Moving : Washing without proper hose connection

[Coderedpl]

So my wife and I are more than likely moving in the next 2 months. The place we are renting out does not have an outside hose connection so I'm looking into alternatives. I asked the people at the rental office about it and washing the car and they told me people do it, possibly using the faucet connection, but they're not going to be responsible if anything happens while doing so.

 

In the past, I've been able to use the gas pressure washer, aswell as the regular hose connection. Gas will likely not be an option here.

 

Initially I considered one of those portable pressure washers with a water tank, but seeing the price of one is about the same what an electric pressure washer is, it seems pointless. The two I've seen are either 4.5 or 8 gallon., which doesn't seem like much, and they only put a Max of 130 psi. Anybody have or use one?

 

So here come some questions.

1. Has anybody here gone the faucet to hose route in the past?

 

2. Has anybody used the above with an electric pressure washer? I assume pressure should be OK, there is indeed a washer/dryer hook up in one of the rooms

 

3. Anybody wash INSIDE their garage with a hose? Any suggestions on keeping the walls and other items dry?

 

Any other suggestions?

[sahls01gmc]

How about going to the car wash and using their high pressure hose to hit the big stuff, then come home and do the Waterless Wash?  Seems like the perfect fit for you!

[Dan@Adams]

That would be my recommendation too James. When I'm away from home at a show for a few days, I will take one or two 5 gallon buckets with all of my washing supplies in them, and take those with me to a touchless coin-op car wash. I will go during a time of the day where there hopefully won't be too many other people there, pull into an unused bay, and then start cleaning my vehicle using the Two Bucket Method, but using only water pressure from the hose at the car wash - none of their soaps or waxes. In my buckets I will have 2 Adam's Wash Pads, grit guards, a 16oz bottle of Car Shampoo, a 16oz bottle of APC, a 16oz bottle of Deep Wheel Cleaner, a blue Deep Clean Tire Scrub Brush, and a red Short Handle Wheel Brush. If the tires or wheels aren't too dirty, I will skip using the APC and DWC and just clean them with Car Shampoo.

 

Once it's clean, I'll pull out of the stall for the next person and park near the side of the building, using the shade from the building if possible, and dry the car with a Great White Drying Towel, lightly misting Detail Spray onto each panel as I dry. If there is no room to dry there, I will drive back to the hotel/show/parking lot/etc and do a Waterless Wash to dry the rest of the vehicle.

 

I have a water faucet inside of my garage that I've used once or twice, but you will want to make sure there is adequate, working drainage and avoid spraying water onto the walls or you could get mold and mildew buildup. I only have about 3 feet of clearance between the vehicle and side wall of my garage, and I have LED strip lights mounted to the side wall for detailing, so this is why I don't do this wash option very much. If you do want to wash inside the garage with a hose, I would definitely suggest applying some type of waterproof paint to the drywall/concrete walls.

[pirahnah3]

You said your renting the house, are you allowed to do any work to it? 

 

Several reasons for my question as there might be more than one option here to help you out if the coin op car wash is not your thing. 

[mdamore419]

I have a cold water faucet in my garage that only connects to a hose and I have used it in the garage when it was cold outside or at night a few times this year. If you are careful and don't use the full pressure, you won't hit most of the stuff around the car. Whenever I am finished I will leave the garage doors open so that the water that missed the car will dry faster and prevent mold or mildew. Since the faucet is cold water, I will fill my buckets with extremely hot water to make up for the cold water coming out of the hose. As long as you're careful you should be able to wash in the garage. 

[Coderedpl]

How about going to the car wash and using their high pressure hose to hit the big stuff, then come home and do the Waterless Wash?  Seems like the perfect fit for you!

I personally have not done much searching for coin self service car washes yet but a quick Google search shows one 12 miles away that's open 24/7. In this part of new York I don't really see dedicated self service places with bays and such. Some gas stations have those little ones.

