Review: GoClean Waterless Car Wash
06-21-2012, 08:33 PM
#1
Beer Gut Extraordinaire
Thread Starter
Review: GoClean Waterless Car Wash
I'm starting these automotive cleaning product reviews because I like to check out what's in trend on the automotive market and see what works/what doesn't work. I may even make a few how-to and review videos here and there.
So this hot new trend is the waterless car wash. People are "raving" about them and I was skeptical. Finally I tried the one that got the best reviews, GoClean. It's meant to be green and save water, but also be convenient for people who live in condos and don't have access to a pressure washer, and don't want to go pay alot for a mediocre touchless car wash.
I might also like to add that I don't like touchless car washes (usually). They don't usually work that well, they clean off the surface dirt but leave the filmy haze that you need to scrub out. It's nothing against the wash, the concept is good, but to really clean a black car it has to be physically scrubbed down with a cloth, no amount of pressure could fix this. Sure, some touchless car washes are better than others, but commonly they are NOT good. Plus, they are highway robbery at $15 for a good one in Canada.
Soft brushes are a no-no. Never. Hell naw. They may work more effectively at scrubbing the grime off your car, but they might as well take the paint off with it. They end up leaving massive swirls behind. perhaps microfiber brushes would work better. New invention, anyone?
So that leaves self washing. I have a decent power washer, it's not gas powered but it's not underpowered either. I pressure wash the truck with soap, then squeegee it, then use a good old fashioned shammy to wipe it down. Usually works well, but it takes a long *** time. So I decided to try out some waterless stuff.
GoClean works like this: Spray on the car. Spray onto microfibre towel. Lightly brush with the towel. Buff off with a clean microfibre. Wa-la.
If you want to wash your grimy car just using GoClean and be green, don't bother. The concept of that just does not work. Never use this stuff if your car is really dirty. It's not that the stuff doesn't clean the car, it simply is inefficient to dirty a micro fibre towel every time you wash a panel. Do a quick spray down with a pressure washer first, then use it as a detailing agent. It works very well in shining up the car. If it's already remotely clean, it is the next best thing to clay-barring. I tried it on my truck after a touchless wash and it shined up the truck nicely. I sprayed it on places where water never cleans; mirror caps, front grille surround and bumper. It was caked with a haze from the rain, and I figured it would be a nice place to start. It worked very effectively at removing the grime, and left a beautiful shine....to the point where i saw every rock chip and scratch (If you buy a new black F-150 and don't 3M the front, kill yourself and save the suffering and sulking. It's already destroyed after 9 months), and even the paint application difference from plastic to metal, ha!
So basically, this stuff is good for a post-washing agent, but don't expect it to be efficient when washing your truck from when it's really dirty.
I did a demo on a really dirty Lancer to demonstrate, my truck was nice and clean.
So this hot new trend is the waterless car wash. People are "raving" about them and I was skeptical. Finally I tried the one that got the best reviews, GoClean. It's meant to be green and save water, but also be convenient for people who live in condos and don't have access to a pressure washer, and don't want to go pay alot for a mediocre touchless car wash.
I might also like to add that I don't like touchless car washes (usually). They don't usually work that well, they clean off the surface dirt but leave the filmy haze that you need to scrub out. It's nothing against the wash, the concept is good, but to really clean a black car it has to be physically scrubbed down with a cloth, no amount of pressure could fix this. Sure, some touchless car washes are better than others, but commonly they are NOT good. Plus, they are highway robbery at $15 for a good one in Canada.
Soft brushes are a no-no. Never. Hell naw. They may work more effectively at scrubbing the grime off your car, but they might as well take the paint off with it. They end up leaving massive swirls behind. perhaps microfiber brushes would work better. New invention, anyone?
So that leaves self washing. I have a decent power washer, it's not gas powered but it's not underpowered either. I pressure wash the truck with soap, then squeegee it, then use a good old fashioned shammy to wipe it down. Usually works well, but it takes a long *** time. So I decided to try out some waterless stuff.
GoClean works like this: Spray on the car. Spray onto microfibre towel. Lightly brush with the towel. Buff off with a clean microfibre. Wa-la.
If you want to wash your grimy car just using GoClean and be green, don't bother. The concept of that just does not work. Never use this stuff if your car is really dirty. It's not that the stuff doesn't clean the car, it simply is inefficient to dirty a micro fibre towel every time you wash a panel. Do a quick spray down with a pressure washer first, then use it as a detailing agent. It works very well in shining up the car. If it's already remotely clean, it is the next best thing to clay-barring. I tried it on my truck after a touchless wash and it shined up the truck nicely. I sprayed it on places where water never cleans; mirror caps, front grille surround and bumper. It was caked with a haze from the rain, and I figured it would be a nice place to start. It worked very effectively at removing the grime, and left a beautiful shine....to the point where i saw every rock chip and scratch (If you buy a new black F-150 and don't 3M the front, kill yourself and save the suffering and sulking. It's already destroyed after 9 months), and even the paint application difference from plastic to metal, ha!
So basically, this stuff is good for a post-washing agent, but don't expect it to be efficient when washing your truck from when it's really dirty.
I did a demo on a really dirty Lancer to demonstrate, my truck was nice and clean.
06-21-2012, 08:43 PM
#3
Beer Gut Extraordinaire
Thread Starter
Exactly. I WOULD NEVER use it to clean a dirty car. You have to get a new towel every time you do a panel, meh. If you wanna go green, sure. To really clean a car there's nothing like spending some quality time and doing it right. But for an after-wash touch-up agent, this stuff rocks.
06-21-2012, 08:45 PM
#4
Confused Member
Keep doing these! I was actually just about to get some of this stuff to try it out, I will just stick with washing it by hand lol... Great review!
06-21-2012, 09:39 PM
#5
Beer Gut Extraordinaire
Thread Starter
The following users liked this post:
Railroad (06-22-2012)
06-21-2012, 09:40 PM
#6
Confused Member
hahahaha
06-21-2012, 10:29 PM
#7
Beer Gut Extraordinaire
Thread Starter
Trending Topics
06-22-2012, 12:49 AM
#10
microfiber brushes exist. I bought one from walmart for $12. I only use it for my front and rear windows, grille, and the roof. Basically just the hard to reach spots, I'm short.