How do you clean your car...hose or pressure washer...?
Discussion
Something I've been thinking about lately...it seems everyone these days is using a pressure washer to clean their car why has it become the norm when for years a plain old fashioned garden hose has been perfectly good for the purpose of car cleaning.
Personally I use a hose as I don't like the idea of blasting paintwork and rubber seals with several hundred PSI of water forcing it into places it shouldn't be, also I've seen on a mates car damage done with a power washer where the water got under the clear cote through a stone chip and peeled it off.
Then this afternoon I was watching one of my neighbours cleaning their new car with a pressure washer with the lance about six inches from the panels at that distance it can blast clean the blocks on the driveway never mind wash some salt of a cars paint.
Personally I use a hose as I don't like the idea of blasting paintwork and rubber seals with several hundred PSI of water forcing it into places it shouldn't be, also I've seen on a mates car damage done with a power washer where the water got under the clear cote through a stone chip and peeled it off.
Then this afternoon I was watching one of my neighbours cleaning their new car with a pressure washer with the lance about six inches from the panels at that distance it can blast clean the blocks on the driveway never mind wash some salt of a cars paint.
Is it just the 'toy' factor that makes what can be an unenjoyable task (especially in winter when trying to wash wheelarches and the undersides clear of salt) more tolerable. I personally just use a hose as I don't mind washing the cars. However I hate digging the garden over, for instance, but I reckon with a mini digger I would fairly quickly have a trench network resembling something from the Somme.
i alway rinse with a low pressure hose, a close neighbour of mine wrecked part of his block paving with a pressure washer, the deflection caused the damage and the damage was done before he realised what was causing the blocks to move. regular use of a pressure washer on paintwork is not a good idea in my opinion.
Pressure washer but with care. Just some simple awareness makes them a useful addition:
Don't use the spiraling end on a PW - use the flatter nozzle (if that makes sense)
Use a fairly low powered PW, or stand quite far back, and be intelligent with the way you move the water over the car (as above, I don't want to stick water where it isn't really supposed to be)
Be gentle
To be honest, I find it's all about the dirt removal method and not just about the pressure of water:
In the winter I'll use a hose if the car is fairly dirty (temperature allowing), or more likely use Optimum No-Rinse which is simply a no-hose, buckets and grouting sponge affair. Works very well and is slippery enough to remove the crud without leaving a trace on the paint.
In the summer, it's a pressure washer as the theory is it removes more dirt from the car than a hose, and I find it uses less water overall.
The most important thing though is what you do after. Using a good mitt, quality shampoo, good bucket discipline (use a rinse bucket) and a a good drying technique is pretty much the way to go. If you want to get fancy, you can get into sealants and waxes. I find this is useful as then the PW wash really does clean the car well and quite often I don't even have to wash it by hand. This is, in my opinion, the major advantage of the PW over a hose.
I fear the main attraction of the PW though is "a thorough job done quickly": going crazy with it, ripping off finishes all over and generally causing a lot of damage is bad news indeed.
Don't use the spiraling end on a PW - use the flatter nozzle (if that makes sense)
Use a fairly low powered PW, or stand quite far back, and be intelligent with the way you move the water over the car (as above, I don't want to stick water where it isn't really supposed to be)
Be gentle
To be honest, I find it's all about the dirt removal method and not just about the pressure of water:
In the winter I'll use a hose if the car is fairly dirty (temperature allowing), or more likely use Optimum No-Rinse which is simply a no-hose, buckets and grouting sponge affair. Works very well and is slippery enough to remove the crud without leaving a trace on the paint.
In the summer, it's a pressure washer as the theory is it removes more dirt from the car than a hose, and I find it uses less water overall.
The most important thing though is what you do after. Using a good mitt, quality shampoo, good bucket discipline (use a rinse bucket) and a a good drying technique is pretty much the way to go. If you want to get fancy, you can get into sealants and waxes. I find this is useful as then the PW wash really does clean the car well and quite often I don't even have to wash it by hand. This is, in my opinion, the major advantage of the PW over a hose.
I fear the main attraction of the PW though is "a thorough job done quickly": going crazy with it, ripping off finishes all over and generally causing a lot of damage is bad news indeed.
Edited by nixon1 on Sunday 3rd March 00:18
Sponge and squeegee? Prepare to be flamed by the swirl mark OCD crew...
I use a pump sprayer full of a strong shampoo solution and then a hose to get the worst of it off, then wash mitt and buckets and a hose rinse. On the black cars I use a drying towel, because our tap water is harder than Chuck Norris. Knew there was a reason not to buy black cars.
I use a pump sprayer full of a strong shampoo solution and then a hose to get the worst of it off, then wash mitt and buckets and a hose rinse. On the black cars I use a drying towel, because our tap water is harder than Chuck Norris. Knew there was a reason not to buy black cars.
otolith said:
Sponge and squeegee? Prepare to be flamed by the swirl mark OCD crew...
I use a pump sprayer full of a strong shampoo solution and then a hose to get the worst of it off, then wash mitt and buckets and a hose rinse. On the black cars I use a drying towel, because our tap water is harder than Chuck Norris. Knew there was a reason not to buy black cars.
The sponge doesn't touch the car, and it's not the sponge I washed the car with. I use one of those micro-fibre mitts for thatI use a pump sprayer full of a strong shampoo solution and then a hose to get the worst of it off, then wash mitt and buckets and a hose rinse. On the black cars I use a drying towel, because our tap water is harder than Chuck Norris. Knew there was a reason not to buy black cars.
My black car doesn't have any streaks or swirls, thank you very much!
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