# Advice on my wash routine (no access to outside tap)



## montana (Mar 3, 2011)

My wash routine is as follows;
*Rinse with pressure washer at local petrol station (if really dirty)
* pre soak via hand pressure pump containing water and small amount of shampoo (e.g megs ultimate wash+wax)
* hand wash with lambs wool mitt and megs ultimate was and wax. 2BM used.
* wash wheels with remaining shampoo in wash bucket along with inner arches.
* rinse whole car and wheels with 2 watering cans (haha)

Now today I tried ONR as an alternative and it took me much longer due to the drying involved. Forgetting ONR , is there any tweaks / adjustments I could make to my process above in order to
Improve it. I have no access to an outside tap and with the cars at the closest to my house that's still a 50mtr walk away.

I don't normally dry my car after the above, if I am claying, polishing or waxing I may do in door shuts, filler cap etc but prefer to let it dry naturally. 

Could my pre wash solution be replaced with a better product ?

Any tips appreciated.


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## Lowiepete (Mar 29, 2009)

If you simply substituted ONR for your regular shampoo, the first question I'd
ask is: Why?

Regards,
Steve


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## AllenF (Aug 20, 2012)

Yeah take it round one of your mates houses that DO have a tap


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## Lowiepete (Mar 29, 2009)

AllenF said:


> Yeah take it round one of your mates houses that DO have a tap


Erm... not quite :speechles

What I meant is that ONR breaks the 2bm mould, to the point where following
it is just a waste on all sorts of levels. Very few people who have written 
extensively on ONR ever advocate it.

Regards,
Steve


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## chrisgreen (Mar 30, 2012)

montana said:


> Could my pre wash solution be replaced with a better product ?


Absolutely, I suggest using a dedicated pre-wash product such as ValetPro Citrus Pre Wash, diluted between 1:8 and 1:10 in your hand pressure sprayer. It is what I use when I'm cleaning the car without access to an outside tap, proper pressure washer and Snowfoam lance.

Also, one of these will help you with high pressure rinsing, cleaning wheels and generally dealing with caked on dirt:
http://www.clasohlson.com/uk/12-V-Cordless-Pressure-Washer/Pr184407000

Out of stock online at time of posting, but in-stock in most stores.

I've got one, and swear by it when I'm cleaning the car over at the gorlfriend's flat (where outside tap facilities are limited). It's cordless (rechargeable) and I get almost 4 tanks of water out of it on a single charge. Pressure is surprisingly good considering, far and above anything you can achieve with a hand pump pressure sprayer.

At my home, I have an outside tap, Nilfisk pressure washer, Snowfoam lance etc.


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## montana (Mar 3, 2011)

Lowiepete said:


> If you simply substituted ONR for your regular shampoo, the first question I'd
> ask is: Why?
> 
> Regards,
> Steve


No i followed the correct procedure for ONR (1 bucket) . I mentioned it just so people where aware and didn't suggest this as an alternative.( as this is the Eco section)

On the subject of ONR - when I tried it at the weekend , it took me twice as long as it normally would due to the drying needed (which was the prompt for this thread) . I wasn't really sold
On it after all the hype.

Would washing but not drying with ONR be viable ?


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## montana (Mar 3, 2011)

chrisgreen said:


> Absolutely, I suggest using a dedicated pre-wash product such as ValetPro Citrus Pre Wash, diluted between 1:8 and 1:10 in your hand pressure sprayer. It is what I use when I'm cleaning the car without access to an outside tap, proper pressure washer and Snowfoam lance.
> 
> Also, one of these will help you with high pressure rinsing, cleaning wheels and generally dealing with caked on dirt:
> http://www.clasohlson.com/uk/12-V-Cordless-Pressure-Washer/Pr184407000
> ...


Thanks, my nearest store in Manchester centre so not on my doorstep but food for thought. Is this a cheaper version of the likes of Mobi etc?


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## Rayner (Aug 16, 2012)

Only 1 way I can think to cut down on time is... get a bigger watering can lol


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## Azonto (Jul 22, 2012)

Couple of 25 litre containers with water, 50m elec extension and a p/washer that will draw water?


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## chrisgreen (Mar 30, 2012)

montana said:


> Thanks, my nearest store in Manchester centre so not on my doorstep but food for thought. Is this a cheaper version of the likes of Mobi etc?


It is actually the same unit Mobiwasher sells as the V17, except its green, rebadged and a third of the price.

Recommend keeping a daily eye on the site as they do come back into stock for mail order quite often.


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## scratcher (Jul 20, 2010)

I'd stick with the ONR and try again. 
The first time I used it it took me a bit longer to get around the car, but after a few uses I got the hang of it. Now my Bora can be washed and dried in 15 minutes 

Would you usually wash the car and leave it to dry on it's own.


