Snow Foam question....

[thegoal007]

I was looking at purchasing and trying the Turtle Wax snow foam (shampoo). From reading its description & video it looks like you can spray it and give it the 10 minutes for the foam to work and then additionally go over it with a mitten before hosing down . Does that sounds right to you all?
Well, that is what the video seem to infer, but perhaps the first foam was hosed down and a second foam applied and used a mitten ?

 

[Spencer589]

I wouldn't try it myself you might get away with if there's little muck on you car. I use Bilt Hamber snow foam myself, I'll spray it on before jet washing then leave it 5 minutes and jet wash the rest off and continue with the normal wash and bucket. The general idea of snow foam is to get off what dirt it can and loosen what it can't before you hand wash it.

 

[swisstony]

I was looking at purchasing and trying the Turtle Wax snow foam (shampoo). From reading its description & video it looks like you can spray it and give it the 10 minutes for the foam to work and then additionally go over it with a mitten before hosing down . Does that sounds right to you all?
Well, that is what the video seem to infer, but perhaps the first foam was hosed down and a second foam applied and used a mitten ?

There are two popular methods. The first I have been using for years and the second has become the latest. Both I think have their merits. The first is the twwo buckets methoid, one for wash, one for rinse with dirt guards. So you wet, snow foam, rinse and then contact wash with a mitten.
Second method is wet, snow foam, leave to dwell and then rinse. Then snowfoam again and this time wash with mitt but going over the snowfoam so double cleaning, the snowfoam itself and then the wash chemical you normally use. Using one bucket

Tbh I tend to do a combination of the two as I still prefer the two bucket method. So wet, snowfoam, rinse, snowfoam again and then contact wash.

As for the kind of snowfoam, it all comes to personal preference. I dont like turtle wax stuff, I prefer Yum cars wash or Autofinesse/Bilt Hamber snowfoam.

 

[45bvtc]

There are two popular methods. The first I have been using for years and the second has become the latest. Both I think have their merits. The first is the twwo buckets methoid, one for wash, one for rinse with dirt guards. So you wet, snow foam, rinse and then contact wash with a mitten.
Second method is wet, snow foam, leave to dwell and then rinse. Then snowfoam again and this time wash with mitt but going over the snowfoam so double cleaning, the snowfoam itself and then the wash chemical you normally use. Using one bucket

Tbh I tend to do a combination of the two as I still prefer the two bucket method. So wet, snowfoam, rinse, snowfoam again and then contact wash.

As for the kind of snowfoam, it all comes to personal preference. I dont like turtle wax stuff, I prefer Yum cars wash or Autofinesse/Bilt Hamber snowfoam.

OMG! Just wash with a GOOD wash/wax, rince with DI water (your own area 'tap' may be good enough, measure it! (?)) otherwise use a RaceGlaze and/or similar and go put your feet up!

Tis but a car FF sake...

Just NOW! Darn thing has been sat out 2-weeks, +150 miles, since last wash, HELLO!

PS: NOT WAXED in the last 6-years, just an SQ5 ambulance: chemotherapy does that...

My arrangement:

Cannot remember the last time I wasted time wiping a 'lacquered' body down...

​

 

[swisstony]

OMG! Just wash with a GOOD wash/wax, rince with DI water (your own area 'tap' may be good enough (?)) otherwise use a RaceGlaze and go put your feet up!

Tis but a car FF sake...

View attachment 272891​

Been sat out 2-weeks, +150 miles, since last wash, HELLO!

PS: NOT WAXED in the last 6-years, just an ambulance: chemotherapy does that...

The OP asked the question so I answered it

Whatever floats your boat, me I like a nice clean car and will spend a lot of time on them. But thats just me

 

[45bvtc]

BLUEY had it done once, but only because they wanted to :

 

[Spencer589]

There are two popular methods. The first I have been using for years and the second has become the latest. Both I think have their merits. The first is the twwo buckets methoid, one for wash, one for rinse with dirt guards. So you wet, snow foam, rinse and then contact wash with a mitten.
Second method is wet, snow foam, leave to dwell and then rinse. Then snowfoam again and this time wash with mitt but going over the snowfoam so double cleaning, the snowfoam itself and then the wash chemical you normally use. Using one bucket

Tbh I tend to do a combination of the two as I still prefer the two bucket method. So wet, snowfoam, rinse, snowfoam again and then contact wash.

As for the kind of snowfoam, it all comes to personal preference. I dont like turtle wax stuff, I prefer Yum cars wash or Autofinesse/Bilt Hamber snowfoam.

Genuine question is there a reason you wet the car before snow foaming I thought you was supposed to snow foam onto a dry car? So that the foam dwells for longer and you're not pushing as much muck across the paintwork before foaming.

 

[swisstony]

Genuine question is there a reason you wet the car before snow foaming I thought you was supposed to snow foam onto a dry car? So that the foam dwells for longer and you're not pushing as much muck across the paintwork before foaming.

If the car is really filthy then I tend to wet first ( i.e not a lot of pressure ) which then makes the snow foam easier to start working. You will see most pro detailers on really dirty cars do this.
If it is just a mild wash, i.e the car is dirty but just light , then the tip of snow foaming dry is ok. Only what I have learnt over the years of seeing detailers, video clips etc.
Its the same principe with a citrus prewash or wheels. ... lets say you want to clean a dirty grille or filthy wheels, you dont spray the stuff on dry.

