Car care is a broad subject with a lot of variants. For instance, when it comes to giving your car, a wash, when should you use foam washing or do away without it altogether? Also, did you know that pre-washing your car with foam can have a very huge impact on its aesthetic appeal?
When to Use Pre-Wash Foam
Once particles set, getting rid of them using brute force can leave your car’s surface damaged, which is why pre-washing using foam is important as it ensures that such dirt is loosened so that it does not cause any harm to your car’s paintwork during the wash. Some of the particles that need a pre-wash include bird droppings, bugs, grit, and the like, whose inconsiderate removal could leave your car with permanent marks and scratches.
An effective way to do a pre-wash is to use a pressure washer or a hose to rinse the car from the top to bottom while ensuring that all places where dirt might be trapped are moistened. The goal should be to loosen as much dirt as possible, and if possible, get rid of it all.
After using a pre wash foam, the best practice is to follow up by using the highest quality and best car shampoos on the market to ensure a flawless finished is achieved
What is Pre-Wash Foam?
Snow foam, or pre-wash foam, is a car cleaning detergent that is designed to cover a car’s exterior completely. The foam leaves a thick white layer that is similar in appearance to snow on the car’s outer side, which is why it is also called snow foam.
The process itself requires that you cover your car in foam using a foam cannon attached to your pressure washer. You can even get a professional to do this for you, although this is something you can now manage in your own home. For instance, the Vehicle Lab has foam cannons they recommend for home use.
However, if you do not have such high-tech foam application equipment, you can also use a spray bottle such as a garden sprayer. The ultimate goal is to ensure that the car is covered in this foam so that the dirt loosens.
That said, pressure car washers are now more affordable, and you can buy one without digging deep into your pocket. This piece of equipment is a lot more convenient than a garden hose when it comes to getting rid of grime, grit and bird droppings and other tough kinds of dirt as you clean your car.
A foam cannon is a good way to apply this substance because the compressed air and the water ensure better application. The pressure also ensures that the foam gets to all the important places where a spray bottle might not reach.
Why Use Pre-Wash Foam?
One of the main advantages of using a pre-wash foam as opposed to shampoo or a washing detergent for this stage of the car cleaning process. First of all, this substance is designed for softening the dirt on the car, which is not something regular detergent is designed to do. Additionally, while a car washing shampoo will often leave behind marks when it dries, a pre-wash foam will not cause such inconveniences.
For this reason, this foam will actually make the job of cleaning the car easier, not more complicated as a shampoo would when used in its place. Another reason to use a pre-wash foam as opposed to car washing shampoo is that it is much cheaper.
Even when you can get away with cleaning your grime or grit-covered car with regular soap and detergent without inflicting any damage, you still have a good reason to foam wash your car. Of you could get Car Detailing Utah. That is because the car will look a lot cleaner, as some of the stains that a regular wash might leave behind due to hard set stains will be dealt with during this cleaning stage.
How Does Pre-Wash Foam Work?
The foam has potent cleaning power that makes it adhered to the dirt particles on the surface of the car so that they are lifted off the paintwork. Without using this pre-wash foam, rigorous scrubbing would be required to get the particles off the car’s surface. Regular shampoo is not uniquely designed for this role, although its purpose is to get rid of the dirt off the car.
The foam can handle the big particles that regular car washing shampoo cannot, as it is more penetrative to ensure that the dirt loosens fast and easy to leave the surface less prone to damage during the cleaning process. After a pre-foam, a pre-rinse will often drain all this dirt away so that you can start using regular cleaning supplies to tidy up your car. This can obviously bring with it significant disadvantages as the particles can scratch the car’s surface and ruin the paintwork.
You should leave the snow foam on your car for about 10 to 15 minutes. That is how long it takes for the foam to do its magic and ensure that the car’s surface has no hard set dirt adhering to it.
When using a pre-wash foam, you can also avoid having to pre-soak your car, especially for the rims and engine bays where tough dirt often settles. The foam is better at maintaining its soapiness, and it is designed to retain its power and cleaning efficiency even when left for several minutes. Shampoo often dries out when left for more than a few minutes, leaving behind considerably stain marks of its own.
Foam washing your car is very important if you want to protect its surface and paintwork. When you use this cleaning product, dirt that would otherwise have abrasive properties of the car, resulting in scratches and other forms of damage, is removed off the car before you the soaping and the scrubbing process begins.
Also, you should note that pre-wash foam is special, and nothing like the foam you get from regular car shampoo or detergent. The pre-wash foam is specifically designed to loosen the big dirt particles that would need a lot of scrubbing to remove when using regular detergents. So, make sure you use pre-wash foam and not shampoo during this important car cleaning process.
In fact, you should seriously consider getting a foam cannon to make this process faster and more effective. The cleaning results you get after using this piece of equipment in addition to a good quality pre-wash foam are much more impressive. Remember to keep your vehicle looking amazing after the wash always use a outdoor car cover when you are not driving the vehicle or parking for extended amount of time.
