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Pollen... Which option is better - Rinseless or Waterless?


jeverton

Question

So it's that time of year in TX and the tree pollens are starting to cover freshly washed black Suburban... Given the options to do a light cleanup - which of these three options would you pursue to avoid scratching the finish?

  1. Detail Spray - adds shine
  2. Rinseless Wash - for lightly soiled "dirt", bug guts and bird bombs... including pollens?
  3. Waterless Wash - for light dust, less (no) shine enhancers 

 

I'm going to be trying both of these products shortly and remain open to your expertise and guidance.

Thanks in advance for your response. 

 

Jeff

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16 answers to this question

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I live in austin as well, the struggle is real. This year I'm using waterless wash as I did the ceramic paint coating on this care. The waterless process is working great and I'll stick with it. Previous years I had a black car that just had paint sealant/ wax. I used detail spray and rinseless on it. Black cars and pollen are a punishment from god. New one is blue, easier all around.

 

Good luck with the cedar, oak, pine and whatever else blows your way.

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Jeff go with the Rinseless wash, I think the pollen is all over the US, I cant breath.

 

I like the rinseless because it's got more cushion for the pushin, and help protect the paint. I also make a waterless wash out of rinseless using distilled water and three or four ounces and poof I'm ready to clean!

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Actually, so long as you follow the right process and use high quality MF towels (e.g., SST or DST for DS and RW, WWT for WW) scratching the finish won't be an issue.

 

As for which to use, I'll give the always "solid" answer: it depends. What result are you wanting, and maybe more importantly, what is the overall condition of the car. You have a decent overview already, but since you asked...

 

My two shiny pennies: for the light dust or pollen, DS or WW. WW has some cleaning agents but little to no extra shine. DS has some carnuba so will extend existing protection and give some shine. Save the RW for a dirtier vehicle. Also note if you dilute RW 16:1, it creates a soltion similar to WW (and more cost effective).

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Jeff go with the Rinseless wash, I think the pollen is all over the US, I cant breath.

 

I like the rinseless because it's got more cushion for the pushin, and help protect the paint. I also make a waterless wash out of rinseless using distilled water and three or four ounces and poof I'm ready to clean!

No pollen present up here in NY and likely most the NE... May-June is our peak pollen. Season depending on when spring arrives

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Pollen is VERY abrasive. You really want to float it off the paint. I usually just let it ride until I can wash again. I do have a CR spotless system now, so knocking it off with that is now a possibility. 

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I prefer a Rinseless wash over Waterless Wash, mostly because is uses less towels.  One towel to dry the Rinseless Wash vs. 2 or more towels to safely do a Waterless Wash of the whole car.

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Its heavy pollen season here in Socal also. By the time I am done washing and drying, you can already see it sitting on the paint. I think its an uphill battle trying to keep it clean. So I just will let it sit, until the next week when I wash it. Otherwise I would have to wash it every morning before I head into work. 

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I have the same problem , I washed my truck yesterday evening, Drove 1 mile to work, 8 am wiped the truck down with detail spray and by noon my black truck is covered in yellow dust. I can't fight it, if pollen is abrasive can I just rinse the truck and dry it or  should I wait until next Sunday and wash the truck again?

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If you really want to avoid scratches, you'll need to use a hose to remove pollen. I've tried rinseless wash methods before and wound up with swirls no matter how careful I was. There's no way around it if you have soft, black paint.

 

Harder clearcoats might be fine with rinseless, but I would never use anything "less" such as detail spray or waterless wash to remove pollen. Under a microscope, pollen literally looks like a spiked weapon and basically acts like sandpaper.

 

Since you have black paint, I would use a hose. I wish there was a way around it, but unfortunately, there isn't. I'm living with the same issue of washing my car and having it covered in pollen fifteen minutes later the same as everyone else is.

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If you have a relatively already clean (and waxed) car and battling just pollen, sheeting the water across the surface instead of blasting it should do a pretty darn good job of removing pollen.  After that, rinseless or waterless would be pretty darn safe to address any other areas while leaving very minimal standing water to deal with. 

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