Your favorite cleaning products. *Update*

Kinja'd!!! by "Nerd-Vol" (Nerd-Vol)
Published 03/16/2017 at 15:12

Tags: Cleaning ; carpet
STARS: 4


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Just purchased some of this:

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To try and rejuvenate this:

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Let’s see how it did:

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Not bad. I had to put some elbow grease into the scrubbing but I am happy with the results. It is too much work to use on the rest of the carpet in the car, but I will certainly use it on the floor mats on a regular basis.

I also ordered some Sonax wheel cleaner, I’ll report back with how that does.

Update. So I tried the sonax wheel cleaner. I do like how it smelled and that it changed color. I still would have to scrub the wheel, so it pretty much negates the point of getting the cleaner. Went ahead washed both cars since it was nice out.

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What are your favorite car care products?


Replies (36)

Kinja'd!!! "misfitmascots" (misfitmascots)
03/16/2017 at 15:19, STARS: 1

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Kinja'd!!! "Rico" (ricorich)
03/16/2017 at 15:24, STARS: 1

I like Wolfgang Uber Wheel cleaner and Wolfgang Uber Rinseless Wash, both can get your car looking great with little to no elbow grease. Ultima interior guard was my go to for any vinyl or plastic surfaces, great at repelling dust and dirt.

Kinja'd!!! "diplodicus" (diplodicus)
03/16/2017 at 15:25, STARS: 1

Not for your car but for your hands after working on your car.

http://www.zequip.com/store/brands/beaver-research-/hand-cleaner-/bns002-nut-scrub

You can buy it direct from Beaver Research 120$ for a case and two dispensers. https://www.beaverresearch.com/

They don’t list it though you just have to email them.

Kinja'd!!! "AddictedToM3s - Drives a GC" (addictedtom3s)
03/16/2017 at 15:26, STARS: 1

This stuff:

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Applied once a year and when I go to claybar it after parking in direct sun and in the path of pollen the clay bar is almost immaculate. The sealant works. It’s a pain in the back to apply though but if you put it on correctly it protects your paint like no other sealant else out there.

Although I would be curious to try opti-coat 2.0 since I hear that’s the gold standard for coatings

Kinja'd!!! "DutchieDC2R" (dutchiedc2r)
03/16/2017 at 15:35, STARS: 1

Im not too pleased with the Sonax stuff. Ive used a couple of Sonax products (clay bar + spray, shampoo), but Im really not convinced.

I use Mcguiars myself, but Im very interested in the Chemical Guys products. Havent read any reviews about it yet, but Ill report back on how it is...

Kinja'd!!! "Tapas" (tapas)
03/16/2017 at 15:36, STARS: 1

Scrubber brush + drill = success ?

Kinja'd!!! "Shamoononon drives like a farmer" (shamoononon)
03/16/2017 at 15:36, STARS: 1

I have a steam cleaner.

Kinja'd!!! "Svend" (svend)
03/16/2017 at 15:51, STARS: 2

Okay.

Here goes.

For interior fabric cleaning and odour removal. I use Valet Pro Enzyme Odour Eater. It is a cleaner and anti bacterial spray.

Spray on, agitate with a stiff nylon brush as little or as much as necessary and wet vacuum excess up (the antibacterial element work longer the fabric remains wet/damp).

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To be honest there are so many great products like:-

AutoFinesse, ObliTARate, safely dissolves tar to be gently removed with a wipe of a microfibre cloth.

Gyeon Wetcoat, spray on and pressure washer activated sealant that creates a durable coat for up to three months life.

Gyeon Hydrofoam, spray on via a snow foam lance, wash car and rinse, does as above.

Gtechniq I2ab, all surface interior cleaner and anti bacterial coat for fabric, plastic and leather surfaces.

Gtechniq T1, highly durable tyre and trim dressing (six weeks on tyres and three months+ on plastic exterior trim).

Gtechniq G6, glass cleaner, non smearing, spray on, wipe, wipe off.

Gyeon Cure or Gtechniq C2v3, can be used great for a drying aid to stop water spots forming and leave a great gloss.

Gtechniq Gwash, fantastic car shampoo, contains to gloss enhancers and leaves nothing behind yet safe for use on waxed and coated surfaces.

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Valet Pro, Bilberry Wheel Cleaner, safe for use on all wheel types.

Bilt Hamber Autowheels, wheel cleaner and fallout/brake dust remover in one.

Also Wheel Woolies to get right into those hard to reach wheel areas and behind the spokes.

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Pressure washer and dedicated snow foam lance (not those things you get with the pressure washer), will greatly help keep your car free from swirls and micromarring (most swirls are inflicted during the wash process, so if you can keep contact with the car’s paint to a minimum, all the better.

