Is Dish Soap Safe For Your Car’s Paint And Clear Coat
If youre new to car ownership or washing a car yourself, you may be unaware of whats ideal to use when washing it. You may have heard stories of people using dish soap and it working just fine to get dirt off while not causing any damage. However, is this really the case?
The short answer is that it doesnt harm the clear coat on your vehicle, so, it may be fine to use in a pinch if you dont have anything else around. However, it isnt a particularly good idea to use it for regular maintenance washing purposes.
Can I Just Wash My Car With Water
While an initial rinsing of your car with only water does help get rid of loose dirt and debris, it does not really clean your car. Rinsing with water is a necessary step, but it only preps the car to be fully cleaned. If you only rinse your car with water and nothing else, it will still be dirty. You will need to use soap to fully remove all dirt and debris.
Hose Off The Car Before Beginning The Washing Process
Before you begin washing, hose off the entirety of the car, from top to bottom. Generally, you will want to work top to bottom as the water, soap, and dirt will naturally run from top to bottom. Also, the bottom sections of the car tend to be the dirtiest, and you dont want to accidentally transfer any of this dirt or grime to the upper portions of the car. Use a pressure washer or a foam gun for the pre-rinse if you have one. If not, a hose will do just fine.
It is important to know that the use of a pressure washer could cause damage to the paint if used incorrectly. So, if you use a pressure washer, use it properly. Refer to our How-To Guide to Pressure Washing Your Car for more details. The process of rinsing before washing removes dirt and debris that could otherwise cause scratches to the exterior.
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In A Hurry This Is The Best:
Meguiars is a well-known and loved brand among car owners all over the world in 2020. The brand itself has been manufacturing car care products for well over a century and are widely considered leaders in the field. The G7164 soap formula is particularly loved as it is powerful enough to strip away thick layers of dirt and grime, without stripping your cars exterior of its wax protective layer.
The formula is efficient enough to strip away dirt while the essential oils in the soap work to condition and protect your cars exterior. The result is a clean car with a glossy finish and restored color.
Compared to other car wash soaps on the market, the G7164 is very reasonably priced. Especially when you consider that the G7164 operates as a washing and protecting product all in one.
Can I Wash My Car Without Water
Yes, you can. Though it wont result in the best possible clean for your car, if you have limited access to water or perhaps there is a drought in your area, you can do a waterless car wash. We recommend the Shine Armour Waterless Car Wash & Wax. Just spray it on to a clean microfiber cloth and gently wipe from side-to-side. Use multiple microfiber cloths to maintain cleanliness. Repeat until the entire car is clean.
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Foaming Shampoo Vs Rinse
Foaming car washes imply just that rich, soapy suds that create massive bubbles when mixed with water. Foam does an excellent job of lifting up dirt, road pitch, and grime by softening and encapsulating it, making it easier to remove and rinse off. pH neutral foam also helps prevent scratching your cars paintwork.
Rinse-free options are more designed for lighter cleaning and convenience. Rinseless washes are good for occasional dust build-up, not a vehicle soaked with road salt, grime, and dirt. It is a preferred method of cleaning for people who live in apartment complexes with no access to a driveway and a hose.
Wet Down The Car Exterior
Materials Needed
- Bucket
- Garden hose
Step 1: Rinse your car. Begin by rinsing your car thoroughly with a hose. This breaks up dry dirt and debris. Use a soft sponge to scrub the exterior gently to prevent any dirt from scratching or damaging the paint.
Step 2: Create mixture. Mix one cup of baking soda to one gallon of hot water. This mixture helps remove grime from your car without being too harsh.
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Supplies And Ingredients To Get Started
The first thing you need to make homemade car wash soap is a large bucket you’ll be filling with water and the other ingredients for your soap. The simplest homemade car wash soap recipe is water, baking soda, and dishwashing liquid such as Dawn or Palmolive. There is debate though about the harshness of this soap some say to use less baking soda and that dishwashing liquid will strip the wax off of your car, but it will not damage the clear coat on your paint job. It’s up to you if you want to use this recipe and then re-wax your car if necessary.
Another recipe recommends borax and powdered laundry detergent in place of the baking soda which can be harsh on your car, but insists that laundry detergent is fine for your car because of the clear coat. Others have suggested baby shampoo, but most believe it is too mild to really remove any build-up of grime and we agree. You may want to play around with these ingredients to get a solution you like and that works for you.
Also, do not use any products that contain acetone to remove bugs or tar. This can be anything from nail polish remover to Raid insect spray or WD-40 these products will damage your car and dissolve the clear coat and maybe even affect the paint.
