What`s the deal with Dawn?

[White95Max]

I`ve always heard (on other sites) that Dawn is good for removing wax. Some other people say to never use Dawn. What`s the deal? What do you use to strip wax instead?

[acl99]

Any true polish will strip your wax, and any time i apply a sealant i always polish before hand. Ive never had to use dawn and never had a bonding problem. However i dont see any harm in using dawn once in a blue moon, just not on a regular basis.

[Accumulator]

People oppose the use of Dawn for automotive applications due to concerns about it drying out rubber and even the paint itself. You`ll have to decide if you`re worried about that or not. I`ve never seen evidence of it doing any damage and some automotive cleaners (the "A" in ABC is a perfect example) are a lot harsher than Dawn. But none of these "extreme cleaners" should be used on a regular basis. FWIW, I *very* seldom use Dawn to wash vehciles, virtually never (only beaters/loaners/rentals that I`m just playing/experimenting with, gonna polish anyhow, and don`t really care about). I do use it to clean my pads, however.



Dawn`s ability to strip wax is over-rated; it won`t dent a fresh coat of #16, that`s certain.



I`d remove wax with either a water/rubbing alcohol mix or a dedicated wax remover such as PrepSol, Griot`s Paint Prep, PreKleano, etc. These will also remove sealants, which Dawn won`t do *anything* to.



I`ve found that *sometimes* polishing through LSPs can lead to tenacious residues. Using PI-III MG on KSG is a perfect example. Removing at least some of the SG first makes for *much* easier MG-residue removal.

[Bill D]

I`m reserving Dawn now only to occasionally clean pads with.

[General Lee]

Originally posted by Bill D

I`m reserving Dawn now only to occasionally clean pads with.



Thats what I do, however after my last wash of the pads I noticed the velcro backing on my twice used yellow pad is starting to seperate. I`m wondering if the dawn is breaking down the glue:nixweiss

[DETAILKING]

This discussion always cracks me up......



"...dawn is too harsh to use, and in addition it won`t even strip some products, so I`ll just grab something stronger (harsher) that will do the job............"

[imported_memnuts]

Originally posted by DETAILKING

This discussion always cracks me up......



"...dawn is too harsh to use, and in addition it won`t even strip some products, so I`ll just grab something stronger (harsher) that will do the job............"





LOL :D

[Toyo98]

Originally posted by Bill D

I`m reserving Dawn now only to occasionally clean pads with.



Ditto.

[groebuck]

I think it does break down the glue I just lost a Meg`s tan soft buff to a soak in water and Dawn..;(



Normally I just apply the dawn or Murph`s Oil Soap to the surface of the pad and hand rub the product out then rinse and spin dry -



this time I dropped some in a bucket with water and Dawn - I rinsed and spin dried and all was fine, but after use when I went to pull the tan pad off ..it came off but the backing stayed put :(

[Scottwax]

All dish detergents contain degreasers that if they don`t strip the wax, they will certainly diminish it greatly. Dish detergent is not good for your paint either if you use it regularly. Once in a while is fine, but honestly, I don`t see any reason to use dish detergent to strip wax when claying and polishing will do it and move the detailing process forward.

[topnotchtouch]

I recall recently a thread about this and Ph was brought up mentioning that Dawn was around 8. One thing I noticed on Procter & Gamble`s website is that they mention a Ph of ~8 for a 1% solution. Maybe I am missing something but, to me that indicates a mixture where Dawn only makes up 1%. Would that indicate that the Ph of Dawn by itself would be higher????



Here is the link.

http://www.pg.com/content/pdf/01_about_pg/msds/fabric_and_homecare/dishwashing_products/Dawn_Ivory_Joy.pdf

[Woob]

Hmmm more of the Velcro/Wash dilema. Might just go with the Edge2000 system. No velcro! Lots of features. I would suggest PreWash by HiTemp since it can take of sealants and clean pads, pad cleaning machines, and take residues off between compound steps. :up

[lino]

Of all the automotive products available today, why do people need to use dish soap?

[rstype]

Originally posted by lino

Of all the automotive products available today, why do people need to use dish soap?



Because it`s an effective and lubricative degreaser that smells nice. When diluted, it works well on neglected cars covered with bugs and tar, and when used full strength, it`s no more harmful than an automotive bug and tar remover. It`s a very versatile product that`s friendly on the wallet, too. I`ve used Dawn many times on my own cars with no adverse effects...



... if results are what we`re after.

[Mr. Chemist]

I`m with lino....car care companies have spent a lot of R&D time to develope products that work on the types of soils associated with the automotive environment. And, if you want to remove wax...why not use a pre wax cleaner...that`s what they are designed to do..prepare your paint for the next step...whatever your choice may be...synthetic or natural.