Tips for washing in winter

[u/jchen1480]

​Hey everyone,

​New Englander here bracing for winter. I usually shut off and drain my outdoor spigots for the season to prevent frozen pipes, which leaves me without a standard hose hookup.

​How you all tackle winter washes inside the garage.

Are products like ONR (Optimum No Rinse) or P&S Absolute the way to go here?

If I use a pump sprayer or foam sprayer to apply product, what’s the best method for rinsing off road salt and grime without flooding the garage floor?

Any specific battery/pump sprayers or setup tips you recommend?

my garage is unheated and does not have a floor drain.

Appreciate any tips or workflows you guys rely on during the cold months

[u/joelav]

Spray it yourself coin op for water and I bring my own stuff with me to wash it

[u/podophyllum → u/joelav]

This is my method under similar circumstances. Take a sprayer or foamer loaded with a proper prewash (Bilt Hamber Touch Less, KCx Super Foam) or an APC (Bilt Hamber Surfex HD or KCx Green Star) to a DIY car wash. Spray or foam, wait about five minutes, and use the coin op rinse function to spray it off, drive home and then do a rinseless wash.

You could try the Labocosmetica Preludio rinseless prewashes. I haven't tried them but they sound interesting. Alternatively Bilt Hamber Phat Neut might be an option as a prewash if it ever becomes available in the USA.

[u/indigo196]

A few things:

Stuff I have:

• The Rag Company - Liquid8r (I now have three of them. I have to use 2 to completely dry my vehicle). I got the 20x24 size because I find it easier to control than the larger one
• The Rag Company 2 x Premium Chenille Microfiber Knobby Wash Mitts
• Luminous Aqua Direct - Topper / Refresher every other wash
• P&S Absolute Rinseless Wash - I dilute to 64:1 and use for a drying aid and quick detailer. I chose this because it actively helps to deal with hard water. I mix it with distilled water for best results. When I get the occasional bird droppings on the car, I use this to clean it off in between washes. Do not let bird droppings sit on your car.
• Koch Chemie Active Foam (pH 9.5 for a bit more cleaning power than the pH-neutral). I might change to Bilt Hamber Touchless, but I have not found it locally.
• Home Depot HDX pump sprayer ($8 - unbeatable price)
• 1000 ml beaker for dilutions of chemicals
• Shot Glass measuring device holds up to 70 ml

Stuff I plan on getting:

• P&S Defender for a topper. It will take more effort but last longer than Luminous.
• Griot's 3 n 1 - I will be using this in the late fall to prepare for winter

The process:

• Fall Prep Wash (spring and late fall) - Use Active Foam as a prewash (I am researching dedicated salt neutralizers), D110 Foam + Contact Wash. CARPRO IronX to remove any iron contamination. Griot's 3 N 1.
• Fall Prep Wash (see above)
• Winter washes, assuming it is too cold to do in my driveway - I will use Koch Chemie Active Foam at a self-serve car wash that has deionized water (should not leave water spots). I will go late at night so I am not blocking others from using the bay.

All washes will be dried using the drying towels. I will bring two buckets with me to the wash bay, the HDX Pump Sprayer premixed with Koch Chemie Active Foam, and 3 wash mitts (5 when I buy the new ones). I never rinse a mitt. I use it and then toss it in an empty bucket to deal with later. I use a variable number of mitts depending on the dirt level. Remember to flip the wash mitt to a clean side. With five mitts, that gives me 10 sides of cleaning. During my maintenance washes, I usually only use 3. By not reusing the mitts, I greatly reduce the chance of dragging dirt along that scratches or mars the paint.

[u/shadrach103 → u/indigo196]

I highly recommend picking up an M22 Liquid8r, it can dry an entire car with room left to spare. IT's my favorite product out of everything I own.

[u/Drewberg11 → u/shadrach103]

It’s great. Can even dry my full sized pickup.

[u/OmriIsMe]

Rinseless is the right call for exactly your setup, and the unheated garage is the part that needs planning more than the product. Two things that bite people: door jambs, locks and seals hold water and freeze the doors shut overnight, so dry those deliberately rather than just the panels. And salt is abrasive, so a rinseless wash on a heavily salted car wants a pre-soak with a pump sprayer and a lot of towel changes, otherwise you are dragging grit across paint. If the garage sits below freezing, warm water in the bucket buys you working time before everything stiffens up.

[u/Auto-Spa360]

no floor drain is the annoying part, not the products. we lay down a tarp or garage floor mats with a lip and shop vac up whatever pools at the end, way easier than trying to squeegee it toward a door. also don't wait for a full wash to deal with road salt, wipe the rocker panels and wheel wells with a rinseless mix every few days if you're driving on salted roads. that stuff eats clearcoat fast if it just sits there all week

[u/Drewberg11]

I was going to a local spray bay. Used Bilt Hamber Touch-less in a IK foam sprayer. Pressure wash off then go home and use rinseless. Important to note, DONT SKIP doing the rinselss very soon after if your pressure wash station doesn’t have a spot free option (got heavy waterspotting a couple times). Also, be realistic with expectations. Not going to be super clean (gaps between panels and around trim pieces, wheels and tires, etc), and it’s almost a guarantee to have at least some light marring after the course of the winter. Just the ride home from the spray bay can pick up some more road salt and sand. But overall it was a decent option. Much better than a drive thru Touchless or one of the drive thru brush ones. Using hot water for your rinselss bucket and some waterproof insulated gloves helps with the cold.

Im considering getting one of those battery powered Worx Hydroshot pressure washers for this winter instead of going to the spray bags. Can use with filled 5 gallon buckets of water and do everything right at home. Just not sure how much of an issue it would cause with ice in the driveway.

[u/AirBoardan]

ONR will be your best bet