Dawn Dishwashing Soap, why?

black bart said:
I have seen National Guardsmen polishing their trucks with Diesel Fuel. :eek:

They would do that before inspection and it did put some shine on the Olive Drab.
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Adding some kerosene to the wash water was a common thing in the really old days. Removed tar, bugs and made the vehicle shine. The wax removal wasn't a problem since most people didn't wax their cars anyway. :)
 
as far as laundry detergent, it does make a good cleaner for garage floors, as dawn goes, i've always been told that prolonged use would eventually leave the hard water like spots over time, simply cuz of the diff of ingredients, but if you think bout it, the same ppl that are using dawn arent the same ppl that are out polishing/waxing after they wash their car either. they just dont know better. a rain storm is as a good a car wash to these ppl im guessing
 
I have used a dab of dawn with my regular carwash on my last two car washes mostly because it produces a lot of suds. I use blue coral and meguiars and neither one of them probuce lasting subs. By the time I am finishing the wash, it looks like all I am using to wash my car is water.
 
feb said:
I have used a dab of dawn with my regular carwash on my last two car washes mostly because it produces a lot of suds. I use blue coral and meguiars and neither one of them probuce lasting subs. By the time I am finishing the wash, it looks like all I am using to wash my car is water.
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A person has to do whatever they are comfortable with. If you like lots of suds, go for it.
Pick up a handful of suds and rub it between your fingers and see if you think it is adding anything to the wash process.
FWIW, water quality has a big effect on suds. (And cleaning.)
I am still old school in that the suds do make me more comfortable with the wash solution, but I really don't think they are of any value.
DP Four in One and Optimum No Rinse seem to work great without suds.
 
feb said:
I have used a dab of dawn with my regular carwash on my last two car washes mostly because it produces a lot of suds. I use blue coral and meguiars and neither one of them probuce lasting subs. By the time I am finishing the wash, it looks like all I am using to wash my car is water.
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How many buckets are you using to wash with? Only one? Are you dipping that dirty mitt, with dirt from the vehicle back into the once-clean soap solution?

If so, that's a major part of the problem right there. Search out some info on the two bucket wash method. That is, if you are not doing that already.
 
The Zaino website says use it once initially to strip all wax and then never use it again. I think Sal is just saying to strip all wax before you use his system.
 
Sorry for le bump...

I only use dish soap for one thing: to strip old wax and prepare the surface for clay, correction, and LSPs. Never any other time.
 
CharlesW said:
If you are going straight from a Dawn wash to a fresh coat of wax/sealant, then why Dawn wash?

If I felt the previous wax/sealant was going to be a problem, I would use a paint cleaner/prep product.
If I am just "refreshing" the previous application, I wouldn't do anything but wash the vehicle with a good car wash.

If you need to strip wax, the cost of Prep-Sol which is intended to remove wax is only about $20 a gallon.

Hey, if it's what you like, great. I just never could see the fascination for using Dawn.
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:cool: Iuse DAWN on every vehicle I do. They are all getting waxed anyway and DAWN DOES NOT hurt tha finish of your vehicle.Car wash soaps are a waste of money just like any kinda window cleaner is. :cool: :dcrules
 
artman4life said:
as far as laundry detergent, it does make a good cleaner for garage floors, as dawn goes, i've always been told that prolonged use would eventually leave the hard water like spots over time, simply cuz of the diff of ingredients, but if you think bout it, the same ppl that are using dawn arent the same ppl that are out polishing/waxing after they wash their car either. they just dont know better. a rain storm is as a good a car wash to these ppl im guessing
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:cool: say what?:cool::dcrules
 
I have heard that using dish washing liquid was bad for the clear coat but thats all I have ever used and have never had a problem getting the car clean or degrading the finish.
Most dishwashing liquid is designed to work on glass metal and plastic.
It seems that it would be the perfect product to use combining those features with the fact that it cuts oil.
I have used some of those " automotive soaps" and I don't think they are worth the extra effort it takes to pick one out.
 
