# So this is why we prewash/snow foam



## Pittsy (Jun 14, 2014)

I recall a thread not so long ago questioning the efficacy of prewash/snow foam over just a spray of a pressure washer.

As the weather was good this afternoon i thought i would do a scientific (well fairly scientific) test and also a comparison test of snow foam v's prewashes.:thumb:

So here we go, 1st up i would like to say that I am not going to divulge the products used, needless to say they are pretty popular and widely used so i will leave it to you as the reader to make up your own mind.

I am also not going to say that product A is better than product B, yet again you can make up your own mind.

*The method:*

Mrs P's Cooper was looking minging, 2 weeks since the last wash and all sorts of weather conditions so an ideal candidate for this test:thumb:



*Equipment used:*

Karcher K4 
Snow Foam Lance ( forgot the make)
2x Bottles used to avoid cross contamination
Hose Pipe 
Mrs P's make up pads x6

*Conditions:*
7 deg, over cast with sunny spells

1) Damp make up applicator pad was gently pushed onto the panels to test how dirty the car was, the areas chosen were the drivers side door toward the front on the car, the same area on the passenger side door and the boot panel.



Top Left is the drivers side door, top right is the passenger side door and the bottom image is the boot lid.
As you can see they are pretty similar in dirtiness.

2) 2 bottles were prepared with 50ml of prewash product in one and 50ml of snow foam product in the other, these bottles were then topped off with 500ml of water making a dilution ratio of 10-1 approx.



The prewash was then applied to the drivers side of the car and the snow foam was applied to the passengers side of the car leaving the boot untouched (It was at this point i realised i should have masked up the boot lid because there was some spots of both products on the panel).

3) Both products were then left to dwell for 10 mins



4) Each panel was then pressure washed off to reveal the surface with out dirt, at this point i noticed that all 3 of the panels looked pretty clean in my opinion.



5) I then proceeded to take a sample from each panel using a clean make up pad each time in roughly the same area the initial sample was taken.



Top left image is the prewash product, top right is the snow foam product and the bottom image is the untreated panel.

I think the evidence here is pretty telling 

6) The car was then given a 2 bucket wash, dried and treated to a QD wipeover.



*Conclusion:*

I went into this test seriously doubting my methods for cleaning and weather a prewash/snow foam was effective and i think i have answered my own question.

Both the treated areas came up pretty clean and the untreated panel didn't.

In summary i think we can plainly see the efficacy of using a prewash in our wash routine using either snow foam or prewash products

*Thanks for reading *


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## Ads_ClioV6 (Apr 27, 2014)

Good job Simon ,the odk qd is a hidden gem makes paint so rich looking.


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## cossiecol (Jun 29, 2014)

Nice write up mate :thumb:


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## Pittsy (Jun 14, 2014)

cossiecol said:


> Nice write up mate :thumb:


Cheers Col, its something i have been meaning to do for a while...

Can't remember the thread but i wanted to put it to bed once and for all :thumb:


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## Kimo (Jun 7, 2013)

Just the job

What I do to all my pre wash/snow foam experiments


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## J306TD (May 19, 2008)

Wow just goes to prove how worth while this simple method is. Thanks for another great write up


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## tightlines (Jul 16, 2011)

Good test review, I've not cleaned my car for months due to work and looking at houses to buy (finally there now that n both counts) might do a similar test, can't even remember what protection is on the car, so hopefully next weekend when I'm finally in the new house and weather permitting I will be back on track, 

Once again nice test


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## Pittsy (Jun 14, 2014)

J306TD said:


> Wow just goes to prove how worth while this simple method is. Thanks for another great write up


I wasn't sure how it would turn out and was going to publish the results anyway.

It was more interesting to see the lack of difference between the products :thumb:


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## Hufty (Apr 27, 2015)

Bet Mrs P doesn't know you have been in her make up, you know what she said last time !


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## Demetrios72 (Jun 27, 2011)

Great test :thumb:


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## Stu Mac (Aug 18, 2014)

Nice right up and a test that was well worth doing. Cheers


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## Pittsy (Jun 14, 2014)

Hufty said:


> Bet Mrs P doesn't know you have been in her make up, you know what she said last time !


She has got used to it now, she only seems to get angry when i am in the underwear drawer :lol:


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## Yellow Dave (Apr 5, 2011)

Nicely proven results.

I'd quite like to see the difference between applying your chosen pre wash or foam product to a dry car then pressure rinsing, or pressure rinsing first then applying pre wash or foam.


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## Hufty (Apr 27, 2015)

Stop robbing banks Pittsy no need for stockings then !

Was product a and b from same manufacturer, interesting no real difference.


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## Tabbs (Aug 3, 2009)

Very interesting


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## ZAF14 (Aug 1, 2015)

just goes to show thanks for sharing!


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## Pittsy (Jun 14, 2014)

Yellow Dave said:


> Nicely proven results.
> 
> I'd quite like to see the difference between applying your chosen pre wash or foam product to a dry car then pressure rinsing, or pressure rinsing first then applying pre wash or foam.


Cheers Dave, both products were used on a dry car, it would have maybe made a difference to the finish but more than likely not :thumb:



Hufty said:


> Stop robbing banks Pittsy no need for stockings then !
> 
> Was product a and b from same manufacturer, interesting no real difference.


