To Foam or Not to Foam???

[Legacy]

I`ve had a Gilmour foamer and a G-blast. IMO foaming is a waste of time and money if you have a pressure washer. It isn`t exactly great for the environment. Even with a strong hose, the abrasives you need to worry about, sand and dirt wash off easily. The grime/road film will not wash off with regular soap. Only very harsh chemicals or a wash mitt/sponge will remove that film. So with that in mind, what exactly is foam good for?



It does look cool, can`t deny that.

So you don`t believe that using foam as a pre-soak will loosen the grime and make washing with a mitt easier?

[Accumulator]

What ratio water to Dawn do you use???

"Big squirt of Dawn in the bucket", "awfully strong", something like that. I do it by eye and I use a lot, enough that the rinsing is a bit of a PIA.



Dawn simply isn`t all that potent a LSP-stripper IME so more is better.

[togwt]

[Dawn simply isn`t all that potent a LSP-stripper...] most paint protection products are formulated to be detergent resistant. I’m not trying to be argumentative FWIW I’ve never agreed with Sal Zaino on this either

[imported_PiPUK]

[Dawn simply isn`t all that potent a LSP-stripper...] most paint protection products are formulated to be detergent resistant. I’m not trying to be argumentative FWIW I’ve never agreed with Sal Zaino on this either

I agree 100% with this statement and I believe most with a `chemical background` will concur. I have posted on the matter elsewhere and believe much of the difficulty lies with a failure to completely remove the `stickier` surfactants which are relatively common in cleaning products. My own testing has repeatedly shown that so called `stripper` detergents will appear to leave a water loving (no beading) surface but this characteristic is often removed with a more thorough pressurised wash resulting in the surface regaining the former, `beading` character. As I say, I have argued this at length and have never had an acceptable chemical explanation to support the supposed stripping capacity of numerous pH neutral, mild surfactant blends used at low levels.

[pwaug]

How about something like Chemical Guys Citrus Wash which is very popular for stripping wax/sealants?? Is that any more effective than Dawn?

[LilJayV10]

There are some good replies in here. I as I am sure everyone else is grateful.

[Garry Dean]

Its a waste of soap, but some love it and believe in it so.... To each their own.



I truly feel like a good, thorough low pressure rinse does the same job.



In my new Perfect Wash video I foam the car because I wanted everything that is possible to not install marring to be a part of the Perfect process.

[LilJayV10]

.... I wanted everything that is possible to not install marring to be a part of the Perfect process.

Isn`t that the whole point of foaming to begin with?

[Garry Dean]

Isn`t that the whole point of foaming to begin with?

My point, exactly.

[David Fermani]

So you don`t believe that using foam as a pre-soak will loosen the grime and make washing with a mitt easier?

Not if you`re using a power-washer 1st. You could have 6 inches of foam on a dirty non-pre-blasted car and use the softest mitt possible...it still isn`t going to compare to 1st blasting all the abrasives off instead. It might buffer things up a tiny little bit if all things are equal, but it doesn`t substitute a high pressure pre-rinse.

[LilJayV10]

Its a waste of soap, but some love it and believe in it so.... To each their own.



I truly feel like a good, thorough low pressure rinse does the same job.



In my new Perfect Wash video I foam the car because I wanted everything that is possible to not install marring to be a part of the Perfect process.

My point, exactly.

It seems you are contradicting yourself. Am I just reading it wrong?

[Legacy]

Not if you`re using a power-washer 1st. You could have 6 inches of foam on a dirty non-pre-blasted car and use the softest mitt possible...it still isn`t going to compare to 1st blasting all the abrasives off instead. It might buffer things up a tiny little bit if all things are equal, but it doesn`t substitute a high pressure pre-rinse.

I`m comparing a foam gun to just washing with a mitt and not a pressure washer. The title was "To Foam or not to Foam" not to foam or pressure wash.

[David Fermani]

I`m comparing a foam gun to just washing with a mitt and not a pressure washer. The title was "To Foam or not to Foam" not to foam or pressure wash.

It might help if you explained that? And you also replied to Dan`s comment who was referring to pressure washing and who`s comments I agree with.

[Dan]

I`m comparing a foam gun to just washing with a mitt and not a pressure washer. The title was "To Foam or not to Foam" not to foam or pressure wash.

Does that title preclude anyone from posting anything that relates? IMO a pressure washer an essential tool in scratch free washing.

[Jean-Claude]

I use a pressure washer in all washes. Foaming is a here and there depending on what feels right for the situation. But I do feel like there is a difference in the types of contaminants that are removed from just blasting the surface with a PW`er and using chemicals that will break down, for example, bugs or tar. There is a fine line between using pressurized water to remove surface dirt and being, in my opinion, too aggressive with using pressurized water to blast hard baked on garbage off. There is a recurring nightmare of doing the latter on a front bumper and watching the clean peel from getting to close/aggressive.



Like a lot of situations in detailing, I don`t believe there is an absolute yes or no to replacing foam with pw`er. I think they should both have a place in your arsenal for when the time comes.