Tuckermatic said:
I have heard that using dish washing liquid was bad for the clear coat but thats all I have ever used and have never had a problem getting the car clean or degrading the finish.
Most dishwashing liquid is designed to work on glass metal and plastic.
It seems that it would be the perfect product to use combining those features with the fact that it cuts oil.
I have used some of those " automotive soaps" and I don't think they are worth the extra effort it takes to pick one out.
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I noticed in the highlighted portion of your comment that you didn't mention paint. 80% of what you are cleaning is paint. Dawn, all by itself won't hurt your paint. What it will do is strip your sealer or wax at a faster rate than most automotive shampoos. The squeaky clean they advertise is exactly what it does to your paint. Of course this leaves your finish unprotected. An unprotected finish is more susceptible to accelerated wear. If you were to wash weekly with Dawn and wax or seal after every wash you would likely never encounter a problem.
 
Couple of points - Dawn doesn't advise using it as a car wash - think "trial lawyers" and you'll be on the right tract. Will it hurt your car's paint? - hell no, will it strip the wax right off ?- not that I've seen, but then I have some damn good wax. Is it economical? That is the question!

Side note: My daughter is your typical teen and as we all know - acne is part of those teen years. She tried Pro-active and several OTC things at the drug store. Well, we went to the doctor about her sinus issues and while we're there I asked what he thought of acne treatments - he said mix 1/3 dawn, 1/3 listerine, 1/3 water - use it twice a day as a wash. OK - worked great, his point was that dawn was gentle enough to clean the baby ducks after the oil spill in Alaska - it was ok for a teen with oily skin. The listerine acts as an astringent, the water just dilutes the mix. Try it on your kids - worked on mine!
 
GearHead_1 said:
I noticed in the highlighted portion of your comment that you didn't mention paint. 80% of what you are cleaning is paint. Dawn, all by itself won't hurt your paint. What it will do is strip your sealer or wax at a faster rate than most automotive shampoos. The squeaky clean they advertise is exactly what it does to your paint. Of course this leaves your finish unprotected. An unprotected finish is more susceptible to accelerated wear. If you were to wash weekly with Dawn and wax or seal after every wash you would likely never encounter a problem.
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I did not specifically mention paint because paint is acrylic/plastic

True dishwashing liquid will clean a car and easily cut some kinds of wax.
Thats a good thing in my opinion.
However I would not leave it like that after washing it.
When ever I use soap I recondition the paint afterwards so it stays protected.
Liquid dish soap is fine by me.
 
Tuckermatic said:
I did not specifically mention paint because paint is acrylic/plastic

True dishwashing liquid will clean a car and easily cut some kinds of wax.
Thats a good thing in my opinion.
However I would not leave it like that after washing it.
When ever I use soap I recondition the paint afterwards so it stays protected.
Liquid dish soap is fine by me.
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Please explain what you mean by "recondition the paint." You keep using that term, and I don't think it means what you think it means.
 
Tuckermatic

one other thing to think about and I'm sure its been mentioned, your cars rubbers which are oil based suffer from repeated use of dish soap which by nature is a degreaser.


One last thing, I read about dish soap some years back, HOT water is required to wash all of the soaps residue off completely.
 
Beemerboy said:
Tuckermatic

one other thing to think about and I'm sure its been mentioned, your cars rubbers which are oil based suffer from repeated use of dish soap which by nature is a degreaser.


One last thing, I read about dish soap some years back, HOT water is required to wash all of the soaps residue off completely.
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I honestly have only used cold water to wash my car.
I use a bucket and a hose and the water is normally cold. I have not experienced excess residue or rubber degradation. My cars are 5 and 8 years old both bought new.
I use a long handled soft bristle brush which I put the soap in to lather the car while I rinse clear with the hose similtaneously.
All soap should have grease or oil cutting ability even automotive soaps.
If not how could they effectively clean a car?
 
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