Microfiber 101 with DFB

[MAGS1]

Well, look at companies like Chemical Guys.. they sell an all purpose cleaner, a wheel cleaner, a microfiber pad cleaner, carpet cleaner, seat cleaner, etc. It's ridiculous. And it's not just Chemical Guys.. it's the industry in general. Where does it end? If you buy specialty products for everything you end up with a lot of rebottled/rebranded stuff that you are just throwing your money away on.

So if that’s the way you feel, I expect that you put Dawn in your dishwasher, washing machine, shampoo bottles, body wash bottles and hand soap dispensers? No? No different than car care products IMO. Different products for different uses.

Sponsored

 

[GrabberBargeCaptain]

So if that’s the way you feel, I expect that you put Dawn in your dishwasher, washing machine, shampoo bottles, body wash bottles and hand soap dispensers? No? No different than car care products IMO. Different products for different uses.

More like, I dont buy special soap for my coffee mugs, special soap for my glassware, special soap for my cast iron pans and special soap for my flatware

 

[skinnyb]

So if that’s the way you feel, I expect that you put Dawn in your dishwasher, washing machine, shampoo bottles, body wash bottles and hand soap dispensers? No? No different than car care products IMO. Different products for different uses.

Well I see what Grabber is saying to an extent. There is a huge overlap on a lot of products. I am as guilty as anybody of buying one of everything but I have been very enlightened by DIY Detail in particular. They have limited product range and lots of products do double duty. I get it... Tire cleaner, Wheel cleaner, Bug remover. A good quality APC can pull all of those off if diluted right. And Chemical Guys is king of rebranding and remarketing the same thing over and over and over again ad nauseum... BUT, on the same token, there are specialty products that just plain work... Especially in the interior arena... And wheels and tires, I have favorite things that I like much better than a basic APC. So it is a give and take all around, we (I) go to extreme and buy it all LOL....

 

[GrabberBargeCaptain]

Well I see what Grabber is saying to an extent. There is a huge overlap on a lot of products. I am as guilty as anybody of buying one of everything but I have been very enlightened by DIY Detail in particular. They have limited product range and lots of products do double duty. I get it... Tire cleaner, Wheel cleaner, Bug remover. A good quality APC can pull all of those off if diluted right. And Chemical Guys is king of rebranding and remarketing the same thing over and over and over again ad nauseum... BUT, on the same token, there are specialty products that just plain work... Especially in the interior arena... And wheels and tires, I have favorite things that I like much better than a basic APC. So it is a give and take all around, we (I) go to extreme and buy it all LOL....

I don't have anything against people who love detailing and want to try all the new products under the sun. have at it, it's a fun hobby and satisfying. I'm more annoyed at some of the companies and charlatans-on-the-take on youtube pushing whatever flavor of the month they're pushing.

 

[skinnyb]

I don't have anything against people who love detailing and want to try all the new products under the sun. have at it, it's a fun hobby and satisfying. I'm more annoyed at some of the companies and charlatans on youtube pushing whatever flavor of the month they're pushing.

I agree, and I have in the last few months had to really resist buying the next new shiny thing. It is hard to weed thru the noise. That's why I love our resident forum Guru, he helps me minimize the noise and pick genuine good products. I embark on my own a lot and pick a few good ones, but I have picked some duds that were really doozies and learned my lesson

 

[DFB5.0]

Why not use Dawn dishwashing liquid to clean your detailing products?

Dawn, and other dishwashing liquids, leave a residue behind, you certainly don't want that in your towels.

Wouldn’t it remove the sealant waxes, etc.? And then for some reason if it was necessary, you could then wash it in Cheer free and clear or Tide free and clear, clothes detergent?

Dawn doesn't and never has removed waxes and sealants from anything, rather it masks them. I've covered this many times.....................................

Dawn Dish Washing Detergent As A Strip Wash | 2015+ S550 Mustang Forum (GT, EcoBoost, GT350, GT500, Bullitt, Mach 1) - Mustang6G.com

 

[DFB5.0]

I wouldn't use it for that BUT "not made for" is not necessarily synonymous with "not good for". God didn't make potatoes for Vodka.