 

 

  

That would be my recommendation too James. When I'm away from home at a show for a few days, I will take one or two 5 gallon buckets with all of my washing supplies in them, and take those with me to a touchless coin-op car wash. I will go during a time of the day where there hopefully won't be too many other people there, pull into an unused bay, and then start cleaning my vehicle using the Two Bucket Method, but using only water pressure from the hose at the car wash - none of their soaps or waxes. In my buckets I will have 2 Adam's Wash Pads, grit guards, a 16oz bottle of Car Shampoo, a 16oz bottle of APC, a 16oz bottle of Deep Wheel Cleaner, a blue Deep Clean Tire Scrub Brush, and a red Short Handle Wheel Brush. If the tires or wheels aren't too dirty, I will skip using the APC and DWC and just clean them with Car Shampoo.

 

Once it's clean, I'll pull out of the stall for the next person and park near the side of the building, using the shade from the building if possible, and dry the car with a Great White Drying Towel, lightly misting Detail Spray onto each panel as I dry. If there is no room to dry there, I will drive back to the hotel/show/parking lot/etc and do a Waterless Wash to dry the rest of the vehicle.

 

I have a water faucet inside of my garage that I've used once or twice, but you will want to make sure there is adequate, working drainage and avoid spraying water onto the walls or you could get mold and mildew buildup. I only have about 3 feet of clearance between the vehicle and side wall of my garage, and I have LED strip lights mounted to the side wall for detailing, so this is why I don't do this wash option very much. If you do want to wash inside the garage with a hose, I would definitely suggest applying some type of waterproof paint to the drywall/concrete walls.

Washing inside garage is an idea I have in mind but it probably won't come to become reality as I rather not deal with issue of mold and such especially considering its a rental. Hell, I have a garage now in my parents house and don't wash the car inside it. Granted it's not a heated garage though, would be good for a maintenance wipe down during the warm months though.

  

You said your renting the house, are you allowed to do any work to it? 

 

Several reasons for my question as there might be more than one option here to help you out if the coin op car wash is not your thing.

 

 

 

I'm not entirely sure, but I have a feeling holes and such for hanging stuff up should be acceptable. What do you have in mind particularly? I can inquire about it if it's a good idea lolz

 

 

I have a cold water faucet in my garage that only connects to a hose and I have used it in the garage when it was cold outside or at night a few times this year. If you are careful and don't use the full pressure, you won't hit most of the stuff around the car. Whenever I am finished I will leave the garage doors open so that the water that missed the car will dry faster and prevent mold or mildew. Since the faucet is cold water, I will fill my buckets with extremely hot water to make up for the cold water coming out of the hose. As long as you're careful you should be able to wash in the garage.

 

I'm going to try and test the pressure coming off the faucet that I would be using just to get an idea of how it is. My main goal now is to be able to simply wash the car, even if the pressure isn't crazy, doing it with a hose is much easier then going back and forth with buckets.

 

Pressure washer is not high on the priority list whatsoever, just an idea I have in mind,if the pressure in the faucet will allow me to do it.

[Ricky Bobby]

Learn how to do a rinselesss wash using Garry Dean Wash Method properly - occasionally you may need to hit the self wash (winter time perhaps) but honestly if I was in a condo or apartment I would be using 1 bucket and GDWM once a week - its stupid easy to get it clean without a hose or soap bucket.

 

I have the same problem as you, in NY/NJ/CT area people are too lazy to wash their own, so the self service bays are few and far between, as opposed to most of the rest of the country.  I also have to drive 15 mins one way to hit a self service so most times its not worth it.

Edited February 11, 2016 by Ricky Bobby

[sahls01gmc]

Jason, can you provide a link that accurately shows the GDWM?  I've seen a couple on the interwebs, but I have no idea which one is the authentic one.

[Dan@Adams]

I would agree with Jason that doing a Rinseless Wash is a great option for you, as long as the vehicle isn't super dirty with tons of dirt, mud, salt etc. Kinda slipped my mind to mention it in my first post since I got caught up on using a hose in the garage.

 

This video is a little bit old, but Dylan essentially shows a version of the GDWM here:

 

 

I follow this method when doing Rinseless Washes, with a slight change that I will sometimes dry with a Great White Microfiber Drying Towel rather than a dry Double Soft Towel.

