Review: EcoTouch Waterless Wash Concentrate

[mjlinane]

Review: EcoTouch Waterless Wash Concentrate

Introduction:

My new Blackfire products haven`t arrived and I was stood up for an Opti-Coat prep and and application today, so I went into my supply shelves looking for a little talked about product to review.

I was up late one night/early one morning and saw an infomercial for IBIZ. It (apparently) is some kind of waterless wash and I was intrigued. I had just started on the forums and what found little on it was mostly negative. It did have a little of the snake oil to the presentation about it but the idea of a waterless stuck with me. I hunted around on the internet and found EcoTouch WW (RTU) locally available so it became my first foray into waterlesses. And, since our draconian water restrictions continue (in spite of 5" of rain on last Tuesday alone), I`m glad I did.

Thanks to Corey again for providing the format.

Product Claims:

From ACC website -

"Concentrated cleaning!

Super concentrated, makes 176 oz. of cleaning solution.
Dilute 10 parts water with 1 part solution.
Promotes lustrous shine and beading.


Eco Touch Waterless Car Wash is a spray-on/wipe off cleaner which safely removes surface contaminants and leaves your car absolutely spotless. This formula is designed to `lift` dirt away from your car`s paint to help ensure a scratch-free finish. The powerful surfactants break down road grime, while polymers leave a smooth and protected finish. Plus, the spray-on method eliminates untreated runoff and conserves 20-100 gallons of water per wash."

Eco Touch Waterless Car Wash Concentrate 16 oz.

Product



Details:

1.- Packaging: Plastic Bottle
2.- Directions: Clearly labeled
3.- Viscosity: Slightly thicker than water
4.- Color: Clear
5.- Scent: Sweet citrus
6.- Price at time of review: 16oz = $ 19.99
7.- Manufacturer: EcoTouch
9.- Made in: USA

Other Products Used:

MF or Viva
Spray bottle

Preparation:

Mix at 10:1 dilution ratio in spray bottle and shake well.

Application:

Spray on, let dwell (I use a 10 count), wipe with MF in only 1 direction "snake pattern" (no scrubbing), turn MF and buff dry.

For wheels, I spray on wheel AND on folded Viva paper towel, let dwell and wipe wheel. Discard Viva before next wheel.

Observations:

Nice, light fragrance. Cleans well - especially on grimy dirt. Is "wet" (a bit harder to dry). Leaves very clean and glossy finish. Seems to offer some protection because wheels stay cleaner for a couple of weeks.

No pics for much the same reason as Dr. Oldz gave.

Does it meet its claims? Yes.

Comparisons:

My favorite waterless at the moment is UWW+. I like pretty much everything about it - it cleans well, flashes rather quickly, has PolyCharger protection and is the most cost effective waterless I`ve found (from concentrate, it works out to $0.03/oz!). One note - I probably use a bit more UWW+ than the others when washing a car.

Optimum Opti-Clean also does everything well and leaves the "wettest"-looking finish - approaching some of the better QDs. Is a bit more expensive (from concentrate, $0.125/oz).

DP WAW is also quite good. It does share the "wet" characteristic of EcoTouch. Also a bit expensive (from concentrate, $0.156/oz) but is often available on BOGO from AG which makes it very cost effective.

I believe EcoWash cleans slightly better than all of the above. However, that might just be my impression because I use it in dirtier situations than the others.

I haven`t used any waterless on a really dirty car. I tend to treat waterless, rinseless and traditional as a spectrum and, the dirtier the car, the more "safe" a method I use. During the summer, I was waterless washing my DD up to 3 times a week and would rinseless or traditional wash on Sundays. (I like a very clean car.) This kept it very much safely in the waterless region (to me). And, as it takes less than 30 min to do, it wasn`t too much of a chore but cost effectiveness definitely comes into play.

Pros:

1.- Cleans well
2.- Cost effective ($0.114/oz diluted)
3.- Pleasant smell
4.- Easy to use.

Cons:

1.- A bit harder to dry than other WWs.

Final Observations and Summary:

I use EcoWash on all of my customer`s cars. From final wheel cleaning & painted part of wheel wells to door jambs. It does what I want in an easy and rather cost effective manner. I have used it on showing paint and it works there, too - I just prefer UWW+. EcoWash is a product that gets little, if any, publicity and that is a shame.

And, if you don`t use a waterless, I strongly encourage you to try one. I believe you will find it a very useful tool in your box. My detailing partner didn`t believe in this type of product either but now uses on all washes of his own car.

I am very much looking forward to trying the new formula BF WW product, too.

Comments and questions are encouraged. Thanks for viewing!

[Dr Oldz]

Great review. The price breakdown really puts a great view on things! Your honesty is greatly appreciated!

[RTexasF]

Well written, thank you.

[tw33k2514]

Very nice review.

I love reading about products I have never heard of.

And I must add that I really enjoy your reviews.

[TroyScherer]

Nice review.

Question: you list Eco price per oz as $0.114. You also list UWWP as $0.03 per oz. Why not just use UWWP all the time? Is Eco wash that much better?

[mjlinane]

Thanks everyone.

Question: you list Eco price per oz as $0.114. You also list UWWP as $0.03 per oz. Why not just use UWWP all the time? Is Eco wash that much better?

It may well come to that. I still have a lot of EcoTouch left and, as it works well for what I use it for, will continue to use it. At some point I`ll try UWW+ in those areas and, if it works as well, I`ll switch.

Some of the point of this review is to bring awareness to the brand. I`ve used a couple of their products and have been pleasantly surprised but they are definitely under the radar. Also, I hoped to give non-waterless users ideas for how to try in safe areas and see their results - possibly then expanding their use. I honestly believe that these are really useful products even if you don`t waterless wash the whole car.