Pressure washers and soap guns

silverblip

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Looking for advice on what electric pressure washers and soap guns and soap everyone is using to wash the car. Never used one up to this point , but want to get started. Thanks.
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SCOPESYS

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Looking for advice on what electric pressure washers and soap guns and soap everyone is using to wash the car. Never used one up to this point , but want to get started. Thanks.
I'll jump in --

I use a small sub $100 Electric Power washer from Harbor Freight.. one reason being, we are on a well, and our water pressure is low. I think is is a max 1800psi, but I doubt if it really gets close to that. Works well, being careful not to get too close and go crazy.

Comes with a Detergent bottle... I would not call it a FOAM CANNON, but is does get the soap onto the car (after a pre soaking with water).
A little gently action with some clean, pre-soaked Micro fiber cloths, and the car is ready for a rise. The Electric Power washer is very good on the rise.

One big advantage is speed, the quicker you can get ALL the soap rinsed off, the sooner you can start the drying process, and less time the water has to evaporate off and leave water stains,

Then we use a small electric Leaf Blower to dry the car, allowing is to blow out the water from all the cracks and crevasses, as well as see how well the water is beading as it fly off the car, indicating when and where some addition protection is needed.

The drying process is Touch-less, so no micro scratching the car with dry Miro fiber Cloths etc.

The well water is a slight issue, if it is not dried off fast enough, it is hard water and can leave water marks. Considering getting a Water Filter...

As far as detergent is concerned, I use a mild one, with no additives... if I want to add a new layer of protection over the existing paintwork, I want to know exactly what I am applying.

TIme from starting the pre-soak, to ending up with a washed totally dry car .. about 15 minutes, and then maybe sometimes an extra 15 minutes to treat the outside glass, and re-apply some protection to areas that are no longer beading as well as they should.

Car gets washed about every 2 weeks, and some more time consuming detailing every 2 months.

Still trying to figure out the best way to reduce the DUST inside the car.. the plastic being a dust magnet. maybe some anti-static product . even considering running an electric blower/ Hepa air filer unit in the car overnight occasionally to remove internal dust ... -- open to suggestions ...
 

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i use that i got from amazon
Sun Joe SPX3500 2300-PSI 1.48 GPM
DUSICHIN SFL-001 Foam Cannon Snow Foam
 

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Sun Joe SPX3000 Pressure Washer, it's nothing to write home about but it gets the job done
MTM PF22 Foam Cannon, I like this a lot better than the Dusichin line of products which I found leaked and rusted fairly quickly
Adam's Car Shampoo, what I've been using for the last 3 years
Auto Fanatic Snow Storm Car Shampoo, what I plan on testing out shortly

I'll typically foam the car, rinse it off, then connect the CR Spotless DIC-20 for one final rinse

I can wash the car weekly in <30 mins, don't have to dry, no water spots

(This is for light lazy touchless washing, you'll still need to agitate if you really want to clean it)
 

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86salmon

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Still trying to figure out the best way to reduce the DUST inside the car..
The struggle is real. I find myself dusting every time I get in the car. That and the stupid fingerprint magnets on the center console are my start the car ritual
 

SCOPESYS

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The struggle is real. I find myself dusting every time I get in the car. That and the stupid fingerprint magnets on the center console are my start the car ritual
We keep a "Cover" on the Gear Knob when not driving. It keeps the knob "Cool" when parked in the sun. it's made out of a material similar to MicroFibre, and is the ideal item to gently wipe over the TouchScreen, when it is removed from the gear knob, and put into the top of the center console when driving.

Honda Civic 10th gen Pressure washers and soap guns fishy


It's actually a kids Bath wash mitt, reduced in size from a kids hand size to fit onto the gear knob.
It matches the Aegean Blue of the car... and does very well to keep the Gear Knob cool, when the sun is coming into the car when parked,

I picked up a decent size Air Filter unit (Heppa Filter fan unit) from Goodwill this week. ($15) The prior owner obviously did not realize that it had a serviceable filter inside, that could either be replaced or washed. It was Totally blocked !!.
Intend to try running that overnight in the car a few times a week, to see if that removes the dust, If it can remove dust from the air in a room, it should have an easy task of cleaning the air in the car.
 

JohnnyL

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I'll jump in --

I use a small sub $100 Electric Power washer from Harbor Freight.. one reason being, we are on a well, and our water pressure is low. I think is is a max 1800psi, but I doubt if it really gets close to that. Works well, being careful not to get too close and go crazy.

Comes with a Detergent bottle... I would not call it a FOAM CANNON, but is does get the soap onto the car (after a pre soaking with water).
A little gently action with some clean, pre-soaked Micro fiber cloths, and the car is ready for a rise. The Electric Power washer is very good on the rise.

One big advantage is speed, the quicker you can get ALL the soap rinsed off, the sooner you can start the drying process, and less time the water has to evaporate off and leave water stains,

Then we use a small electric Leaf Blower to dry the car, allowing is to blow out the water from all the cracks and crevasses, as well as see how well the water is beading as it fly off the car, indicating when and where some addition protection is needed.

The drying process is Touch-less, so no micro scratching the car with dry Miro fiber Cloths etc.

The well water is a slight issue, if it is not dried off fast enough, it is hard water and can leave water marks. Considering getting a Water Filter...

As far as detergent is concerned, I use a mild one, with no additives... if I want to add a new layer of protection over the existing paintwork, I want to know exactly what I am applying.

