Question about Optium No Rinse...

[Todd@RUPES]

All good advice, and I might add that when first starting you will feel like it takes longer...but after a couple of times you will be much faster than traditional washing. Learning a new technique is actually fun. I find that I rarely have to do a single panel at a time, but can do a section like the roof, windshield, and rear glass all at once. Then, the hood and front bumper. Followed by the fender and driver`s door...etc. Working in sections gives me the satisfaction of seeing my progress instead of rushing to rinse and prevent spotting as I do when I do a traditional wash. Even keeping your dressings with you in a caddy while you wash will reduce the number of times you have to go around the car and add to the satis faction of seeing your progress as you go. As for drying, I use a oversized absorbant towel for my first pass after washing, then follow with a soft 16 x 16 as if wiping down with a QD or Spray Wax. Your first drying pass will leave a little product behind that you can spread/buff like a QD that really adds a lot of gloss to the process.

As for wheels with rinseless washing: I do one of two things. Sometimes I wash them with the hose before starting the rinseless wash. Other times I will use Power Clean to clean then follow with No Rinse to remove the Power Clean as it needs to be rinsed to some degree. Either way is fine, but I always do the wheels, rims, and wells first in my process. Also, be sure to use a different mixture for the body after washing the wheels so that you don`t get the wheel grime and Power Clean in your body wash media.

One thing I have done that has not only made my rinseless washing faster, but easier, and IMO, less likely to mar is this...

I wash with a plush microfiber towel and do a fairly large section (adding more solution as needed). Then I ring out my wash towel in rinse water and load it with more solution, which I wring out until the towel is damp.

I will go back over the sections I washed with the damp towel in one hand and my drying towel in another hand.

What I have found for me is that the damp towel (damp with rinseless wash solution) offers these benefits.

It removes any newly formed `water spots`- Since the biggest fear IMO of letting rinseless sit too long is the solution/water spots, the damp towel allows me to wash a larger section.

It picks up any light dirt that might have redeposited on the surface.

It removes most of the standing water/solution, so the final drying towel buffs to a high gloss shine with no streaks.

[Chris@Optimum]

That`s a great idea to make rinseless washing even safer. I do something similar when I use Opti Clean as a waterless wash. I don`t like to start the process with a dry towel, no matter how soft. I always run warm water over a plush microfiber, ring it out, and spray some product on it in addition to the product I put on the panel. I will also change to a new one or go in and rinse the towel as needed after using all the folded sides.