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CarPro So2Pure, photocatalyst odour destroyer, spray on cleaned and dry surface and it uses the sun’s UV rays to break down odours in the car.

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Sorry, I’ll stop now.

Kinja'd!!! "Nerd-Vol" (Nerd-Vol)
03/16/2017 at 15:57, STARS: 1

I should try that. I did it the old fashioned way.

Kinja'd!!! "404 - User No Longer Available" (toni-cipriani)
03/16/2017 at 15:57, STARS: 1

I’m gradually moving from Meguiar’s to Chemical Guys. Not a fan of their marketing but was very impressed with the Citrus Gloss Soap.

And I heard Nonsense is actually much better than their other interior cleaners and more general purpose.

Kinja'd!!! "AestheticsInMotion" (aestheticsinmotion)
03/16/2017 at 16:12, STARS: 0

Any tips for effectively cleaning out a water damaged/moldy surface? My soft top was leaking badly all year, finally got it replaced and am about to take car of the carpeting...

Kinja'd!!! "Nerd-Vol" (Nerd-Vol)
03/16/2017 at 16:17, STARS: 0

I’ve heard about their marketing, what is it that people hate? Too immature? I haven’t looked into their ads so I genuinely don’t know.

Kinja'd!!! "Nerd-Vol" (Nerd-Vol)
03/16/2017 at 16:20, STARS: 1

The wheel cleaner works okay. I just tried it on my Mazda:

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I would still have to scrub. 

I just rinsed it off, too lazy to do a proper job at the moment.

Kinja'd!!! "Tripper" (tripe46)
03/16/2017 at 16:22, STARS: 1

Big fan of chemical guys and Griots Garage products. My favorite interior spray is still Meguiars “Quick Interior Detailer”

Kinja'd!!! "DutchieDC2R" (dutchiedc2r)
03/16/2017 at 16:31, STARS: 0

That does look very good! I, coincidently, just got 2 bottles of wheel cleaner from a neighbour today. No idea about the brand and/or type of wheel cleaner, but hey, free wheel cleaners!!

Kinja'd!!! "Svend" (svend)
03/16/2017 at 16:47, STARS: 0

Almost anything anti bacterial and anti fungal would work.

I’d use the Valet Pro Enzyme Odour Eater. As I say it’s a cleaner and anti bacterial. The anti bacterial element kills the bacteria but also destroys the food source for bacteria. Chemical Guys do Nonsense all surface cleaner,

Tackle a small area at a time with a stiff nylon brush and a detailing brush used it small circles to get right into the fibres and small nooks and crannies. Mould can be an arse to keep away if you don’t do it properly the first time. Mould is a living thing and even a small amount left behind could very easily take hold again.

A wet’dry vacuum will pay dividends so if you can hire of borrow one, all the better.

Kinja'd!!! "404 - User No Longer Available" (toni-cipriani)
03/16/2017 at 16:50, STARS: 1

Go on their YouTube channel and you’ll understand. Trying too hard to appeal to “the scene” .

Kinja'd!!! "RiceRocketeer Extraordinaire" (ricerocketeer2)
03/16/2017 at 18:43, STARS: 0

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Incidentally, I’m thinking of using a portable carpet cleaner (normally for dog) on those exact same floor mats.

Kinja'd!!! "wiffleballtony" (wiffleballtony)
03/16/2017 at 19:59, STARS: 0

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Kinja'd!!! "greyrider245" (greyrider245)
03/16/2017 at 22:51, STARS: 1

The VW dealership put 1000 greasy finger prints on my headliner, and A-Pillers after doing some sunroof maintenance. They cleaned it with this product called Red Power. It seemed to do a hell of a good job (for something that should’ve never been a problem in the first place ).

Kinja'd!!! "Svend" (svend)
03/16/2017 at 23:15, STARS: 1

That is a cleaner and fallout remover in one.

You will still need to agitate it.

If your ‘scrubbing’ then it sounds like some of the brake dust has been baked in.

Cleaning them in the future shouldn’t take so much effort.

In the mean time if you wax your car, use some wax on the wheels and it will help reduce the build up of dirt and brake dust for longer and also make them easier to clean.

Kinja'd!!! "Nerd-Vol" (Nerd-Vol)
03/16/2017 at 23:22, STARS: 0

I suppose agitate is the term to use. I usually use my regular car soap and an old wash mitt and go at it. It takes time but the results are worth it.

I’m surprised (I probably shouldn’t be) by how quickly the s2000 gets its wheels dirty. Two drives to work and it is getting dusty.

Kinja'd!!! "Nothing" (nothingatalluseful)
03/16/2017 at 23:23, STARS: 0

I use some Prima products. Mostly Swirl, Amigo, and Banana Gloss. I like the Megiuars Ultimate Compound, too.

