# Snow Foam VS Auto Finesse Citrus Power



## David Herron (Jan 29, 2012)

Quick question,

Is there a snow foam that will clean as well as Auto Finesse Citrus Power?

I have no protection (polish, wax etc.) on the side doors of my 1 yr old White Focus. I've tried 3 different brands of snow foam with similar results (doesn't do any more than power washing on its own)

I power washed the Focus this morning and took as much dirt off as possible with the power washer. I then sprayed Auto Finesse Citrus power down one side and left it 5 minutes. When I power hosed it off it took 90% of the remaining dirt off. 

Great product but more expensive than using Snow Foam. 

Is there a snow foam that I could achieve similar results with?


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## Keir (Aug 31, 2010)

when you snow foam do you have it with a dense foam or more water?


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## Sparky160 (Aug 12, 2011)

Not sure but from reports, CG No touch snow foam is unbelievably good. Might want to give it a go!


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## n3ldv (May 25, 2008)

I have a white ford as well but I would say the snow foam does work I used magifoam with a dense foam, and get ok results

As for the af citrus wash I do think that does take more of but is to much money for a weekly use


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## Sirmally2 (Feb 28, 2011)

You have to remember that they are two completely different products. 

I can't comment on Citrus Wash having not used it but snowfoam is designed to remove the heavy dirt before doing a 2BM wash, Citrus wash is for a better term a TFR which is designed to do practically a complete clean without the need to do a 2BM wash and in term save time


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## Reflectology (Jul 29, 2009)

just add a bit of citrus power to your foam....


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## David Herron (Jan 29, 2012)

Keir said:


> when you snow foam do you have it with a dense foam or more water?


I use a cheap karcher non adjustable lance, so the snow foam is not that dense. Does this make a difference to the performance of snow foams?

I've some magi foam still to try out. ValetPro PH neutral foam was the last one I used and didn't lift any more dirt after a power hose down first.


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## Keir (Aug 31, 2010)

well IIRC the idea is that the snow foam softens the dirt and then is pulled away as it slides off the car or when blasted off.


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## lukeneale (May 14, 2011)

Tbh snowfoam is a waste of time, its leave ur drive way so mucky for ages afterwards and doesnt do anything great, i think using something like citrus power is so much more better, quicker and more tidier lol


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## Kaz_CC (Jan 23, 2012)

lukeneale said:


> Tbh snowfoam is a waste of time, its leave ur drive way so mucky for ages afterwards and doesnt do anything great, i think using something like citrus power is so much more better, quicker and more tidier lol


In your opinion obviously

Many people don't agree, including many experienced folk on DW


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## n3ldv (May 25, 2008)

Reflectology said:


> just add a bit of citrus power to your foam....


Have you done this with any good results? Or has any one done this also how much is a little as I can be ott with measures haha


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## walker1967 (Sep 12, 2010)

Keep in mind the video PB done on cp that car has been very well Protected hence the results that were yielded, on a car without protection the results won't be that much greater than snow foam


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## cossierick (Jan 19, 2011)

I personaly think the key is to keep the car topped up with wax. 
If your car doesnt have any protection on it then its obviously going to be harder to clean.
There shouldnt be any need for fancy wheel cleaners etc, just a basic wash method will do if there waxed up.
If your in a rush then i find ag aquawax is great, that done every week then a top up of wax every 6-8 then youl only need a quick pw off then onto the wash.

Rick


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## alan hanson (May 21, 2008)

foam wont remove traffic film which no doubt is what you are left with after foaming. How comes you havent got any protection on the sides?


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## John @ PB (Aug 25, 2010)

walker1967 said:


> Keep in mind the video PB done on cp that car has been very well Protected hence the results that were yielded, on a car without protection the results won't be that much greater than snow foam


Sorry but that's not true.

I should've taken some photos at the weekend but the way Citrus Power performed on a car I know has next to no protection was deeply, deeply impressive.