As mentioned, Dawn leaves a residue behind, so it certainly isn't good for your towels.

 

[DFB5.0]

People have been saying for years that it removes sealants and waxes but i've never really found it to be true.

They sell strip washes that supposedly do this but i haven't found them to be effective at all.

A common misconception, so-called "strip washes" or "stripping soaps" WILL NOT completely remove a wax/sealant/coating, coatings in particular. If the protection is old and on its way out, yes, they will put a dent in them, but not completely.

The use of a "strip wash" is just part of a wider decontamination process. And so, this where people then default back to Dawn. Why? Because Dawn fools' people into thinking it removed the wax/sealant/coating, when in fact its masking the wax/sealant/coating you are trying to remove, in effect changing the surface tension, as evidenced by the flat water behavior. In reality, its still there.

But, I'm sure someone will chime in to say that they have been using Dawn for 30 years like this and had no problems. Yeah, but you still did it wrong. That same person will often go on at a later date complain XYZ wax/sealant/coating is crap because it doesn't last very long. Well, no wonder.

 

[DFB5.0]

Agreed. Considering the hundreds/thousands of dollars that we spend on car care does it really make sense not to buy dedicated products for our ponies? And that includes microfiber.

This is something I have struggled to comprehend over the years when it comes to certain aspects of car care and car maintenance. As in, you've bought a nice car at a higher expensive, a Mustang in particular is generally bought above and beyond a more mundane A to B appliance. And then, you go cheap on keeping it nice. This applies to just about everything.

For example, what is the logic of buying a high-performance car with near 500hp, then putting cheap no-name tires on it and end up compromising its ability. Same thing using crappy oil and oil filters, brake pads and rotors........................................................

And so, we arrive at detailing. While I consider towels as a consumable, by using of a dedicated detergent, you can maintain the performance of the towels and increase their working life. This is especially worthwhile on more expensive drying towels. Then consider towels are touching your car the most, selecting and maintaining quality towels is a natural choice. And its not like a dedicated microfiber detergent is that expensive.

Same applies to soaps. Why use Dawn to decon your car when there are more effective products on the market. Again, a $20 bottle of soap is a mere fraction of the price of the car you are washing.

I could go on, but you get it.

 

[Noleftist]

This is something I have struggled to comprehend over the years when it comes to certain aspects of car care and car maintenance. As in, you've bought a nice car at a higher expensive, a Mustang in particular is generally bought above and beyond a more mundane A to B appliance. And then, you go cheap on keeping it nice. This applies to just about everything.

For example, what is the logic of buying a high-performance car with near 500hp, then putting cheap no-name tires on it and end up compromising its ability. Same thing using crappy oil and oil filters, brake pads and rotors........................................................

And so, we arrive at detailing. While I consider towels as a consumable, by using of a dedicated detergent, you can maintain the performance of the towels and increase their working life. This is especially worthwhile on more expensive drying towels. Then consider towels are touching your car the most, selecting and maintaining quality towels is a natural choice. And its not like a dedicated microfiber detergent is that expensive.

Same applies to soaps. Why use Dawn to decon your car when there are more effective products on the market. Again, a $20 bottle of soap is a mere fraction of the price of the car you are washing.

Because there are sooo many scams for one.

Also sometimes products do more than one thing.

in detailing, look at how many companies tell you that thei wash wax all or wash less, the soap can be used for paint and trim and even the interior of the car.

Look at a hammer that can be used as a different tool that can be used to break glass. It can be used a hammer nails. It can be used to re-shape things. Self defens…

https://www.sciencefocus.com/science/six-drugs-discovered-by-accident
Robert Chesebrough was looking to strike it rich in the oil fields, but in 1859 he noticed workers complaining about rod wax, an annoying, waxy substance that gummed up their drilling equipment. Chesebrough called it Vaseline, and he used it to treat cuts and burns. He even ate a spoonful of the stuff every day.