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## mattsbmw (Jul 20, 2008)

Give ONR another go, or you could try some Chemical Guys Hose Free Eco Wash, which i got on with much better than ONR, to me it acts much more like a normal shampoo.

I would be happy to send you a sample of chem guys Hose free wash pm me if required.


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## xJay1337 (Jul 20, 2012)

Mate I have no access to an outside tap and I can eaaaaaaaaasily wash my car without any problem! And have done for years at previous places..

People's reliance on a flowing water supply is madness! Imagine carrying buckets of water up and down stairs to your car in the car park and your 1st floor appartment.. Yeah.. That's right..

Here where I live now I just use the sink in the kitchen... perfect fit for my bucket..
Fill it up.. either pre-rinse with pump sprayer (I've ordered a new one) or use a pre-rinse citrus spray... Citrus Power... 
Wash the car.. use a grit guard for sure if you only have 1 bucket... Not everyone uses the 2 bucket method... likewise not everyone using 1 bucket scratches their cars... I don't.......use a good quality thick weave microfibre or a lambswool mitt.. If you have 2 buckets then you could easily refil your wash bucket and still only need 1 rinse bucket..

Wash the car.... I do the wheels last when I am doing it at home without a water supply.. .. if at the local jet station I will do the wheels first... To rinse just use a watering can like you do that's a great way to do it.. failing that.. spray demon shine or similar quick detailer onto the car.. throw buckets of water over it...
Leave for 5-10mins to drip dry... especially if your car is waxed or sealed already... will be mostly dry with no marks or streaks.. Pat dry with a microfibre drying towel...

Do the wheels.. refill the bucket.. add shampoo.. use your wheel cleaner if necessary.. take an old wash mitt perhaps one that's ripped or something... and your brush... clean the wheels.. When you are done with the bucket then rinse thoroughly... give it a wash and scrub from the inside..to stop the dirt and stuff staying in there..
Leave to dry... then you can dress your tyres and trim etc... I love doing the tyres last because then if the stuff I use gets on the wheels I can buff them off.. so normally the watermarks and the overspray from your chosen tyre dressing can be taken care of at once without having to put in double effort.

It's perfectly easy and requires... no water supply. And you can still get amazing results..

Don't use a rinseless/waterless car wash. They _are_ more riske to your paint no matter how much neighsayers argue with you  - If your car is quite clean then, okay they have their place. But if you have salt residue, actual dirt and grime on your paint... No. And yes I speak from experience. My mum uses this system on her car and it's covered in swirls. That being said... I would advise rinseless over waterless all day long!


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## scratcher (Jul 20, 2010)

mattsbmw said:


> Give ONR another go, or you could try some Chemical Guys Hose Free Eco Wash, which i got on with much better than ONR, to me it acts much more like a normal shampoo.
> 
> I would be happy to send you a sample of chem guys Hose free wash pm me if required.


I was going to suggest the chemical guys HfE too. It cleans so well and feels just like a normal shampoo with the two bucket method. A few people have even got it to self dry perfectly.


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## scratcher (Jul 20, 2010)

xJay1337 said:


> Don't use a rinseless/waterless car wash. They _are_ more riske to your paint no matter how much neighsayers argue with you  - If your car is quite clean then, okay they have their place. But if you have salt residue, actual dirt and grime on your paint... No. And yes I speak from experience. My mum uses this system on her car and it's covered in swirls. That being said... I would advise rinseless over waterless all day long!


How many mindless washes have you tried dude? They really are perfectly safe when used properly.


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## xJay1337 (Jul 20, 2012)

I haven't tried it myself.
I've seen the results from other. As I said I do think they have their place but I personally wouldn't recommend it on a heavily soiled car.


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## DMcG (Oct 25, 2012)

One of these!


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## montana (Mar 3, 2011)

Thanks for all the input guys, haven't checked this thread in a while !

I am actually going to give the ONR another try. I have changed my car and now have a little clio 182 so it will be a bit easier being smaller


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## Coopertim (May 20, 2012)

Get a third dedicated wheel bucket so your not contaminating either the fresh or rinse bodywork buckets (anal yes, but after forgetting or being pushed for time in not rinsing my wheel bucket out you can see the grimey dull film that coats the inside of the bucket (thouroughly cleaned before using again), dont want that being loosened back into your wash or rinse when you have nice warm water and a shampoo in there for your bodywork )


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## Naddy37 (Oct 27, 2005)

DMcG said:


> View attachment 27230
> 
> 
> One of these!


How much does that one retail at?

Boss has the Nomad, awesome piece of kit that makes cleaning the car surprisingly easy.


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## chrisgreen (Mar 30, 2012)

Can't speak for that yellow one, but the rebadged Mobiwasher that Clas Olhson sells is £90, but regularly drops as low as £40 when it's on offer. I paid the latter price for mine. Absolute godsend when cleaning the car over at the girlfriend's flat. Can do over 3 tanks of water (each tank is 17litres) on a single charge.


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