 

[DW81]

I have started to get on board with the one bucket method.
Dry car
Spray on with pump sprayer bilt hamber HD diluted 5% If required
Snow foam gtechniq snow foam, let sit for 5/10 mins. Get bucket and snow lance ready for next step.
Rinse
Re apply auto glym polar blast. Thick foam
One bucket with either carpro descale or incredible suds. Use snowfoam as extra lubrication.
Rinse, then p&s beadmaker as a drying aid.

If not too dirty, I have now got on board with the Rinseless wash system. Very effective.

Car and van however is ceramic coated, so makes a difference.

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[8YARWY]

I have started to get on board with the one bucket method.
Dry car
Spray on with pump sprayer bilt hamber HD diluted 5% If required
Snow foam gtechniq snow foam, let sit for 5/10 mins. Get bucket and snow lance ready for next step.
Rinse
Re apply auto glym polar blast. Thick foam
One bucket with either carpro descale or incredible suds. Use snowfoam as extra lubrication.
Rinse, then p&s beadmaker as a drying aid.

If not too dirty, I have now got on board with the Rinseless wash system. Very effective.

Car and van however is ceramic coated, so makes a difference.

Sent from my SM-G981B using Tapatalk

Similar here. The 20 bucket method just got on my nerves lol.
I spend more time using SurfexHD then Gyeon Iron / Tar then Foam then I use Bathe+ on a wash.


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[swisstony]

Similar here. The 20 bucket method just got on my nerves lol.
I spend more time using SurfexHD then Gyeon Iron / Tar then Foam then I use Bathe+ on a wash.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

The important bit on the one bucket method is ensure that the grit guard is up to the job as that will be catching the bulk of the dirt particles and to ensure it does not transfer back to the mitt.

A lot really depends on what works for you , what you are comfortable with and I must admit it is soooo much quicker. I know that sometimes when I was a car that it ends up being three buckets, one for just the wheels, exhaust tips and side skirts/wheel arch lip and then the two buckets for the normal wash. But when you factor in all that, plus the drying plus the air blower I use, then 2 hours easily goes.

 

[Jon_M]

I tend to use an APC on the really stubborn areas before applying the BH snowfoam.

BH is the best I have used in 10 years although I hear good things about the AG one too!

 

[DW81]

Ag polar blast is the one I use once I've done a pre soak with gtechniq citrus foam and bh suffix HD.


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[spartacus68]

I think most performance snow-foams are similar, but Turtlewax would I guess be poor. Make sure you have a decent snow-foam tool. The plastic one from Karcher is bleed'n awful and not fit for purpose. They should have brass fittings, etc. I tend to wet the car first, then snow-foam, rinse, then hand wash with sponge and soft detail brush too, doing small section at a time then rinsing to avoid drying marks. At this time of year you don't have to worry too much about drying marks. Water softness plays a big part too.

 

[swisstony]

Water softness plays a big part too.

funnily enough I just had a water softener system installed in my house. It was installed for a few reasons ( namely to stop my missus moaning so much about the limescale build up and how long it takes to clean the shower door etc ) but after a few weeks of it being installed one of the big side ebnfits is when washing the car. Even in sunlight when rinsing the glass is so much clearer and with little to no water spots. Happy days !!!

So she is happy and I am too.. win win

 

[45bvtc]

funnily enough I just had a water softener system installed in my house. It was installed for a few reasons ( namely to stop my missus moaning so much about the limescale build up and how long it takes to clean the shower door etc ) but after a few weeks of it being installed one of the big side ebnfits is when washing the car. Even in sunlight when rinsing the glass is so much clearer and with little to no water spots. Happy days !!!

So she is happy and I am too.. win win

Happy you got around to trying - see post #4. Or do you mean an incoming mains water filter/softener like Kinetico - even better.
We have both, Staffordshire water is HARD

 

[Kevmoz]

Happy you got around to trying - see post #4. Or do you mean an incoming mains water filter/softener like Kinetico - even better.
We have both, Staffordshire water is HARD

We had a Kinetico water softener many moons ago but was advised not to fit in the last or current as we have a main presssure hot water tank and it’s not good for them. Do you have a main hot water tank? I’d love to put one back in our home as we have hard water too.

 

[swisstony]

Happy you got around to trying - see post #4. Or do you mean an incoming mains water filter/softener like Kinetico - even better.
We have both, Staffordshire water is HARD

forgot to reply, exactly like that and it has been working a treat

 

[45bvtc]

We had a Kinetico water softener many moons ago but was advised not to fit in the last or current as we have a main presssure hot water tank and it’s not good for them. Do you have a main hot water tank? I’d love to put one back in our home as we have hard water too.

I too have mains-pressure hot and cold water, Kevmoz, with Flowmax thermal storage tank (in the loft) and no issues whatsoever with the Kinetico water softener.

My system is: incoming mains to Kinetico to boiler and then to Flowmax for hot water, and/or Kinetico to Flowmax for cold water. It's all mains pressure

Car wash is still Raceglaze (mains pressure post Kinetico and Flowmax) as shown in #4 above

All running 8-years now on mains pressure and zero issues

 

[FBF01]

I’ve gotten right in to detailing the car last year or so, and I’ve been buying a lot of the Stjarnagloss stuff (used to be Dodo product). The snow foam is pretty decent and currently waiting on arrival of Glatt (rinse aid) and Silke (high gloss detailing spray).

 

[swisstony]

I’ve gotten right in to detailing the car last year or so, and I’ve been buying a lot of the Stjarnagloss stuff (used to be Dodo product). The snow foam is pretty decent and currently waiting on arrival of Glatt (rinse aid) and Silke (high gloss detailing spray).

That sounds more like a trip to Ikea than detailing products

 

[Leask]

Autofinese Snowfoam is what i use