1st Time Using Rinseless

[ramflava]

I've been trying to get around to washing my vehicles this past week. Glad I didn't since a small storm came through and dirtied them up again.

I have a few quick questions though.

 

1. How much Rinseless can I anticipate using by washing a 2013 Ram 1500 truck, a 2013 Ford Explorer, and a 2011 Dodge Journey?

2. Should I fill the buckets, wash one vehicle, pour out the water, and start over on every vehicle?

 

3. I don't have a whole lot of towels like many people on the forums, but I do have 4 double softs, 4 single softs, and 4 or so edgeless blue towels. Using the rinseless with 2 buckets, will I need to have put the 4 double softs in the laundry before the next vehicle is washed?

4. Of the towels I listed above, which would be the best for my scenarios?

 

Thanks in advance for any/all advice.

[Team Adam's]

1. How much Rinseless can I anticipate using by washing a 2013 Ram 1500 truck, a 2013 Ford Explorer, and a 2011 Dodge Journey?

 

Depends on how you intend to use it, but if its going to be a fresh bucket of solution for each vehicle - about 2oz per wash. If you go with a method that doesn't introduce dirty towels back into your solution bucket its feasible to wash all 3 with just one bucket of solution.

 

 

2. Should I fill the buckets, wash one vehicle, pour out the water, and start over on every vehicle?

 

Again, depends. If you use a method where no dirty towel is reintroduced to the solution bucket then you can keep using the same mixture for each vehicle. If you don't, then it would be in your best interest to dump it out and start fresh with each one.

 

 

 

 

3. I don't have a whole lot of towels like many people on the forums, but I do have 4 double softs, 4 single softs, and 4 or so edgeless blue towels. Using the rinseless with 2 buckets, will I need to have put the 4 double softs in the laundry before the next vehicle is washed?

 

One more time, it depends on the process you're going to use. There are 2 approaches to rinseless washing -

 

1) The adapted 2 bucket wash approach - in this method you'll use the products very much in the same way you do a traditional 2 bucket wash. You'll have a clean rinse bucket and a solution bucket. The towels will be dunked and scrubbed in the rinse bucket after each panel and used until they can't be cleaned anymore. This method requires fewer towels, but does carry a higher 'risk' for damage especially on a heavily soiled vehicle.

 

2) The fresh towel per panel approach - commonly referred to as the GDWM or Gary Dean Wash Method, this approach means you use 1 towel per panel and then discard it. This spares you from ever reintroducing the dirt into your solution bucket 100% meaning you can keep using the solution until its gone. With 3 vehicles and roughly 12-15 panels per you're talking about needing about 45 towels or so to do this correctly (if you don't want to wash towels after each vehicle)

[ramflava]

Thanks. I was likely going to go with the 2 bucket system and reintroduce the towels to the water. I don't have enough towels to do the other method.

[Ricky Bobby]

I've been trying to get around to washing my vehicles this past week. Glad I didn't since a small storm came through and dirtied them up again.

 

I have a few quick questions though.

 

1. How much Rinseless can I anticipate using by washing a 2013 Ram 1500 truck, a 2013 Ford Explorer, and a 2011 Dodge Journey?

 

I use approx 2 gallons of water and 1 ounce of Rinseless per vehicle.  Not including pre-soak solution.  So just in Rinseless solution alone, I'd anticipate using approx 5-6 gallons of water and about 3 ounces of solution (meaning you'll need to clean and refill the bucket at least once)

 

2. Should I fill the buckets, wash one vehicle, pour out the water, and start over on every vehicle?

 

If you aren't doing the GDWM, absolutely.  Fresh 2 gallons each vehicle.  Especially because you should be doing the wheels/tires last on each vehicle doing a rinseless method, DEFINITELY not going on to the next vehicle after doing wheels.

 

3. I don't have a whole lot of towels like many people on the forums, but I do have 4 double softs, 4 single softs, and 4 or so edgeless blue towels. Using the rinseless with 2 buckets, will I need to have put the 4 double softs in the laundry before the next vehicle is washed?

 

Just go to Costco and get a bulk pack of MF towels, wash them first.  36 towels for approx $16 I believe?  I'd use those for the actual wash process, and then dry with the edgeless or single soft towels.  This would enable you to do the GDWM (see below notes) as well.

