First try with ONR (vs QEW before)--mitt blacker, water clearer?

Astral · 02-20-07, 10:24

Just did a wash of the nasty, salty car with the Optimum No-Rinse Wash (after rinsing most of the sand and salt off in a coin-op wash first).

I followed directions and diluted 1.5oz for 3 gallons of water (w/ a splash extra, maybe more like 1.7oz).

I've washed my car with QEW many times before. I use a 2-gal rinse bucket of warm water. I wipe with a sheepskin mitt, and then drop it in the rinse water while I dry. I then squeeze the water out of the mitt, dip the mitt into the ONR (or QEW) bucket, slosh it around there (w/ a grit guard in soap bucket), squeeze off some water, and continue washing.

So...

Usually, with QEW, my rinse water quickly gets dark. Same for the soap water, although not as "severely." By the time I'm done with the roof, the hood and the sides above the 2/3rds line, the water is murky and not easy to see through.

But tonight, with ONR, the water stayed pretty transparent throughout! Both the rinse water and the ONR water. At the end of the wash, I left the mitt in the rinse water as I wiped her down with Z8. The mitt was noticeably darker when I went to squeeze it out one last time. I don't remember QEW leaving the mitt so dark.

Is this normal? Am I doing something wrong?

Black240SX · 02-20-07, 10:49

I've noticed the same thing.

I find that adding some regular shampoo to the rinse bucket helps the sheepskin mitt to release dirt as usual.

Astral · 02-20-07, 11:07

Quote:

Originally Posted by Black240SX

I've noticed the same thing.

I find that adding some regular shampoo to the rinse bucket helps the sheepskin mitt to release dirt as usual.

Doesn't adding regular shampoo there interfere somewhat with ONR? Or should I have one bucket w/ QEW for "release"?

3fiddyz · 02-20-07, 11:42

Astral what are your thoughts on ONR vs QEW?

I was first using QEW but after trying DP 4in1 prefer that. I woulnt mind trying ONR next

Black240SX · 02-21-07, 12:32

Quote:

Originally Posted by Astral

Doesn't adding regular shampoo there interfere somewhat with ONR? Or should I have one bucket w/ QEW for "release"?

It doesn't seem to cause any problems. You could experiment with a "three bucket method" if you want...

BlackElantraGT · 02-21-07, 12:33

Quote:

Originally Posted by Astral

Doesn't adding regular shampoo there interfere somewhat with ONR? Or should I have one bucket w/ QEW for "release"?

According to Autogeek's description/product uses of ONR, you're able to mix regular car shampoo with ONR:

# Add 1 ounce to wash water made with your regular car wash. No Rinse Wash & Shine’s advanced polymers and lubricants offer more surface protection and slickness than ordinary car soap alone. It acts as a water softener and conditioner to improve the quality of the water that touches your vehicle to provide the ultimate safe wash.

But no where on the actual product description or Optimum's website does it state that. I wonder where Autogeek got this info from? So far I've been only using ONR as a QD and clay lube because even though the ONR wash went better than what I was expecting out of it, I noticed that my towels and mitts were way dirtier than before, even after washing them in hot water in the washing machine. Sorta like how your wheel towels don't end up completely clean, except this is just regular dirt on the paint, not grease/grime. If I lived in a cold climate where I had no choice, I wouldn't hesitate to do ONR washes but I live in a good climate and for now, I'd like to preserve my mitts and towels until I have to completely switch over to ONR.

hifiveo · 02-21-07, 12:41

I too tried ONR for the first time this past weekend. I used two buckets and the rinse bucket was pretty clean.

As for the finish, I had to wait for a couple of hours before I could see the difference ONR made on my finish. IMO, it had a bit brighter look and it's about the same slickness to QEW. I guess I'll need to try it a couple more times.

BigHonu · 02-21-07, 01:32

I have been using ONR for a bit and notice that you do need to agitate the fibers of chenile, sheepskin, and MF towels to get the dirt to release into the water.

I use only one bucket (a little over two gallons of water) and notice that the dirt seems to settle to the bottom quickly despite frequent agitation. Don't know if that is by design, just something that stood out enough for me to notice.

BlackElantraGT · 02-21-07, 01:50

I've used mf towels, waffle weave mf towels, mf mitts, and mf chenille mitts, all agitated really well against the grit guard and even after washing, my mitts/towels don't come out as clean as before when doing regular washes. No big deal since I don't have any expensive towels/mitts but I know some of you spend quite a bit for these nice MF towels and if I spent that kind of money on towels, I would hate to see them get grungy looking after all the ONR washes.

chutney · 02-21-07, 01:59

I think the bonding agents of ONR is the reason why the water stays pretty clean and the mitt gets dark.
IMHO ONR uses bonding agents to envelope the dirt particles.
The bonding agents conglomerate the particles together and make them sink to the bottom of the bucket. THowever, I think that the same bonding agents bonds to the fibers of the mitt.
Adding soap to the ONR breaks the bonding between ONR and the particles releasing them of the mitt.
Just my theory.

Bence · 02-21-07, 08:20

ONR binds the grime and road film extremely well; that's why the mitts can have a greasy feel when wringing them out. When I wash my mitts and towels, I wash them first with APC, then with a normal soap bar and then with a normal liquid detergent (Woolite or Perwoll - they're about the same). When the dirt stops pouring out, switching to soap starts to re-release it again and finally the liquid makes the job perfect.

Astral · 02-21-07, 07:15

SO if ONR tends to keep dirt sticking to the mitt, it seems like a concern to me. I usually use only one mitt to wash the paint when I wash with a rinseless product.

I didn't notice any extra marring with ONR, and it seemed to dry a tad clearer if I didn't completely dry a section. *shrugs* But this dirt thing concerns me.

Has anyone used both DP 4in1 and ONR (and QEW)? Can you comment on how well DP 4in1 releases dirt in the bucket?