Kinja'd!!! "Svend" (svend)
03/16/2017 at 23:37, STARS: 0

Sometimes it’s down to the type of brake or disc/pad combination.

A wax will slow the build up and make them easier to clean.

Kinja'd!!! "Nerd-Vol" (Nerd-Vol)
03/16/2017 at 23:50, STARS: 1

I’ve tried it in the past. I’ll do so next time. Thanks for the pro tip!

Kinja'd!!! "Nerd-Vol" (Nerd-Vol)
03/16/2017 at 23:56, STARS: 0

Are you a pro?

You really know your stuff.

Kinja'd!!! "Svend" (svend)
03/17/2017 at 00:21, STARS: 0

Not a pro. Just saw ‘weekend warrior’ who likes doing it to relax.

I started out like anyone else with Auto Glym, Turtle Wax, then Meguiars, then CarPro, AutoFinesse, Autobrite, Gtechniq, Gyeon, Madcow, Valet Pro, PoorBoys, Adam’s, Auto Smart, etc... I know what I like and what’s best for me and the car’s condition.

Kinja'd!!! "Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo" (thetomselleck)
03/17/2017 at 00:36, STARS: 1

Nice cars. MUST BE NICE!

Kinja'd!!! "Monkey B" (monkeyb)
03/17/2017 at 02:26, STARS: 0

simple green and elbow grease would likely be better and cheaper for carpet.

Kinja'd!!! "TrickJos" (trickjos)
03/17/2017 at 09:14, STARS: 0

I just bought a Karcher but I still need a snow foam lance. Any recommendations?

Kinja'd!!! "Nerd-Vol" (Nerd-Vol)
03/17/2017 at 09:35, STARS: 0

Thank you lobester man!

Kinja'd!!! "Svend" (svend)
03/17/2017 at 09:51, STARS: 0

Sorry for getting back to you so late.

Something like this:

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Is the item you should be looking for. Using one inch on the bottle of your chosen snow foam and then filled to just over half full of water. Connect the unit to the end of your Karcher lance.

As you look at the item there, there are two methods of adjustment. On the top is the black knob which you turn clockwise for thicker foam and anti-clockwise for less thick foam. On the front is the red nozzle (most units, they are black) which allows you to adjust from a jet up to a very fine wide fan.

The fitment for you lance is important. Item will either be the Karcher bayonet fitment on the far left or the Karcher HD screw-on fitment, the forth one in from the left.

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Ones like this:-

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That you get with the pressure washer are okay for washing patios or dispensing plant food but no good for proper snow foaming to wash a car.

The can find the one I’m talking about from eBay for around $25.

Most detailing websites should have them also.

Here’s a quick video on there operation and best use.

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Kinja'd!!! "theuserformerlyknownasaluminumfoil" (theuserformerlyknownasaluminumfoil)
03/17/2017 at 14:07, STARS: 0

For me - they have too many damn products that do the same damn thing. Just marketing to get “all types of everything”. I’m still testing what works for me, but I really like the Lava they have - really made the paint pop. I have used Menzerna before, but it’s expensive enough that I dont’ use it very often. I do like some Chemical Guys products though.

I don’t care much for the videos either though.

The scent stuff isn’t bad, but it fades away quickly. Stripper Scent was .. pretty much how you expect it and it smells delicious, but it can be overwhelming if you use too much.

I’m going to be purchasing Jet Seal, White Light (I have used black light on my blurple STi, with lovely results) and maybe an all in one (for maintenance detailing) sometime soon.

Kinja'd!!! "Nerd-Vol" (Nerd-Vol)
03/17/2017 at 14:18, STARS: 0

Thank you for the information. I may try some more of their products.

Right now I have to do everything by hand but I may save up for a buffer.

The paint on the Honda is nice, but with it being silver it doesn’t wow. I want to search for a product that can really give me a great shine. My Wolfgang kit worked great on the red and black cars I have owned. It hasn’t impressed on silver.

Kinja'd!!! "TrickJos" (trickjos)
03/18/2017 at 08:28, STARS: 0

Thank you! This is helpful information. I’m glad I asked because I almost bought that Karcher one.

Now if I could just get some decent weather here in Ohio I can get to work!

Kinja'd!!! "Svend" (svend)
03/18/2017 at 09:03, STARS: 0

Lol.

No worries.

The snow foam lance is a must have for cleaning a car and not inflicting damage.

I tend to snow foam as a prewash, let it dwell and soften the dirt and then pressure wash rinse, then foam shampoo onto the car and start doing a two bucket wash starting from the top and around and down. The full pressure wash rinse.

Always take in mind panel temperatures. Even if it’s quite cool, the panel temperature on a dark coloured car could be too hot to wash safely because as with any liquid of chemical, you shouldn’t let them dry onto the car. If they start to dry, re-wet them again. Safe practice is in the shade away from direct sunlight.