[Chris@Adams]

I wash cars in my garage all year long, I have a curtain that I pull across my garage to keep the cars in the other stall dry, as far as everything else if you are careful you can keep walls etc. dry with a little practice.

[sahls01gmc]

I would agree with Jason that doing a Rinseless Wash is a great option for you, as long as the vehicle isn't super dirty with tons of dirt, mud, salt etc. Kinda slipped my mind to mention it in my first post since I got caught up on using a hose in the garage.

 

This video is a little bit old, but Dylan essentially shows a version of the GDWM here:

 

 

I follow this method when doing Rinseless Washes, with a slight change that I will sometimes dry with a Great White Microfiber Drying Towel rather than a dry Double Soft Towel.

Thanks Dan!  

[Dan@Adams]

I wash cars in my garage all year long, I have a curtain that I pull across my garage to keep the cars in the other stall dry, as far as everything else if you are careful you can keep walls etc. dry with a little practice.

 

Wow a curtain is a great idea. Why didn't I think of that? Lol. Always learning from the master!

[Chris@Adams]

You can see the curtain in this pic......

 

[pirahnah3]

I'm not entirely sure, but I have a feeling holes and such for hanging stuff up should be acceptable. What do you have in mind particularly? I can inquire about it if it's a good idea lolz

 

Well the questions really relates around just putting a hose bib in line under one of the sinks but you might need to cut into the line or try to finagle the threads and all that for fittings to jump off of the shut offs. 

 

Rinselss is certainly a great option as well, or waterless for just driveway washing or anything. 

[Texas Moe]

Learn how to do a rinselesss wash using Garry Dean Wash Method properly - occasionally you may need to hit the self wash (winter time perhaps) but honestly if I was in a condo or apartment I would be using 1 bucket and GDWM once a week - its stupid easy to get it clean without a hose or soap bucket.

 

I have the same problem as you, in NY/NJ/CT area people are too lazy to wash their own, so the self service bays are few and far between, as opposed to most of the rest of the country.  I also have to drive 15 mins one way to hit a self service so most times its not worth it.

 

^^^ This x 1000.  Switched to the Rinseless Wash using the GDWM after so many people on these boards talked it up and I love it.  I haven't taken the time to crunch the numbers but I'm convinced that it's cheaper probably does save time.  Adam's probably doesn't want me saying this but the RW solution is very versatile and can replace many other products including Detail Spray, Waterless Wash, clay lubricant, etc.

Edited February 12, 2016 by Texas Moe

[Ricky Bobby]

Thanks Dan and Moe for the backup help and Dan for posting the excellent video of Dylan executing it. If you search YouTube you can see videos of Garry Dean explaining the method as well - Adams Rinseless is a very versatile product and once you hone in your technique you probably can accomplish a wash without a hose every time except after going through mud.

 

I'm with Dan as well I always use a large waffle weave like the GWDT to dry after the panel has been cleaned and still is damp.

Edited February 12, 2016 by Ricky Bobby

[LT1xL82]

I soak a Waterless Wash Towel with 128:1 Rinseless in a plastic Chinese take out container. Fold towel in half 3 or 4 times then "swipe and roll" a panel soaked with 16:1 Rinseless. Clean part of the adjacent dirty panels. Dry only the current cleaned panel with Double Soft and some Detail Spray. When the wash towel is dirty refold to a clean area. When the entire side of the towel is dirty set aside and use a new towel. I use 1-6 towels per vehicle depending on how dirty and vehicle size. (Sometimes I replace the "dry with Detail Spray" step with Guard and Gloss wet application/dry.) If I can feel any grit in the dirt on the car's paint, I pre-rinse with high pressure water. Garden hose pressure is marginally adequate. If in doubt, pre-rinse or pre-soak!

[DieselDude]

Does the place that your renting have a washing machine hookup. Just use the hookup for the washing machine.  This depends on how close it is to your car.

[Coderedpl]

Does the place that your renting have a washing machine hookup. Just use the hookup for the washing machine.  This depends on how close it is to your car.

