Foaming vs Conventional Washing

Welcome back to the Proje’ blog. Today, we’re going to look at the differences between using a foam cannon and using the conventional hands-on washing method. What are the results of each, and which is better? Enjoy the read!

What is “Foaming”? 

A foam wash does exactly what it says – it creates a layer of foam (or snow) on your car. It pretty much looks like a winter morning with a thick white cover over your car! But it’s not just about looking cool. The foam is great for several reasons. Firstly, it’ll save you money! Ok, you need to start off by buying a foam cannon, but these don’t break the bank and you’ll soon have made your money back and more in savings on soap. Take a look at our Pressure Washer Foam Cannon – you’ll only pay $79.99, but then the dilution ratio is 2oz. soap to 28oz. water. When used with our Vital Car Wash Soap – 16oz. for $9.99, you get 8 full washes. The combined price? Just over $11 a wash. Then, the next time you buy the soap, you’ve already got the cannon and you’re suddenly giving your car a professional standard foam wash for just over a dollar a go. Now, that’s value!

But what are you paying for exactly? Well, if you use foam you get more contact time on your car – the soap stays in contact for longer, creating better results. The pressure aspect of the cannon agitates the soap and water combination far more effectively than you could ever manage using just your hands, so the results end up better. Couple that with the fact that you don’t need to touch your car at all, and this isn’t just more effective, it’s a time saver too. There’s also the issue of swirls. It can be a real pain cleaning your paintwork without creating swirls as you wipe the excess away. Sure, it can be avoided with a bit of practice, but if you use a foam cannon this issue simply doesn’t exist. Spray it on, spray it off with water. It’s hands-free, so it’s also completely swirl-free.

The Conventional Method

Of course, with the conventional method, you don’t need a cannon or a pressure washer. It’s just you, a really good soap, a wash mitt, a couple of towels and a bucket. Let’s remind ourselves of the two-bucket wash method:

Step 1: Fill a bucket with 2oz of Vital Car Wash Soap for every 4 gallons of water – this distribution ensures that the maximum amount of suds will be created. You shouldn’t need more than 3.5 gallons of liquid to wash all the dirt on your bodywork away – one of our 3.5 gallon pails will be perfect. Use the Proje’ Bucket Grit Guard in your bucket before starting the cleaning process, so that all excess dirt is trapped at the bottom of the bucket and isn’t reintroduced in to the wash solution.

Step 2: Fill a separate bucket with only water and grit guard. Now, get a separate bucket with another grit guard and fill this just with water. It’s essential that you use the two-bucket wash method to get the cleanest possible result with no risk of scratching.

Step 3: Agitate the bucket with the soap using the Proje' Green Microfiber Wash Pad to create super suds. It’s the suds that will strip all the dirt away from your paintwork, so don’t worry about too many suds – it’s the sign of a good product!

Step 4: Now it’s time to wash the car using the two-bucket wash method. Rinse the car with fresh water first, then use the wash pad to wash the car from top to bottom. Wash in horizontal lines from top to bottom for even cleaning. Our Chenille wash pad is super-soft and its micro fibers will remove dirt without damaging any paintwork, waxes or sealants, so while you don’t need to worry about rubbing too hard, you’ll also find that you don’t really need to as the Vital Car Wash Soap is extremely effective.

Step 5: Each time you need to add more soap to your wash pad, first rinse it in the water bucket, so that there is no contamination of the soap bucket.

Expert Tip

When you rinse your Green Micro Fiber Wash Pad, rub it directly against the grit guard at the bottom of the bucket to ensure that you completely remove any excess dirt or grit from the wash pad before putting it back in the soap bucket.

Step 6: Once you have finished cleaning and rinsing, give your vehicle one more rinse and then use one of our 480gsm Big Giant Drying 25 x 36 Towels to thoroughly dry the paintwork. The high GSM of our drying towels protects against any swirl stains or scratches during the drying process.

At the end of this process, you’re going to get a really clean car too. So, which is better? Let’s break down the numbers.

Both methods have their merits then! The traditional method is a bit cheaper (although this levels out), but the cannon method will save you time and is undoubtedly more effective.

Looking to use the cannon method but save a few pennies? Check out our Garden Hose Foam Cannon instead – it’ll save you $30! The attachment connects to most standard garden hoses, allowing you to get super suds without the use of a pressure washer. This time, it’s the velocity of your water supply that helps create the suds, and it is effective. With the garden hose foam cannon your still experience that fun snow-globe effect that will result in your car being completely covered and cleaned from roof to wheel.

We hope you’ve enjoyed reading this week’s blog – stay tuned for more tips and tricks next week.

If you have any questions about any of the techniques or products that I’ve mentioned in this post, just add a comment below and we’ll post a reply! Remember that we stock only the best auto detailing supplies, so why not click some of the links in this blog post, or visit our products page to find out more? From all of us at Proje’, Enjoy the Process!

FOAM BLASTER KIT 

$77.96