Jump to content
Customer Service 866.965.0400
  • 0

isopropyl alcohol for wax removal


hemi1300

Question

do u guys use it full strength to remove wax? Did some polishing with the pc a few weeks ago and used isopropyl/rubbing alcohol (i think 70% alcohol), like i have seen others recommend to remove wax before polishing. Worked well, just squirted some on a microfiber and a few swipes on the paint and the wax was removed. Just want to make sure using it full strength won't damage the clear?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

14 answers to this question

Recommended Posts

  • 0

The 70% IPA on the bottle I believe is already 70%. If you cut it with more water it's going to be weaker then 70%. Now 91% on the bottle is already 91%. That I would cut with some water. I personally use the 70% straight from the bottle and never had any issues. Works great no problems [not for me anyways]:thumbsup:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 0

10% IPA is what you should use. Any more and the alcohol actually opens up the pores of the paint, which in this case is not what you want, but it's not terribly bad for the paint either.

 

I've used 70% and 91% a bunch of times as well, but when 10% does the job, why waste?

 

Also, and I know I sound like a broken record because I've already said this many times, but IPA does NOT remove wax.

 

But I'm not the kind of person to say stuff without some evidence. If you don't believe me, put some wax on your hood. Do an IPA wipedown on half the hood and keep the other half untouched. If the IPA removed the wax, the beading should change right? Well do the test yourself, and you'll find that the beading is no different on one side than it is on the other.

 

IPA does not remove wax. It never has.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 0
What about just spraying a panel with APC mixture if you are just touching a panel.. Would that work out good? :patriot:

 

I think so :)

 

There's a whole argument about whether or not beading and sheeting indicates protection, because some waxes will not cause beading or sheeting, but disregarding that, I think the easiest way to tell if the wax is gone is to simply use your hose on a part of the car that is waxed and then on that same part of the car that is not waxed. If there's a significant decrease of beading and sheeting, I would say the wax is gone or mostly gone. After that, claying or polishing will take care of the rest :rockon:

 

You said you are working on one panel, so what I would do is divide that panel into two spots (if it's not that big of a panel). Spray the APC on the bottom half. When you rinse off the APC, check to see if their is a visual difference in how the water is reacting on top compared to bottom. If there is, then you know that whatever you did can also be applied to the rest of the car to remove the wax :2thumbs:

 

P.S. Never let APC dry on the car!!

 

P.P.S. Sorry for the long response, I can't help it sometimes!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 0

I don't know why the 70% IPA seemed to get my wax off. Maybe because my car is brand new and only had 1 coat of wax on it and nothing else. Was know problem at all for me anyways. maybe it depends on how much crap you previosly had on the car, plus a bottle buy me was only .97 and I still have half the bottle left after doing the whole car. Now if you do detailing for a living thats different i'm sure it could all add up if you constantly use it. I even used the saME bottle for my IPA wipe down after the polish before I applyed the MSS:banana:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 0

I use the blue waterless weave on all liquids like waterless wash or detailing spray.Then I use the single or double micr soft to remove the polishes or waxes.All though I think it's a preference you have to see what you like the best and what works best for you. It's funny cause when I IPA I use single micro[even though a liquid] seems to grab the wax off better then the blue waterless weave Thats just me though. Otherwise blue liquid, micr single or double polish and wax just my .02:cheers:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 0

I get the 91% IPA and dilute approx 1:1 with water, sometimes leaving a little more IPA to get as close to a 50/50 as possible. Obviously the mix isn't hyper critical like being in high school chemistry where stuff could explode. Speaking of which, there is a chemical reaction that does give off heat when mixing IPA with water.....

 

Yes, as others have suggested, the Blue Waterless Wash towels are THE go to towel for IPA wipedowns.

 

- Darryl

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...