Washing car with dish/laundry detergent

[xjay1337]

Wacky Racer said:

I've been using Pledge for over thirty years, (including on some quite expensive cars), never had an issue, great shine, and they smell nice too......

None of this £500 a tin rubbish.

You'll find most polishes (which is what actually gives cars the true quality finish) are about £25 per litre, actually.


I do seriously worry about some of the advice here, joking or not.

On the actual topic, you can wash your car with dish soap, fairy or whatever. It won't ruin the paint, but what it will do is remove any protection from the paint (in the form of wax/sealants) which can help to prevent fade from UV rays, along with the other benefits such as providing some resistance to etching from bird droppings, resistance to dirt, tar and iron build up allowing for an easier wash and less wash marring as dirt comes off more quickly.

The other thing is that dish soap may well not have the correct formula to allow for a nice, smooth wash (I.E it may not provide the lubrication required to wash the car without marring).