View Full Version : all purpose cleaners for washing?
Digitalchaos
08-04-2003, 06:46 PM
This seemed a question with an obvious answer, but after reading a bottle of Armor All multi purpose cleaner and seeing instructions for dilluting to use on painted surfaces; I figured I would ask:
Is it possible to use all purpose cleaners such as simple green, orange clean, and the many others as a replacement for car wash.. or do they not have enough lubricity to prevent swirling? And is it possible to wipe them with a mit like carwash?
If so, could they be sprayed directly to the surface from a bottle either dilluted or full concentration?
Thanks for the info..
LouisanaJeeper
08-04-2003, 07:28 PM
depending on the cleaner used, it will most likely take off your wax. Real car wash shampoo is not THAT expensive.
Digitalchaos
08-04-2003, 08:13 PM
Its not the expense of car wash shampoo that concerns me; rather I am attempting to find something suitable for direct application without a bucket.. I figure if these products can safely be applied to paint without damage or swirling they may present this possibility.
LouisanaJeeper
08-04-2003, 09:18 PM
Couldn`t you just mix some car wash:water soltion in a spray bottle?
hondaguy2582
08-04-2003, 09:44 PM
qew(quick easy wash), someone will post it. Mothers trigger wash is another one.
I think the dilutions you see are for using the APC to clean something off of the surface of the paint, not for using it to wash the car. I also agree such products may harm your wax job...
Intel486 has used QEW with a garden sprayer, and Trigger Wash doesn`t require a bucket, as said. :up
MichaelB21
08-05-2003, 04:29 AM
I would stay away from Harms-It-All if at all possible.
Don`t use Simple Green and things like that on your paint. Turtle Wax has one of those quick easy things too. They sell them at Target, Walmart, Schucks and so on, they don`t need a bucket. All though I am not sure you are going to get the results you want without a mitt and bucket....
Good luck.
endus
08-05-2003, 09:09 AM
Originally posted by Digitalchaos
Its not the expense of car wash shampoo that concerns me; rather I am attempting to find something suitable for direct application without a bucket.. I figure if these products can safely be applied to paint without damage or swirling they may present this possibility.
I would stay away from this. As people have said these cleaners will definitely strip your wax, and who knows what effect they would have on the paint in the long term since they aren`t really intended for use on paint like that. Rinsing the car is an important part of the wash in that it gets off as much loose dirt as possible before you have to rub it...lessening the amount of dirt your rubbing into your paint. Car washes and QEW (never tried QEW but from what I read here) work by making things slippery so that the dirt doesn`t grind into the paint. Any simple green type cleaner is not designed to do this and probably won`t provide enough protection/lubrication.
QD is basically what you are looking for...
chris0626
08-06-2003, 12:36 AM
Let me add Poorboy`s Spray & Wipe to your list of alternatives. Get it at www.poorboysworld.com. Spray it on, wipe off gently with MF; no water or rinsing required. I`ve even used it when I had to make 400-mile-drives to car shows and didn`t want to risk dealing with water and waterspots. For its niche, I`m sold on it. And, as endus suggested, using a light QD before the vehicle gets really dirty will also help you a lot.