I thought i mentioned it in first post but i guess not, it does have a hook-up for those but they are on the second floor, so i'd have to drag the hose through either entire place, or through a bedroom and out the window to the first floor hence why i went for the bathroom idea since its right near the entrance / and garage 

 

My concern about rinseless / waterless methods is how dirty a car will be, the light dusting sure, that can work, but a lot of times the car has a heavier set of dust, such as when they do landscaping in the area or something. I'm not sure how comfortable id be doing rinseless on a car with that on top. 

[Ricky Bobby]

For surface dirt it is perfectly fine. I do rinseless washes all year long including in salty winters.

 

Technique, proper pre soaking when needed, and multiple towels are key.

Edited February 12, 2016 by Ricky Bobby

[marquez93]

For surface dirt it is perfectly fine. I do rinseless washes all year long including in salty winters.

 

Technique, proper pre soaking when needed, and multiple towels are key.

 

I've been a bit nervous about doing rinseless washes with so much salt, but I'm going to do it anyway soon.  I sprayed off with a pressure washer first last week and then washed, but with fairly fresh LPS and such large beads, I ended up with too much water on the car and it was much harder to wipe it dry and I had to use multiple dry towels as well.  I think next time I'll go ahead and start with a dry car and just pre-soak first.

[Feets31]

If you have a washing machine hook up maybe you could run something off of it.  You might need a 100 foot hose......

[Ricky Bobby]

I've been a bit nervous about doing rinseless washes with so much salt, but I'm going to do it anyway soon.  I sprayed off with a pressure washer first last week and then washed, but with fairly fresh LPS and such large beads, I ended up with too much water on the car and it was much harder to wipe it dry and I had to use multiple dry towels as well.  I think next time I'll go ahead and start with a dry car and just pre-soak first.

 

Think about it this way, as opposed to dirt, salt is actually an easier substance to remove off the surface as it dissolves in water, so it makes it ideal for rinseless washing (removing salt) as long as you use plenty of lubrication (rinseless solution, pre-soak, etc)

 

As opposed to going up and down unpaved, gravel driveways every day where the dust/debris on your surface is actually dust from rocks, etc, salt is not too bad.

 

Use warmer to hot water in your pre-soak solution, it will really melt the salt nicely.  I also use warm water in my bucket in the winter and makes it easier to dry too.  With a propane heater in the garage and doors shut (but window cracked for ventilation!)  Its quite comfortable to do rinseless washes all winter long and take your time, have a few brewski's/cigars, lots of fun

[butters]

I rented a townhouse at one point and the basement was adjacent to the garage separated by a block wall. There was no outdoor spigot, or maybe there was all the way in the back of the row, but there was one near the water heater. My landlord was pretty cool, when I asked if I could run a hose through the basement he didn't even realize it was there, and offered instead to put a 1" hole through the block wall to get the hose straight into the garage for driveway use. Worked out very well. Check your basement.

Edited February 18, 2016 by butters

[Mantelope]

There are adapters you can put on your kitchen sink to hook up a hose, depending on the faucet. Here's an example of one: Amazon Link

[DetailZeus]

Think about it this way, as opposed to dirt, salt is actually an easier substance to remove off the surface as it dissolves in water, so it makes it ideal for rinseless washing (removing salt) as long as you use plenty of lubrication (rinseless solution, pre-soak, etc)

 

As opposed to going up and down unpaved, gravel driveways every day where the dust/debris on your surface is actually dust from rocks, etc, salt is not too bad.

 

Use warmer to hot water in your pre-soak solution, it will really melt the salt nicely.  I also use warm water in my bucket in the winter and makes it easier to dry too.  With a propane heater in the garage and doors shut (but window cracked for ventilation!)  Its quite comfortable to do rinseless washes all winter long and take your time, have a few brewski's/cigars, lots of fun

 

Ricky's posts have been a fantastic resource for honing my rinseless technique over the past few years. One of my favorite tricks was using a garden sprayer with a strong dilution of rinseless and soaking the panel until it is dripping. You'll be surprised at what will just slide off your paint.