Washing up liquid ok for washing car?
Discussion
Washing up liquid contains a tiny amount of salt (a far lower concentration that the water that's kicked up off the road in the winter after the gritters have been out). I wouldn't regularly wash a car in the stuff but it will do no harm if you want to get something particularly evil off it once. The main problem is actually not the salt, but the fact that washing up liquid is so good at cleaning things - it takes all the old wax off.
If you do use it, rince the car extremely well afterwards then re-wash it with car shampoo to get any last traces of salt off, then rewax immediately.
ETA: I have used it recently on my car when someone spilled a bit of engine oil on the paintwork. Then again my car is made of plastic so is unlikely to rust.
If you do use it, rince the car extremely well afterwards then re-wash it with car shampoo to get any last traces of salt off, then rewax immediately.
ETA: I have used it recently on my car when someone spilled a bit of engine oil on the paintwork. Then again my car is made of plastic so is unlikely to rust.
Edited by kambites on Monday 26th May 15:45
Fume Troll said:
Does anyone know what to use for cleaning fairies ?
Cheers,
FT.
Peugeot 306s?Cheers,
FT.
You can get a litre of Tesco Wash and Wax for £2-ish, hundred times better for the car than washing up liquid! It lasts a fair while aswell, thats what I used to clean my 306 with, gave it an OK finish aswell.
One of the boys at work washes the van with a fairy liquid and a sweeping brush
kambites said:
Washing up liquid contains a tiny amount of salt (a far lower concentration that the water that's kicked up off the road in the winter after the gritters have been out). I wouldn't regularly wash a car in the stuff but it will do no harm if you want to get something particularly evil off it once. The main problem is actually not the salt, but the fact that washing up liquid is so good at cleaning things - it takes all the old wax off.
If you do use it, rince the car extremely well afterwards then re-wash it with car shampoo to get any last traces of salt off, then rewax immediately.
ETA: I have used it recently on my car when someone spilled a bit of engine oil on the paintwork. Then again my car is made of plastic so is unlikely to rust.
there is actually about 20% salt on average in the thicker liquids, they use it to thicken it as well as for cleaning purposes We did a test on various brands at school.If you do use it, rince the car extremely well afterwards then re-wash it with car shampoo to get any last traces of salt off, then rewax immediately.
ETA: I have used it recently on my car when someone spilled a bit of engine oil on the paintwork. Then again my car is made of plastic so is unlikely to rust.
Edited by kambites on Monday 26th May 15:45
The cheaper pissy ones have less salt on average 10-17%.
its not good at all.
i had a golf once and the owner assured me she had washed it on a regular basis with fairy... she thought that was a selling point lol. The paint had clearly suffered as it felt rough and had no traces of any wax of polish. I have been told it is good to wash a car a couple of times a year with washing up liquid if you then wash it again with a quality shampoo afterwards as it does cut through a lot of grime as its quite aggressive.
another thing to remember is if you like using fairy is when it rains OMG its like trying to drive whilst looking through a rainbow!
i had a golf once and the owner assured me she had washed it on a regular basis with fairy... she thought that was a selling point lol. The paint had clearly suffered as it felt rough and had no traces of any wax of polish. I have been told it is good to wash a car a couple of times a year with washing up liquid if you then wash it again with a quality shampoo afterwards as it does cut through a lot of grime as its quite aggressive.
another thing to remember is if you like using fairy is when it rains OMG its like trying to drive whilst looking through a rainbow!
I can see that it's too aggressive for anything but a deliberate back-to-clear-coat exercise prior to giving a neglected car the full going over.
I can see that the high salt content might be a worry in regular use (although after 1:400 dilution and rinsing, I'm sceptical that it could do that much harm).
I think I'm going to have to call boswellox on the idea that it is somehow abrasive. It's a clear liquid, for feck's sake, a solution of detergents. Show me the particles.
I reckon the idea that it is abrasive comes from it removing previously applied waxes containing fillers which were concealing swirls and defects.
Not that I would consider using fairy liquid to clean my car, you understand, not unless in this kind of situation, but I have an uncomfortable feeling that the "detailing" community are being given the kind of ride that the cosmetics industry have been giving women for years; in other words, boswellox. Look at these products, they smell edible, not like the sort of manly stuff a bloke ought to walk out of a motor factors carrying. They claim to contain special, rare plant extracts, to rejuvenate, hiding the signs of ageing. It's f
ing face cream, I tell you. I bet that 95% of the active ingredients of car shampoo are common, whether you are looking at £10 a litre or £2.50 a gallon. Or, for that matter, at a bottle of washing up liquid. It's mostly going to be unspecified surfactants which will probably be much the same cocktail of sulphonates whatever the product. The waxes and polishes are a bit more variable, I should think, but I still think the differences between products will owe more to marketing than formulation. I think the mark-up on this stuff must be astronomical.
I can see that the high salt content might be a worry in regular use (although after 1:400 dilution and rinsing, I'm sceptical that it could do that much harm).
I think I'm going to have to call boswellox on the idea that it is somehow abrasive. It's a clear liquid, for feck's sake, a solution of detergents. Show me the particles.
I reckon the idea that it is abrasive comes from it removing previously applied waxes containing fillers which were concealing swirls and defects.
Not that I would consider using fairy liquid to clean my car, you understand, not unless in this kind of situation, but I have an uncomfortable feeling that the "detailing" community are being given the kind of ride that the cosmetics industry have been giving women for years; in other words, boswellox. Look at these products, they smell edible, not like the sort of manly stuff a bloke ought to walk out of a motor factors carrying. They claim to contain special, rare plant extracts, to rejuvenate, hiding the signs of ageing. It's f
ing face cream, I tell you. I bet that 95% of the active ingredients of car shampoo are common, whether you are looking at £10 a litre or £2.50 a gallon. Or, for that matter, at a bottle of washing up liquid. It's mostly going to be unspecified surfactants which will probably be much the same cocktail of sulphonates whatever the product. The waxes and polishes are a bit more variable, I should think, but I still think the differences between products will owe more to marketing than formulation. I think the mark-up on this stuff must be astronomical. 
Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff