Car wash soap not sudsy

[audio1der]

I`ve switched to bucket-washing at home since joining this board, using Meg`s GC soap.

Unless I fill my bucket with a pressure washer (what a sight that was...) I can`t get the darned stuff to be sudsy. Not even a little.

I`m using a clean Turtlewax wash mitt in a clean bucket, and I`ve tried filling with warm, and tepid (lukewarm) water, with no success.

What do I have to do to get it foamy?

TIA,

Audio

[imported_Aurora40]

Usually if I just wave the water back and forth with my hand, it will suds up a bit. I find squishing the sponge/mitt a lot foams it up too. Mainly, make sure you are using enough soap for the amount of water. I try to use about an ounce for each gallon. This usually means using 1.5-2 ounces of car wash because I actually fill the bucket up with 1.5-2 gallons of water. Don`t just pour an ounce in there then fill the bucket up. Just a thought.

[offcenter]

Originally posted by audio1der

I`ve switched to bucket-washing at home since joining this board, using Meg`s GC soap.

Unless I fill my bucket with a pressure washer (what a sight that was...) I can`t get the darned stuff to be sudsy. Not even a little.

I`m using a clean Turtlewax wash mitt in a clean bucket, and I`ve tried filling with warm, and tepid (lukewarm) water, with no success.

What do I have to do to get it foamy?

TIA,

Audio

Hmmm,



That`s weird, I had that problem with the Pinnacle Car Wash, no suds, and I swithed to Meguiars GC and Mothers California Gold or Trigger Wash since all 3 give great suds. I wonder if different soaps are formulated for hard/soft water. It seems a lot of people love the Pinnacle soap and get good suds but here in hard water LA, the stuff was worthless. Meguiars and Mothers are both based in CA, so maybe the testing was done with local water.:nixweiss

[gnahc79]

I`m using the Mother`s California Gold right now and it suds okay. I fill the bucket 2/3 of the way, add the soap and fill the rest. I sometimes have to churn it a bit (like beating eggs) to get the suds going.

[imported_Infamous]

If you put the soap in the bucket first you will get more suds but not alot of water will be in bucket after. I would try doing gnahc79`s method.

[imported_Tony]

Originally posted by ejant

Try this

Put your soap in bucket.

Spray into bucket to get suds desired.

Put nozzle to bottom of bucket to fill bucket.

Thats what I do.

[shaf]

Isn`t Calgary water on the hard side? That could be why it`s not sudsing up. Other than lack of suds though, does the solution work well or are you otherwise happy with it (good lubrication, cleans, etc)? I`m just asking because suds are a nice thing to look at, but do zilch really. QEW doesn`t suds up, and neither do dishwasher or washing machine detergent.



I actually try NOT to make suds anymore personally because it`s just making the water hard to see and uses up a tiny bit of the soap in the foam.

[ashsarna]

Originally posted by ejant

Try this

Put your soap in bucket.

Spray into bucket to get suds desired.

Put nozzle to bottom of bucket to fill bucket.

I too .

[audio1der]

Yes, our water is VERY hard.

It seems to clean well, I`d just like more of a layer between the mitt and the paint.

I put the soap in the bottom, and use the sink-rinsing nozzle (higher pressure than tap) to try and foam it up, to no avail.

Thanks for all the replies!

I guess I`ll finish this bottle, and switch to Z7 next.(good excuse to order more stuff )

[imported_Custom Detail]

Trouble is your using water..........use beer.

[imported_Mobile detail]

Another Calgarian! All right!



I feel your pain, I`m using the rest of the Simoniz car wash that I picked up last year (works really well). But I find I`m not getting the suds that I expect unless I really let the bucket have it with a blast from the hose or (like you said) using the pressure washer.

[2wheelsx2]

Originally posted by 4DSC

Isn`t Calgary water on the hard side? That could be why it`s not sudsing up. Other than lack of suds though, does the solution work well or are you otherwise happy with it (good lubrication, cleans, etc)? I`m just asking because suds are a nice thing to look at, but do zilch really. QEW doesn`t suds up, and neither do dishwasher or washing machine detergent.



I actually try NOT to make suds anymore personally because it`s just making the water hard to see and uses up a tiny bit of the soap in the foam.

Brian:



It`s true that having lots of suds is not indicative of a soap`s ability to clean (eg. QEW); however, for traditional soaps, sudsing ability is an indicator of how effective a soap is at cleaning. Ever try to use the same amount of water to shampoo your hair away from the coast, say in Prince George, or on the prairies? You have to use twice as much almost, because otherwise your hair feels dirty. Same principle in car soaps. The minerals in the water load up the water so that the soap cannot form suds, which hampers a soaps ability to clean. It`s another story if you try not to make suds by keeping the water still. The cleaning ability is there, but you are just not making any bubbles.

[shaf]

Originally posted by 2wheelsx2

Brian:



It`s true that having lots of suds is not indicative of a soap`s ability to clean (eg. QEW); however, for traditional soaps, sudsing ability is an indicator of how effective a soap is at cleaning. Ever try to use the same amount of water to shampoo your hair away from the coast, say in Prince George, or on the prairies? You have to use twice as much almost, because otherwise your hair feels dirty. Same principle in car soaps. The minerals in the water load up the water so that the soap cannot form suds, which hampers a soaps ability to clean. It`s another story if you try not to make suds by keeping the water still. The cleaning ability is there, but you are just not making any bubbles.

Yes, that`s true and I forgot about that. Kind of like when you`re washing dishes and when you notice the suds runs out, the (filthy) solution you have in the sink is pooped.

[CharlesW]

Anyone use warm water to wash their car?

The comment about dishwashing got me thinking. (Bad)

If you wash dishes in cold water, it is not easy to get them clean. Wash them in warm water and the grease and dirt come off easy.

Would this hold true for car washing?



Charles

[Lowejackson]

Originally posted by CharlesW

Anyone use warm water to wash their car?

The comment about dishwashing got me thinking. (Bad)

If you wash dishes in cold water, it is not easy to get them clean. Wash them in warm water and the grease and dirt come off easy.

Would this hold true for car washing?



Charles

Warm water or tepid water helps but dont use hot water.



Steven