 

4. Of the towels I listed above, which would be the best for my scenarios?

 

The borderless blues are great.  You could go with single softs as well.  Double softs is overkill.  Remember you'll need some towels to do wheels/tires as well and I don't cross contaminate wheel/paint towels, brushes, etc.  Again this would be a good case for the bulk pack of MF towels I mentioned above.  Don't forget a drying towel as well.  And use a different towel for drying the wheels than you would the paint.

 

Thanks in advance for any/all advice.

 

See above for my answers, and let me give a piece of advise as well, keep a nice diluted Rinseless mix in a spray bottle (8:1 is a great dilution that Dylan mentioned for pre-soaking, and I agree with it), make sure to pre-spray your panels and allow the polymers to break down the grime before hitting the panels with your wash media.

 

I highly recommend with your trucks to use the GDWM, and get more towels if you are cleaning 3 vehicles with Rinseless.  With good wash technique, yes you can do with the towels you have.  However, I recommend washing them after you are done with one car (don't go through 3 cars and 3 sets of wheels on 4 towels, I don't care how good you rub them against the grit guard)

 

Dylan mentioned needing 45 towels for 3 cars and although I appreciate him erring on the side of caution, I'd say about 10-12 including wheel towels per car would be sufficient (I usually use one towel per wheel, cheaper towels dedicated to wheel cleaning).  Just keep in mind that when the MF towel is folded into 4's you have 8 fresh sides of the towel.  Easily can get 2 panels of a vehicle done with 1 towel if using all 8 sides.

 

For my X5 (medium SUV I'd say), on a moderately dirty car I go through this ( I use GDWM):

 

-1 towel for roof and windshield

-1 towel for hood and front bumper

-1 towel for drivers door and fender

-1 towel for passenger door and fender

-1 towel for rear quarter and rear door

-1 towel for pass rear quarter and door

-1 towel for trunk/hatch

-1 towel for rear bumper and lower rockers

-2 towels for wheels (1 towel does 2 wheels)

 

So that's 8 plus wheel towels on moderate dirt.  On a light dirt I am efficient enough to use 6 on the paint and 2 for wheels.

 

Hope that helps, have fun, rinseless washing really is amazing once you nail down proper technique, its amazing how much grime you can get off your paint, without a hose, using hot water, and in the comfort of your garage in winter (but you don't get that in NM lol!)

 

Good luck.

[ramflava]

Thanks Ricky.

I just finished my 1st wash. I learned a few things. First, I'm not sure I like doing it with just 2 Double Soft Towels. I started with using an additional Double Soft, but instead used a Single Soft. I got the single soft wet first, rung it out then sprayed it with Detail Spray and used it to dry the vehicle. Worked great that way.

I think until I can purchase about 10 more edgeless (5 blue, 5 orange) to add to the Adam's edgeless (x4) that I have, I don't think I'll be doing another Rinseless Wash. While we do sit at over 5600 ft above sea level and have had some major snow at times and typically have a decently cold winter, It doesn't compare to most northern states' winters. This winter has been extremely mild and we'll be seeing mid-50's in a couple days. That might be when I get back out there and use the ol' hose, foam gun, and 2 bucket wash on the Ram and Explorer.

 

I'm gonna read up on the pre-soak part though. I didn't do that....I just sprayed it off at a local pay-n-spray.

Edited January 23, 2015 by ramflava

[Ricky Bobby]

Thanks Ricky.

 

I just finished my 1st wash. I learned a few things. First, I'm not sure I like doing it with just 2 Double Soft Towels. I started with using an additional Double Soft, but instead used a Single Soft. I got the single soft wet first, rung it out then sprayed it with Detail Spray and used it to dry the vehicle. Worked great that way.

 

I think until I can purchase about 10 more edgeless (5 blue, 5 orange) to add to the Adam's edgeless (x4) that I have, I don't think I'll be doing another Rinseless Wash. While we do sit at over 5600 ft above sea level and have had some major snow at times and typically have a decently cold winter, It doesn't compare to most northern states' winters. This winter has been extremely mild and we'll be seeing mid-50's in a couple days. That might be when I get back out there and use the ol' hose, foam gun, and 2 bucket wash on the Ram and Explorer.

 

I'm gonna read up on the pre-soak part though. I didn't do that....I just sprayed it off at a local pay-n-spray.