For our recipe after considering these others, we’ll recommend that you use the one with water, liquid dish soap, borax, and powdered laundry detergent.
Now, let’s put these ingredients together.
Car Wash Soap Alternatives: Best Household Soap To Wash A Car
Keeping your car nice and clean is important. No one wants to drive a car that looks dingy or dirty. This is why you need to take the time to wash your car as thoroughly as possible. You may not have car soap or shampoo handy, though.
When you dont have any car shampoo to use, it can be tough to know what to do. Is it going to be okay to use regular household soap? If you dont know, then you likely want to figure out if there is a simple alternative to car wash soap products that you have around your house somewhere. You dont want to just use a type of soap without knowing if it is safe for your car.
Today I am going to be going over various car wash soap alternatives. Ill give you the basic information so that you can see the advantages and disadvantages of using these alternatives. You will come out with a much better understanding of what you should and should not be doing. Its not too complicated to understand, but you should read on to get all of the information before proceeding with any alternative soaps.
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- Triclosan
- Non-petroleum oil
Moreover, each of these chemicals is toxic for the environment, so you shouldnt be using them for a major outside cleaning job.
So, does that mean that all of the alternatives are absolutely off the table? Well, its a little more complicated than that. In order to properly answer that question, we have to delve into the alternatives and find out.
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Why Use Diy Car Wash Solution
As simple as the car cleaning process may seem, there are some things to watch out for so that you dont accidentally degrade your cars finish. As we have mentioned, some commercial cleaning products may contain harmful substances.
If you are not familiar with the chemical composition of commercial car wash products and you are not sure if they are safe, make a homemade car wash solution instead.
Biodegradable Car Wash Soaps With Best Feature: Easy To Use
Mission Automotive Biodegradable Car Wash Soap
Almost all customers found that the car wash soap offers reasonable value and also it is great with the power washer! They say that the car wash soap is perfect to use on a variety of vehicles:. A few say that the carwash soap does a good job at pulling dirt away.
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What Customers Are Saying
This product received an average rating of 4.8 stars out of 5 after about 580 customers reviewed it. Its score remained the same after adding in reviews from other e-commerce websites, which means its Amazon score is 0.1 stars above the Amazon average for all five products, but its overall score is equal to the overall average for all products across all websites.
Most customers liked this product because of how slowly it dried. They said that this slower dry time allowed you to rinse off the product before it dried and left water spots on your car. They also liked how much the product foamed. There were only a handful of customers that rated this product below 4 stars. However, the few that did said that they didnt think it left their cars shinier than they would have been with a non-wax car soap.
Can I Use Shampoo To Wash My Car
A better car wash soap alternative is something that is going to be a little more gentle. An excellent choice is hair shampoo. I honestly have to say Im not very discriminating with my shampoo choices. Even though I may not buy the highest quality shampoos they will be more gentle than dish detergents or laundry detergents.
My wife is much more critical when choosing a shampoo. The shampoo that she uses is likely far more gentle than the cheap brand I picked. If you live with someone that is more particular about their hair care products and you think youd survive stealing a bit. The best choice for washing your car is a premium hair shampoo if you dont have a quality car wash shampoo. My wife would be livid if she found out that I wasted her precious hair product. But your situation may be more conducive to you surviving the shampoo theft unscathed.
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Sparkling Clean Car Without Damage
Some people try washing their cars with liquids they already own, like a multipurpose cleaner or dish soap. More often than not, they end up damaging their cars paint surface. These soaps are simply too abrasive for the easily damaged car paint. If you think of it, it does make sense dish soap is made strong enough to remove a caked-on week-old lasagna from a dish. To achieve that, it needs to be very tough and rather abrasive. In fact, most cleaning agents you have at home are way too abrasive for the vulnerable car paint, and substances like car waxes and sealants. On the other hand, car wash soaps are formulated so that they not only keep your paint job safe but in fact bring out the best out of your car paint.
What Kind Of Products Should You Use
Don’t use household cleaning agents like hand soap, dishwashing detergent, or glass cleaner on the paint. These aren’t formulated for use on a car’s paint and may strip off the protective wax.
Do use a dedicated car-wash product, which is milder and specifically designed for use on automotive paint. Apply the suds with a large, soft natural sponge or a lamb’s-wool mitt.
Grease, rubber, and road-tar deposits picked up from the road often accumulate around the wheel wells and along the lower edge of the body. These can be stubborn to remove and may require a stronger product, such as a bug-and-tar remover. Use a soft, nonabrasive cloth to remove these deposits, as they can quickly blacken your sponge.