TIme from starting the pre-soak, to ending up with a washed totally dry car .. about 15 minutes, and then maybe sometimes an extra 15 minutes to treat the outside glass, and re-apply some protection to areas that are no longer beading as well as they should.

Car gets washed about every 2 weeks, and some more time consuming detailing every 2 months.

Still trying to figure out the best way to reduce the DUST inside the car.. the plastic being a dust magnet. maybe some anti-static product . even considering running an electric blower/ Hepa air filer unit in the car overnight occasionally to remove internal dust ... -- open to suggestions ...
As far as the dusty interior goes you might want to try 303 Aerospace Protectant. Unlike Armor all it dries up and doesnt leave a slime that attracts dust. It seems to actually repel dust. It works great on anything plastic, rubber and pretty much anything else. I also use it on the HU display. Helps reduce finger prints. It cost about $20 for 32oz. I've had a bottle for a couple years and haven't run out yet.
 

SCOPESYS

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I think I have SOLVED my Civic internal "Dust" problem.
Honda Civic 10th gen Pressure washers and soap guns 541-12931521


I ran a large Hepa Filter Air Filter unit in the Car overnight, and now there is not any sign of dust Anywhere !!! It's amazing !!

So, maybe using an Anti-static cleaner, like
3M™ Anti-Static Electronic Equipment Cleaner
Honda Civic 10th gen Pressure washers and soap guns 71iIs3WzI4L._SL1500_



and keeping the total dust level down by using the Hepa Air Filter occasionally overnight, will result in a virtually dust free interior :)
 

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I use a Simoniz 1800 PSI electric pressure sprayer. I have a non-adjustable foam sprayer for it but plan on getting a proper foam cannon for it this year as I know it will be useful for washing the house and not just the car (White siding is a pain).

Canadian Tire have started carrying Chemical Bros in the stores so I have been using their soap lately.
 


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After watching hours of pressure washer / foam cannon reviews on youtube I settled on this: https://www.obsessedgarage.com/coll...ries/products/karcher-k1700-portable-solution

It finally arrived mid last week and I hooked it up this weekend to give it a go. Using Adams Car Shampoo because of the hard water here in Las Vegas NV and the shampoo is PH balanced to help offset the effects of the water. After washing I blew out the fake vents with my air compressor to dry them, then dried the rest of the car with some new microfiber towels from Sams Club then applied P&S Beadmaker with some more microfiber towels. Then 30 minutes later it started sprrinkling rain on and off for the rest of the day; not enough to get much wet, but enough to make the dust the constant wind is blowing around all stick to the car. :sigh:

The pressure washer / foam cannon / soap setup was great, my first time using this setup and it made everything really easy. I am not getting the thickness of foam shown in a lot of the YT videos but I think thats due to the hard water at this point. The foam stuck long enough to soften up and clean up the car very well.
 
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After watching hours of pressure washer / foam cannon reviews on youtube I settled on this: https://www.obsessedgarage.com/coll...ries/products/karcher-k1700-portable-solution

It finally arrived mid last week and I hooked it up this weekend to give it a go. Using Adams Car Shampoo because of the hard water here in Las Vegas NV and the shampoo is PH balanced to help offset the effects of the water. After washing I blew out the fake vents with my air compressor to dry them, then dried the rest of the car with some new microfiber towels from Sams Club then applied P&S Beadmaker with some more microfiber towels. Then 30 minutes later it started sprrinkling rain on and off for the rest of the day; not enough to get much wet, but enough to make the dust the constant wind is blowing around all stick to the car. :sigh:

The pressure washer / foam cannon / soap setup was great, my first time using this setup and it made everything really easy. I am not getting the thickness of foam shown in a lot of the YT videos but I think thats due to the hard water at this point. The foam stuck long enough to soften up and clean up the car very well.
Looks good. What was the price on that PW? It's sold out atm.
 

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Looks good. What was the price on that PW? It's sold out atm.
Not cheap. $643.01 including shipping to my door. That was for the highest quality package with all of the parts etc. He had cheaper options available but since the additional parts (the majority of the cost) can be moved on to other pressure washers I felt it was worth the extra $$ for the quality and longevity of the products. Before I ordered it I had pretty much decided on a SunJoe SPX4000 and a $17 foam cannon from Amazon. After watching a bunch of reviews including the Obsessed Garage"Pressure Washer Project"testing series (yes, it took hours) I felt this setup would be best for my needs.

If you have the time, I would strongly recommend watching the series or at least the episodes associated with the brand(s) that you are considering before purchasing; I found the series by accident when I was researching pressure washers for foam cannon setups. If you are interested here is a quick link to the first episode in the series
 

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My GF uses a leaf blower to clean the inside of her car.
 

SCOPESYS

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My GF uses a leaf blower to clean the inside of her car.
OMG -- That's a Brilliant idea !!!

The Honda car's internals seem to be a DUST MAGNET.
Dusting off the dust on the Touch Screen of the Head Unit is getting very old !!


Leaf Blower is a great way to at least to get all the Dust etc off surfaces and into the air.

Maybe the Blower can then blow that dust laden air out of the car, or maybe putting a Hepa Filter Air Cleaner in the car overnight, when the dust is airborne, might do even better.

I had tried the Hepa Filter air cleaner overnight, and it certainly removed all the airborne dust, but could not shift the dust that was stuck to surfaces.

The LEAF Blower is the obvious answer ... thanks
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