Stardrops - The Pink Stuff - The Miracle All Purpose Cleaning Paste

I could post more, but you get the idea.

 

[MrMike]

Dawn being good to use on anything automotive related is definitely a meme.

As far as cleaning towels, if we're talking NOT using rags to riches, my best experience is with Woolite. That's another "not just Tide or All," but I can't remember the last time I walked into a home and did not see some sort of secondary detergent for delicates.

Because there are sooo many scams for one.

Also sometimes products do more than one thing.

in detailing, look at how many companies tell you that thei wash wax all or wash less, the soap can be used for paint and trim and even the interior of the car.

In general I agree that with proper dilutions you can make out with less products. Even if we're talking high end products, a good example is people mixing their own CarPro Elixir.

If we are talking basic detailing on the cheap, I'm pretty sure ONR is the best bang for the buck. Just buy it and a few spray bottles and dilute away. Use everywhere at varying dilutions. Get some APC for wheels and tougher spots, dilute appropriately. If you need a bit of alkalinity throw 0.5oz APC in the 5 gal car wash bucket. Finish up with some Turtle Wax Hybrid Ceramic that you can buy anywhere. Pile of TRC Edgeless 300s or the Costco/Kirkland Microfiber bundle. You're still way, way ahead of a drive through car wash with just this setup.

Some specialty items are irreplaceable though, like wheel cleaning brushes.

 

[skinnyb]

Dawn being good to use on anything automotive related is definitely a meme.

As far as cleaning towels, if we're talking NOT using rags to riches, my best experience is with Woolite. That's another "not just Tide or All," but I can't remember the last time I walked into a home and did not see some sort of secondary detergent for delicates.



In general I agree that with proper dilutions you can make out with less products. Even if we're talking high end products, a good example is people mixing their own CarPro Elixir.

If we are talking basic detailing on the cheap, I'm pretty sure ONR is the best bang for the buck. Just buy it and a few spray bottles and dilute away. Use everywhere at varying dilutions. Get some APC for wheels and tougher spots, dilute appropriately. If you need a bit of alkalinity throw 0.5oz APC in the 5 gal car wash bucket. Finish up with some Turtle Wax Hybrid Ceramic that you can buy anywhere. Pile of TRC Edgeless 300s or the Costco/Kirkland Microfiber bundle. You're still way, way ahead of a drive through car wash with just this setup.

Some specialty items are irreplaceable though, like wheel cleaning brushes.

Agreed A good Rinseless wash is a huge all rounder to do tons of things, interior, exterior, glass. It can do it all. I am not a fan of ONR however, but I use P&S Absolute or ADS Hero, even the aformentioned DIY Detail Rinseless, these are much more to my liking. But ONR is definitely the OG and for good reason..

And, I agree about the MF wash. I used Tide Free and clear for ages and it worked really well. I do use R2R now, even got a bottle of Carpro MF wash on sale a while back. It is really good too...

 

[young at heart]

And so, we arrive at detailing. While I consider towels as a consumable, by using of a dedicated detergent, you can maintain the performance of the towels and increase their working life. This is especially worthwhile on more expensive drying towels. Then consider towels are touching your car the most, selecting and maintaining quality towels is a natural choice. And its not like a dedicated microfiber detergent is that expensive.

This right here is the mentality one must adopt to achieve good results. And if you’re cheap like me it’s not easy. Well, selectively cheap I guess…

I have 4 Mustangs (one black) to maintain cosmetically and circumstances force me to pretty much do it waterlessly. So I’ve had to come to terms with spending a little $ to do it. Accordingly I literally just had a case of 120 TRC Eagle Edgeless 500 towels come in and I got them put away yesterday. Right at $4.00/towel but they’re stunning towels! I’ll try washing them but if that causes marital discord I’ll just buy a case every year. Doesn’t make sense to have 4 beautiful cars I adore all have swirl marks because I cheaped out.

 

[GrabberBargeCaptain]

Love those damn towels. They're still plush as the day i bought them years ago. I've only had to toss 1 or 2 after i dropped em on the ground. Or relegated them to household duty.

Sponsored