James' Citrus Power competition entries in his section illustrate this very nicely too. There's a 50:50 photo of a white van: it's worth looking at.....


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## abbacus (Mar 24, 2011)

+1 on what John said.

IMO:

Baked on = Citrus Power

Lightly soiled = Foam


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## T.D.K (Mar 16, 2011)

AF Citrus power blew me away today, I didn't use my PW, just a garden hose. 

Got the car wet and that cleared some of the muck away, sprayed Citrus Power all over the car and gave it five minutes to do it's job. When I returned the muck was still there but another spray of the garden hose and most of it fell off.

Okay, so I probably used 60% of the bottle but would still rather that than wipe dirt around the paint.

Great product.:thumb::thumb::thumb:

From my own personal experience of using snowfoam in a Gilmour Foam-master II, Citrus Power is better.


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## alan hanson (May 21, 2008)

T.D.K said:


> AF Citrus power blew me away today, I didn't use my PW, just a garden hose.
> 
> Got the car wet and that cleared some of the muck away, sprayed Citrus Power all over the car and gave it five minutes to do it's job. When I returned the muck was still there but another spray of the garden hose and most of it fell off.
> 
> ...


defo agree though using using a straw to put snow foam on your car is better than a gilmour if its what i think it is


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## JimG (Sep 16, 2011)

T.D.K said:


> AF Citrus power blew me away today, I didn't use my PW, just a garden hose.
> 
> Got the car wet and that cleared some of the muck away, sprayed Citrus Power all over the car and gave it five minutes to do it's job. When I returned the muck was still there but another spray of the garden hose and most of it fell off.
> 
> ...


I have to say that I really like the Auto Finesse products, I use Lather, Tough Coat and am about to get their glass cleaner, quick detailer and tar remover. If they release a concentrate Citrus Power at a reasonable price then I'll buy it. Until then I'm using Valet Pro Citrus Pre-Wash and it's great. I look at the paintwork after it's use and I'm always tempted not to shampoo the car, it's that clean. I always do though, just in case!


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## T.D.K (Mar 16, 2011)

alan hanson said:


> defo agree though using using a straw to put snow foam on your car is better than a gilmour if its what i think it is


I disagree, the snow foam is still a foam in the Gilmour F.M II and should still have it's alleged dirt removing properties.

Not one drop of dirt fell off my car and I went through every setting on the Gilmour.

Funny thing is...the car wasn't even that dirty, I just wanted to try it out.


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## alan hanson (May 21, 2008)

T.D.K said:


> I disagree, the snow foam is still a foam in the Gilmour F.M II and should still have it's alleged dirt removing properties.
> 
> Not one drop of dirt fell off my car and I went through every setting on the Gilmour.
> 
> Funny thing is...the car wasn't even that dirty, I just wanted to try it out.


the gimour is way of a foam lance imho yeh it produces foam (if you can call it that) but its not thick enough, last time i used a gimore it looked just as though i had washed the car with a shapoo that had produced suds.

How can dirt fall off your car if it isn't dirty? foam is supposed to be thick (which the gilmour cant do) and cling to the dirt loosen and hopefully pull it off.


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## vRS Carl (Aug 14, 2011)

Sparky160 said:


> Not sure but from reports, CG No touch snow foam is unbelievably good. Might want to give it a go!


I bought some recently after reading the reviews. Now call me cynical but it doesn't work anywhere near as good as suggested in the review and i think the said vehicles were cleaned with more than just SF. I tried all sorts of dilution and dwell time and it performed no different to Valet Pro PH Neutral.

I'm not saying it doesn't do the job intended, i.e. loosen the really hard dirt and get rid of the stuff that is lightly bonded. But it certainly isn't a "no touch" solution in my experience.


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## alan hanson (May 21, 2008)

vRS Carl said:


> a "no touch" solution in my experience.


I think this is a dangerous game to play for manufacturers, in all honesty could this exist? Would we trust it?

