sap, bird shit, bug guts, dirt and dust that has been rained on or been wet and then dried on the finish. Then no you will need to follow up with a TBW with gritguards after snow foaming or you will get marring and swirling when you go to dry your finish.

 

Foaming with a pressure washer, and the power washing it off removes a LOT of dirt/grime, but you STILL NEED to hand wash as normal. The whole point of foaming up is to REMOVE contaminents WITHOUT dragging them across the paint therefore reduce the chances of scratching/swirling up the paintwork.

 

This was precisely the case when I did the PW foam/rinse only, very light dirt.

Well said, thanks.

Thanks for the suggestions, it confirmed what I was thinking.

 

What is the best soap to use in foam gun ?

 

I use Megs Hyper Wash.

 

I have also heard that rinsing the car off with a pressure washer could potentially harm the finish since you are blasting contaminants across the surface at a high speed. I do not know if this is true, but I try and avoid doing it since I don't feel comfortable using that much force on the paint. I use Adams soap in my foam gun for a super thick coating of foam, go over the car with a sponge, and then gently rinse with a fire hose nozzle.

One thing that changed my life was using some quick connect releases for my hose. I am able to just pop it off the pressure washer and pop on my fire nozzle. I think they are viggoro brand from Home Depot, and the female nozzle on the hose does not allow water to flow through unless something is connected to it, just like an air hose, so I do not have to constantly turn off the water between changes.

 

This.

I honestly don't like PW. I don't see a need for them. They don't do a good job of cleaning as they always leave a film of dirt on the car. This is why I always hand wash. Also, I agree, I don't like using that much pressure on my paint.

Oh, and thanks for the heads up on the quick connects. I've been looking for some good ones. Have you had any problems with them leaking?

 

Q on the quick connects. I've seen them at Home Depot and do you think it lowers the water flow and pressure? Since the hose itself is 5/8" but the quick connects are narrower...........

 

I was concerned that it would lower the water pressure also, but after using them for a few months I have not noticed a reduction of flow or any adverse effects in any nozzles or my pressure washer. You could always try it out and return it if it does not work (Home Depot is great about that). It's one of those life changing experiences that make it hard to picture life any other way... I may be exaggerating, but I feel great satisfaction every time I use it. So much time saved.

Mine have not leaked (I have them on two hoses), but I have only had them for a few months. A male and female plug combo is something like $5 so I would not mind if I had to replace them every year.

 

Yeah, $5 isn't bad at all. I was talking to someone about the quick disconnects and they told me they used to use them but they leaked everywhere. But that was 20 years ago from what he was telling me. Thanks for the info, I'll be heading to Home Depot today to pick some up.

 

The Home Depot and Lowes quick connects don't leak for me, but the ones from Harbor Freight, Ace Hardware, and Osh leak for me.

 

What is with all this nonsense about a PW damaging the paint? If you use your head and keep your distance then you have nothing to worry about. It's common sense.

I've been washing cars with an electric PW for years and never had any problems. It's such a time saver for dirty wheels, tires, and wells. And also what do you think they use at the coin wash? A garden hose?

 

It my remove the heavier grime and reveal the color, but there is still a film that must be agitated with a soft wash media like a sheepskin or microfiber mitt to completely clean the surface. If you were to wipe down the water, you would see dirt on your towel, and NOT GOOD because you'd be dragging dirt across your finish (swirl marks)

 

Up here in the Northwest, every vehicle has enough dirt stuck to it, and mold growing out of every possible crack if not washed frequently and left outside, so I have to do both, a good pressure wash, to get all the crap out of behind moldings, rubber seals around windows, try to break up as much of the forests growing in the trunk jambs, roof racks, etc.,, and then get out 5 gal buckets of the hottest water I can get directly out of my water heater, and wash the car down.
I also use the pressure washer, to first, wash out the engine and compartment, and the underside of the hood and all the jjambs around it and around the windshield cowl.
Its a gas powered unit with a 6hp engine putting out a mild 2.0 gal/minute, so if used carefully you cant hurt anything with it. I never change the pattern to anything but a wide fan pattern at the end of the wand.
I cant foam up cars here, for fear of getting all the hairy-legged-birkenstock-wearing-left-wing-tree-huggers after me for polluting the drain water, so I dont ever go there. Its just not worth it.

If you thijnk about it, driving behind someone real closely in the rain at speed is probably worse than pressure washing your car, because you are not only getting water hitting you really hard, you are also getting all the sandy grit from the road along with it.

Pressure washers can damage things, especially weak, flaking paint, and pinstripes, the ones that are stuck on by trimbrite, etc.., so you have to stay away from stuff like that.Decals, vinyl signs, vinyl wrap edges, clear bra edges, all these things can be hurt by using a pressure washer improperly, so be careful out there, ok ?
Dan F

 

I ALWAYS follow up a foaming session with a hand wash. Foaming is cool and fun, but hand washing gets rid of the dirt on the vehicle that you cannot see.

Foaming up a car before the wash simply allows me to wash my car safely with just one bucket. The foaming process is not a solution, it's just a step I take before actually washing the car.