 

The pre-soak isn't a necessity, but it can't hurt.  If you rinsed at the pay n spray thats fine, but more lubrication is never a bad thing, so I prefer to pre-soak the panels i'm working with diluted solution to loosen up and then the surface is already lubricated when my soaked MF towel hits the paint, make sense?  Pre-rinse at the pay n spray and then pre-soak is the ultimate in safe rinseless washing.

 

I'm with you, once the temps are up and I really want to do a mid-winter/post winter clean I get out the foam gun and the 2 buckets as well.  We had a weekend around 45-50 after New Years and I got to bring out the hose and buckets then, should hold me over till spring (my hose is outside and unless the temps are high for a day or two in a row the hose is frozen even if the daytime temp is warm).

 

Definitely get yourself more edgeless towels.  You actually found out the old way of washing/drying with the GDWM today, when Garry first started making videos he recommended:

 

-pre soak on the panel

-go over it with your soaked towel

-take a towel out of the bucket (clean), wring it out completely so its just damp, this is your drying towel.  He would go over each cleaned panel with the damp "drying towel" to soak up most of the solution

-then take a separate, dry towel to buff residues and to a shine

 

He modified the method about a year to a year and a half ago and just started using a waffle weave towel for drying in the vids (saving a towel and saving a step in the process). 

 

I've had good results with both methods, depends on how "saturated" I have to make the surface when I am washing, the waffle weave gets loaded up with water fairly quick for me, I have a few 450gsm-ish drying towels that work well, as they are a lower nap (not ultra plush) but still absorb a ton when drying, I use them exclusively when rinseless washing.  When 2BM washing, its always an ultrad plush towel for drying for me.

[ramflava]

Great info. I've watched a few of the Garry Dean videos. My personal opinion...I can't stand Garry Dean for more that about 1 minute...he has some techniques I like, but I like a lot of Dylan's and Larry Kosilla's methods and videos better.

 

The damp drying cloth was something I saw from Larry's video and I just tried it today. I like that technique a lot. Being an amateur, I love seeing so many styles and videos then trying them out for myself. I use my wife's Journey as a test vehicle. The paint is in good condition, but if I slightly mar or scratch her car, its less noticeable on the silver than on black or mineral gray.

The foam gun, 2 BM with a few great white waffle weave towels and being outside is my favorite way and I feel very comfortable. I'm not going to abandon the rinseless, but I'll need some time to build my stock of MF towels.

[Ricky Bobby]

Larry Kosilla is also great.  He (for obvious reasons) is able to articulate and produce videos much more succinctly than GD.  The only thing unrealistic about Larry's drying technique is that unless you are in perfect shade/temp/etc., it will take forever to dry your car with a single (or 2) damp 16 x 24 microfibers, wringing it out as you go, if it is anything bigger than the coupe Larry was working on in his video.  You'd be drying for about 35 minutes using that technique on your Ram or Explorer LOL

 

Love Dylan's videos, obviously.

[SSJ455]

I placed my first order of Rinseless Wash and I look forward to using it when I get it.  I'd like to be able to not have to use a water hose and turn the driveway into a skating rink.

[ramflava]

I just wash the ol' police unit (Explorer), It's 40 degrees and it was one cold wash. Maybe it's because I'm used to the 2 bucket wash method, but the wash felt right. I'll try the rinseless again another time. I will say though, I like that I stayed warm yesterday doing the rinseless wash.

Wash with the hose and 2 buckets, made me think of another question. Why isn't a car wash mitt recommended for a rinseless?

[SJC96GT]

Why isn't a car wash mitt recommended for a rinseless?

With a microfiber you have eight different sides before you have to discard for a new one or in your case go back to the rinse bucket to rinse microfiber out.

[ramflava]

With a microfiber you have eight different sides before you have to discard for a new one or in your case go back to the rinse bucket to rinse microfiber out.

Right. I understand that, but using a couple buckets with a grit guard and given the high nap or pile on a wash mitt, wouldn't it be okay or nearly the same as using a wash mitt with car shampoo?

 

I guess the argument could be that it might drip too much or the grime might stick to the pad too much, or not enough lubrisity? 

[Ricky Bobby]

Wash mitt is fine for Rinsless. But you have to make sure that it is open loop or split loop construction so the fibers are open and the debris is easily released.

[SJC96GT]

As Jason stated, it would be fine. You will just be running back to the rinse bucket a lot more often than you would with a microfiber.

Edited January 25, 2015 by SJC96GT

[ramflava]

Thanks guys.