I can only think of a few situations where it could be used as a possible touchless, which isnt during the winter when its used most and designed for.


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## deanr201 (Nov 24, 2010)

CG No Touch is my product of choice for use in my lance;

However, extremely impressed with AF Citrus Power.
First use, I applied a little more product than was needed.

I had noticed sometimes when using just snow foam, that it would break the dirt down and leave it suspended in the traffic film, that was clearly visible on the car., I applied a little bit of citrus power to the area, it the dirt "burst" out its suspended state and ran down car. (If i hadn't had time against me I would of took a few photos as it was quite good to see, whether or not circumstances at the time played a factor, I would have to do some more tests!

My findings from using AF Citrus power against an unprotected mini are as follows:









and against a BMW Z4 again unprotected and about 2-3 months since its last wash

can see where we tested just rinsing vs citrus power + rins









while it was not perfectly clean, this was after only one application of AF-citrus power, with no agitation, A full wash was due on the z4 as you can see how dirty it is!
(If any one wants to see them, I can upload the full resolutions photos!)

I have also used it to clean bird droppings, and do door shuts etc (a quick spray a wipe for the doors ****s and it was ideal!)

Over all Its become a product that is going to be a great addition to my detailing kit, would be great if there was a larger quantity / concentrated version.


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## D.Taylor R26 (Feb 5, 2012)

For snow foam to work properly I really think it needs using every 2 weeks minimum. Once dirt has change to get wet and dry a few times its going to need citrus power to shift it.


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## Demetrios72 (Jun 27, 2011)

Autosmart Actimousse XLS is a very good snow foam :thumb:


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## Chrisfin (Jun 27, 2011)

David Herron said:


> I use a *cheap karcher non adjustable lance, so the snow foam is not that dense*. Does this make a difference to the performance of snow foams?
> 
> I've some magi foam still to try out. ValetPro PH neutral foam was the last one I used and didn't lift any more dirt after a power hose down first.


Using a non adjustable cheap lance isn't helping you with snow foam. You really need a proper adjustable lance for use with your pressure washer to get the thicker foam and the best resuults. A thicker foam = more dwell time = more cleaning power.

I can get away with only snow foam if I wash every fortnight, but my car is well protected with wax and topped up with a QD regularly. Most of the time I 2BM as well, but I never really need to, I just can't help myself!


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## RPB (Nov 30, 2011)

Chrisfin said:


> Using a non adjustable cheap lance isn't helping you with snow foam. You really need a proper adjustable lance for use with your pressure washer to get the thicker foam and the best resuults. A thicker foam = more dwell time = more cleaning power.
> 
> I can get away with only snow foam if I wash every fortnight, but my car is well protected with wax and topped up with a QD regularly. Most of the time I 2BM as well, but I never really need to, I just can't help myself!


When you say adjustable lance, how do you mean? adjustable for what? I have a very old Karcher with a 2 part lance. I remove the end half and twist in my SF lance. that is all I can do with it. So what is there "to adjust?"


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## Chrisfin (Jun 27, 2011)

I mean like an AB foam lance. It has an adjustable spray head like any other standard pw lance, but more importantly an adjustment for the ratio of foam to water mix allowing you to change the density of foam that is produced. You can have it pretty thin and runny, or as thick as shaving foam that will sit on the car and keep working for ages.


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## David Herron (Jan 29, 2012)

walker1967 said:


> Keep in mind the video PB done on cp that car has been very well Protected hence the results that were yielded, on a car without protection the results won't be that much greater than snow foam


As I said in my original post, the results of using Citrus Power on my unprotected White Ford Focus were much the same as in the Pb video. Excellent product, just a shame it works out expensive if used in a week wash.


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## David Herron (Jan 29, 2012)

alan hanson said:


> foam wont remove traffic film which no doubt is what you are left with after foaming. How comes you havent got any protection on the sides?


It's a relatively new car and I'm only getting round to giving it a proper clean and getting into a routine of keeping it that way.