Gotta keep robbing banks to pay for the detailing gear

In answer to your question they were from different manufacturers and thats all i am going to say:thumb:


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## Soul boy 68 (Sep 8, 2013)

Snow foaming, I swear by it.


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## 7and911 (Mar 2, 2014)

I will have a guess. The prewash is Valet Pro citrus prewash. It is the same colour like the one I have


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## Hufty (Apr 27, 2015)

Is the pre wash product designed to be used through a lance or a more traditional method like spray bottle as in ready to use TFR. Not wanting you to reveal products just to see if they were both designed for lance delivery ?

Interestingly on your pics it looked like the pre wash foamed more than snow foam. So could one conclude that snow foam and TFR are essentially the same stuff ? Would be interesting to compare a single manufacturers SF against their TFR. 

Pittsy you have sold one mystery only to create more !


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## Brian1612 (Apr 5, 2015)

Excellent test and write up pitts! Leave little doubt how effective the snow foam/pre wash step is.


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## Pittsy (Jun 14, 2014)

7and911 said:


> I will have a guess. The prewash is Valet Pro citrus prewash. It is the same colour like the one I have


Gyess away, not saying :thumb:



Hufty said:


> Is the pre wash product designed to be used through a lance or a more traditional method like spray bottle as in ready to use TFR. Not wanting you to reveal products just to see if they were both designed for lance delivery ?
> 
> Interestingly on your pics it looked like the pre wash foamed more than snow foam. So could one conclude that snow foam and TFR are essentially the same stuff ? Would be interesting to compare a single manufacturers SF against their TFR.
> 
> Pittsy you have sold one mystery only to create more !


Its a funny one Hufty, the snow foam did foam more than the prewash product, it might have just been my pictures.

And no the prewash product was designed for a pump sprayer, i just wanted to standardise the application method right or wrong :thumb:


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## DLGWRX02 (Apr 6, 2010)

Excellent write up. 
Just wanted to ask what protection was on the car before hand?.


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## Pittsy (Jun 14, 2014)

DLGWRX02 said:


> Excellent write up.
> Just wanted to ask what protection was on the car before hand?.


Of course mate, the car is wearing Ed Turners Funky Munky on most of the panels but the roof is wearing something else :thumb:


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## k3v_F (May 7, 2008)

Fantastic write up of something I've always wondered about. The downside is i can't pretend its ok to just jet wash when it's cold now!!


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## TonyH38 (Apr 7, 2013)

Thank you for an informative write up.


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## Pittsy (Jun 14, 2014)

k3v_F said:


> Fantastic write up of something I've always wondered about. The downside is i can't pretend its ok to just jet wash when it's cold now!!


Indeed you can't....

I really didn't know how it would turn out i just wanted to be a bit more scientific review wise:thumb:


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## WaxIsForWinners (Feb 2, 2014)

Interesting test and results all proving how worthwhile pre wash is. The key is all in the preparation!


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## bazz (May 15, 2007)

great test fella and thank you for sharing the results and write up


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## OvEr_KiLL (Mar 2, 2015)

thanx for the write up mr p! i can guess what the pre wash is, no comment! but yes its very popular on here.
this might sound strange but i never wash my car with my hand or buckets  i just use 1inch of a pre wash in a lance bottle topped up with warm water and spray away. then i use a qd as i dry it, simples!


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## KarateKid (Oct 13, 2014)

Nice write up OP! I wish I had similar results though when I PW/SF or both... I tend to have a layer of film still on the car after and I know if I did a swipe/make-up pad test after PW/SF, they'd be no where near as 'clean' as your results...

For example, last weekend, it was an inch of SF in the bottle, topped up to half way with warm water. Applied to the car and left to dwell for a good 10+ mins then pressure washed off... I may as well have not bothered! 

Mainly motorway miles for myself... rain and spray marks/lines all over the car (especially the bonnet), 350+ miles each week. Any advice/ideas anyone???


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## Pittsy (Jun 14, 2014)

It sounds like you are doing everything about right, i normally go with an inch with about 750ml of warm water. 

2 things spring to mind.... 
You might be diluting the snow foam too much by having the mix wrong, wind the knob to zero then up 1/4 turn and try that. It could of course be the product but probably not. 

Try a make up pad test and you might be surprised:thumb:


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## suspal (Dec 29, 2011)

Nice write up Simon.


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## Pittsy (Jun 14, 2014)

suspal said:


> Nice write up Simon.


Cheers mate, i was investigating making prewash reviews a bit more scientific and the results suprised me so really wanted to share:thumb:


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## tigerspill (Nov 28, 2015)

If you don't mind me asking - which products were you using?
Thanks


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## Pittsy (Jun 14, 2014)

tigerspill said:


> If you don't mind me asking - which products were you using?
> Thanks


Sorry not gonna say, it was not a comparison test but a methodology test. :thumb:

Rest assured that both products used were ones that i personally use and are widely available.


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## chandler8921 (Oct 7, 2012)

wow that's definitely an insight to pre wash properly!

looks like i'll be foaming a lot more than I usually do!


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## FrontRowForward (Apr 3, 2012)

Thanks for the write up. Goes to show a prewash is always worth it.


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