Do use a separate sponge to clean the wheels and tires, which may be coated with sand, brake dust, and other debris that could mar the car’s finish. Mild soap and water may work here if not, a dedicated wheel cleaner may be required. Be sure the cleaner is compatible with the type of finish used on the wheels. A strong formula intended for mag wheels, for instance, can damage the clear coat that’s used on the wheels that come on today’s cars. To be on the safe side, choose a cleaner that’s labeled as safe for use on all wheels.
Do treat your car to a seasonal waxing to help protect it from the elements and give it a like-new shine.
Get more car maintenance and repair tips from Consumer Reports.
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Optimum No Rinse Wash & Wax 1 Gallon
Our next pick is a rinse-free car wash made by Optimum. This product is a combination of concentrated car wash and car wax which you dont need to rinse after washing, so its a good pick if youre at a location with limited water access. Furthermore, this is a very ecologically friendly option, as no soapy water goes down the drain, or eventually into rivers and lakes. We chose a 1-gallon bottle, but you can also get an 8 fl. oz. and a 32 fl. oz. container. Even though at first glance, this product seems expensive, thats not actually the case. Thats because, unlike most other car washes, you only need 0.5 ounces of the product for a gallon of water. As a result, a gallon bottle of Optimum No Rinse Wash & Wax lasts as long as two gallons of another car wash soap. The product has a pleasant smell, somewhat similar to a melon. This product can help keep your existing car wax in top condition, but its not a replacement for regular waxing with a separate product. Sometimes, this product can cause some hazing. If this happens, wipe your car again with a dry microfiber towel.
Pros
- It has a very pleasant smell
- Rinseless uses less water and is very eco-friendly
Cons
Is It Okay To Wash Cast Iron Skillets
Contrary to popular belief, you can use a small amount of soap to clean cast iron cookware! Large amounts of soap can strip the seasoning off your pan, but you can easily re-season your pan as needed. Our cast iron cookware should be washed by hand. A dishwasher will remove the seasoning and likely cause rust.
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Car Wash Soap Is Different
Once you’ve made the decision to wash a car yourself, the first step is to find some good car-specific soap. You don’t want to use something generic like dish soap or laundry detergent. Car wash soap is specifically designed to be less aggressive than products meant to clean a crusty lasagna pan or the shirtsleeve you dragged through your soup last week. You want a cleansing product with good lubricity and easy foaming to lift and suspend contaminants embedded on the surface of your paint. That being said, even narrowing your choices will leave an overwhelming number of options.
We’ll break car wash soap down into three categories: basic, basic with additives, and rinseless or waterless washes. Basic options like Meguiar’s Gold Class Car Wash Shampoo & Conditioner are a good start and are usually available at your local auto-parts store. Products like this one remove contaminants without stripping any wax or polish from your paint. These are also available with additives. The Chemical Guys Bodywash & Wax, for example, performs the same function with the extra benefit of adding a thick coat of wax. Though a wash like this is no substitute for a proper coat of wax, it’s a good supplement to the existing layer of protection between full wax jobs.
Shout-out to the very resourceful r/AutoDetailing site for help with this story. If you want to dive headfirst into the world of car detailing, that’s a great place to start!
How We Selected The Products
There were dozens of different options for car wash soaps to choose from. In order to narrow down and select only the best options, we chose products that came from reputable manufacturers with a solid history of producing reliable and innovative auto detailing products. We also wanted to compare apples to apples instead of offering a bunch of different car washing products, so we stuck only with soaps versus kits or multiple product bundles.
Our product selections, rankings, and awards for this story are based on research. While we havent conducted real-world testing on all of these products yet, weve looked at consumer testimonials and data, tutorials, and general discussions on social media and in forums. We also consider price and specification in the context of the segment. And, of course, we rely on our institutional knowledge of the automotive landscape to weed out weak products.
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Mothers 05674 Best All In One Car Soap
This environmentally friendly soap comes highly regulated by many car care experts worldwide. This product promises quick and hassle-free car washing. The formula offers a gentle PH-balance that cleans effectively and enhances your cars shine. This soap is a great all-rounder since it has enough foam and lubricity for quick cleaning. Most importantly, the soap contains a wax to protect your cars exterior.
This formula is highly concentrated which makes washing easier for you. The concentrated soap ensures that dirt and grime slide off your car easily. This also means that youll use much less and a single bottle will last you a long time.
Mothers is one of the cheapest car wash soap options available. Despite this competitive price, this car was soap packs a punch in how effectively it cleans. The concentrated formula also means that youll need to use a lot less compared to other soaps.