I've just spent 2 days polishing and waxing it so hopefully the snow foams will have more of an effect when my new AB Lance arrives.


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## jebus (Jun 2, 2009)

some really good replies in here, I do think that you are comparing products that are designed to do different tasks and people that are dismissing snow-foam totally saying it is useless etc are being unfair, it may not have worked for you but what concentration of product used, equipment used, work method and so can often greatly effect how something works.

Personally I think given the weather that we experience, with the average number of wet/dry cycles a car will go through before it gets washed mean that the dirt is quite hard to remove in a touch less way, snow-foam will have varied levels of success and unless you have a well protected car and use the snow-foam on at least a weekly basis then other products will do more before you get the wash mitts out.

I also think that the type of dirt thats on the car is often over looked, general road mank, soot, and all the other stuff like that will respond differently to removal to soil/mud and even in that fine clay soils will stick like hell to everything and be a pain in the ass to remove were sandy soils will be less of a pain.

At the end of the day nearly all the suppliers offer samples of many products and many members on here would gladly give a small sample if you are worried about spending X amount of 5 liters of snow-foam. If you go out buy something without investigating if its suitable for your needs and it don't work well who is really to blame, the companies that produce the product or the guy that bought it?


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## David Herron (Jan 29, 2012)

I had been using Endura Foam, ValetPro PH Neutral and Magifoam diluted 1:3 in a basic karcher lance. It wasn't producing a thick foam that clings, so maybe the dwelling time was reduced because there's alot of run off and the products weren't getting enough time to work. 

We'll see if there's a difference with a proper HD AB Lance when it arrives. I think the waxed paintwork will help things too as a few people have already said.


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## moosh (May 8, 2011)

I'm afraid the snowfoam would beat AF citrus any day because of the costs to start with, I used a bottle of citrus on a navara which was a normal wash no going over the top but sadly the snowfoam and PW would have done the same job. Don't think its a fair competition to compare the two.

That said AF tripple is an amazing by hand base for any wax! :thumb:


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## alan hanson (May 21, 2008)

moosh said:


> I'm afraid the snowfoam would beat AF citrus any day because of the costs to start with, I used a bottle of citrus on a navara which was a normal wash no going over the top but sadly the snowfoam and PW would have done the same job. Don't think its a fair competition to compare the two.
> 
> That said AF tripple is an amazing by hand base for any wax! :thumb:


snow foam and citrus power are two different products foam cant really beat citrus as it doesnt remove dirt just loosens it imho


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## macmaw (Mar 5, 2007)

John @ PB said:


> Sorry but that's not true.
> 
> I should've taken some photos at the weekend but the way Citrus Power performed on a car I know has next to no protection was deeply, deeply impressive.
> 
> James' Citrus Power competition entries in his section illustrate this very nicely too. There's a 50:50 photo of a white van: it's worth looking at.....


Hi John, do you have a link for this?
Won't sway my decision at all as I have already ordered it from you but would still like to see the good results :thumb:


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## Ronnie (Nov 15, 2006)

just on a side note our cotton candy is gettig great reviews as to its cleaning power and it wont strip your protection off. Our Citrus Preclean can be dluted 50:1 and used through the snow foam lance as a preclean wash which may be of benifit to you.


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## RPB (Nov 30, 2011)

I used the AF Citrus Power for the first time today. Whilst it was good, I have to agree that you need far too much of it for it to be anything like cost effective to keep buying. I bought the 1 litre bottle and must have used a quarter bottle just for the lower parts of the car and the rear end. Ridiculous that is. It did get rid of some of the dirt although it did not just PW off like the video shows it can. I will keep it for bug removal in the Summer and stick to my rubbish SF technique instead. LOL.


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## moosh (May 8, 2011)

alan hanson said:


> snow foam and citrus power are two different products foam cant really beat citrus as it doesnt remove dirt just loosens it imho


Thanks for the info Allan, perhaps if you read further than the first lines I did say it wasn't fair to compare the two.


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